Am I A Dinosaur?

 I ask this question because since becoming a Christian in 1977 I’ve always enjoyed doing bible studies, whether on my own or in groups. Maybe that’s why one of my early writing projects was writing bible studies. How else do we choose what to write unless it’s what we enjoy reading ourselves?

Well anyway at the recent ACW Writing Day, I took some of my self-published bible studies to York with me. I wasn’t expecting to sell all my wares but to not even sell one was disappointing. I did, however, enjoy the day with speaker Shaun Lambert. He presented very challenging sessions.

Well back to the challenge of that day. Was it my writing that was so dreadful or are Christians just not interested in bible study these days? I wondered about the genre. I have noticed that short devotional books are more enticing for those with little time. You know what I mean, where perhaps the book is thematic and each commentary on an isolated text gives a feel-good factor. Certainly, these too have a place. What about the in-depth study of a book of the bible, where you set aside an hour to reflect on the bible?

I heard a whisper the other day that traditional publishers are no longer accepting the type of devotional material that they used to. I’m not sure what that is about but it came from a trad-published author.

So, the finger points back to myself. Is my writing so dreadful? I’m not looking for commiserations here just doing some evaluation. When I started writing it was for my own pleasure and getting some of my thoughts down on the page. Now I seem to be thinking of my audience. Is that a bad thing?

Maybe it’s time to go back to my other genre, historical fiction. I’ve got the beginning of another manuscript which had some interesting feedback from a Writing East Midlands literary critic, which needs to be taken out of that ‘to be finished later’ drawer. Or maybe I’ll start the memoir I’ve been promising myself to write. After all, being a dinosaur might help there.

I am retired from just about everything; ex minister, ex teacher, ex secretary, ex pub cleaner. I can be found once a month reflecting on the bible on YouTube (search Reverend Rosalie Weller) and on my website www.rosalieweller.com.