More than Writers

Most of us, before we're published, make an assumption.  We assume that, once we've had one book published, the second will be easier. It feels similar to the sensation I had as a child: when I'm grown up, life will be easier.  I'll suddenly become an 'adult' and I will be, in a way, a different person. All that annoying fear and shyness will be gone, for example. Decisions will be made with swift, accurate wisdom. I'll have done it. I'll be THERE. Excuse me while I pause to laugh. A lot. OK, so getting older does change things - I know myself much better, have learned what works best in different situations, have my coping mechanisms in place. Practising something does make it less nerve-racking and sometimes I even get better at it.  But there's no magic wand that appears (whether it is inscribed 'grown up' or 'published writer') and makes all the hurdles disappear with a satisfying zap. It appears I am still me. Ah. ...

 by Fiona Veitch Smith I recently posted on Facebook that I was halfway through writing my current novel and that I had more loose threads than the Bayeux Tapestry. “Just as well Poppy [my lead character] knows what’s going on, because I don’t!” I complained. Invariably, fellow writers empathised, offering encouragement such as “Just follow Poppy, she’ll lead you through it.’ Or “I love it when that happens, it becomes an adventure and I’m excited to see where it leads.” Or “My characters also seem to have a mind of their own!” But the non-writers said things like: “But surely you are in control of what happens; you’re the writer, aren’t you?” Or “How can you not know where you’re going? You’re the one making it happen.” Or “But hang on, aren’t you Poppy?” They all seemed to assume that writing was an activity of the conscious mind. I tried to explain that creative writing is an interplay between the conscious and sub-conscious. This attracted lots of ‘likes’ from ...

( Worship : collective noun for a group of writers) Here's a teaser for you: what's the connection between loincloths and lemon drizzle cake? Answer: they both featured at the ACW Writers' Day, held last weekend in Leeds. Forty-five writers gathered together at Lister Hill Baptist Church in Horsforth for a day of teaching, networking and fun. It was the first time a national ACW day had been held so far north (we think), and it proved to be very popular. Our main speakers were Fiona Veitch Smith and Corin Child. Fiona gave a talk on adapting our stories for the screen, and gave helpful advice on the differences between written and visual media. It was this session which featured the loincloth - or rather, the instruction to get rid of it. Before you start blushing, I should point out that Fiona was encouraging us to dispense with clich é d descriptions in our writing...such as always depicting Tarzan in a loincloth. After a tea break, Corin led a h...

I am a very lucky writer. For thirty-eight years I have been paid to write about the life histories of words. I love what I do. I can’t choose what I write about: I work on the subjects I am given. I don’t write much at length. Nearly everything is a short passage or snippet, or simply editing what others have written, some long ago, some recently. I write as part of a very large team. Everything is collaborative; no one owns any part of what is published. What we write is anonymous. Even if I discover something interesting and write it up, nothing is attributed to me. The work is highly skilled. It requires considerable painstaking analysis, careful research, and clear, concise expression. As part of my job I check the work of colleagues, amend it where necessary, and give feedback; and I answer questions about analysis and style. Of course, occasionally the words involved are Christian ones, about which I know more than many of my colleagues. I have ha...

I wrote in my journal: ' Morning, Lord .' ...and that's where I left it. For nearly  a month . I know that God is with me always. I know that He's with me through thick and thin and I know that He have given me gifts, and that He wants me to use them. I know that He has a Plan for my life and I know that His timing is perfect. So, I reckon that God is used to me panicking when things go wrong; I moan and I complain and I cling onto Him harder. Indeed I am there every time He turns round and if He does, He's likely to trip over me, I'm so clingy. I need Him and I know it. But what's surprised me recently is how I panic when it looks as if things might go  right . Let me explain. I have been writing a blog for a few years and it's a place where I write about my faith and my life; all the ups and downs and downs and 'yippee!'s and 'oh-no-not-again's. I've learned a lot and occasionally heard His voice loud and clear and under...

At the recent MAIEastern European Publisher’s Forum, I attended a session for writers, led by the novelist Steve Lawhead and his wife Alice. In their introduction Alice told us of the time when they had been to a Writers Conference in America. The speaker in the last session was both tired and nervous. ‘Have we got the volume right?’ he queried adjusting his microphone for the tenth time. ‘Louder’ came a shout from the back row of the raked seating. ‘Funnier’ suggested an attendee nearer the front. The harassed speaker tried to regain control. ‘In our final session, we’re going to consider how we can make our writing more culturally appropriate , fresher and ... His ‘demob happy’ audience pelted him with suggestions.. ‘Newer’ ‘Lighter’ ‘Wilder’ ‘Bolder’ ‘Stronger’ ‘Amazing-er’ I think the poor man retired in confusion at that point! A funny story to relax us and break the ice that morning. But it made a very important point. As writers it is so easy ...

In unity of faith and simple obedience the Israelites saw the walls of Jericho fall.  We may feel like grasshoppers  against the giants, but if God is with us, who can be against us!     To each God has given: gifts, talents, skills and abilities.....       1.Cor.12 Writing is a gift, a talent to use to impact our culture.   Letters to make a stand for injustice have value, stories or reports of God’s intervention in our lives have influence.   Books whether fact or fiction can reveal the Father’s love and imbed seeds of truth. Poems and songs are able to touch lives and lift the spirit. Signing a petition can bring change.    Mel’s blog post this month seemed too much suffering for one woman to bear, yet Paul listed his troubles and added in 2 Cor.4:17 “ For our light, momentary affliction is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glor...