More than Writers

Are you sitting uncomfortably? – some Halloween reflections It’s Hallowe’en – have you noticed?! – and this blog month’s has been ongoing almost as long as the marketing lead-up. I know that some of my struggle with this time of year lies in having lived so long in Africa. In the UK we are amused by Hallowe’en paraphernalia: eating cupcakes iced with spooks and gore; trick or treating; scrolling for ‘scary films to cuddle up to’. In stark contrast, in Africa a pumpkin would feed a family for a week and they have a healthy fear of spiders — so why would you decorate with them? Witch-doctors cast spells and people drop dead. The fear around magic is real.  I have always been wary of writing about the supernatural outside of God. Acts 19:19, for example, describes people burning their books on magic, though these would likely have been books of spells, rather than the 1 st century equivalent of Harry Potter. As someone tried to reassure me recently, his powers came out of the love of...

  This is the first thing written on my new laptop, although I loved my old laptop and everything was where I liked it. There were hints and threats for a long time though, new batteries, replacement chargers, a non-working dvd player… I did like the look of my kids’ laptops, thin and light, and even I could pick one up with one hand, unlike my old laptop that needed two hands at all times, making for a killer rucksack when taking it anywhere. When it took my old laptop more than twenty minutes to load, I caved in. It had been the dreaded setting up, moving files and restarting a new thing that had delayed it all. For a while, I had struggled to do any writing, for my laptop was so slow, that by the time it had started to work and load my programmes, my small writing window had closed again. In order to use my laptop on the go, I had to carry the heavy rucksack and have a working space near a socket, as my laptop needed to be plugged in at all times. So often, I left my lapto...

Image Credits:-  Images taken by me, Allison Symes, at the Autumn Gathering. It was a joy to be at the ACW Autumn Gathering on 12th October and catch up with friends, especially since it was ages since I was last at an in person ACW event. Rugby Elim Church, host to the ACW Autumn Gathering The term was apt given harvest was relatively recent with many gatherings there but it led me to wonder what it is about writing events (including Zoom ones) which are so useful for writers. Just getting together, online or in person, with fellow writers is a huge source of encouragement, which I think we need more of, as we strive to be like Barnabas. Paul Kerensa at the ACW Autumn Gathering I’ve found out useful information about where to find support as an author from chatting to colleagues. Someone told me years ago about the Society of Authors and Authors Licensing and Collecting Society . I am a member of the former and have free membership of the latter thanks to that. Have never regret...

Writers behind the scenes!   What scenes you might ask? Here is a list of possible scenes that many ACW writers are involved in: Organizing writing conferences/ workshops Being Guest speakers Book launches Leading ACW local groups Leading various genre groups Holding ACW Admin roles and positions Serving in leadership roles for ACW UK Organizing author events/Blog tours Engaging in research Mentoring 1:1 via Zoom Praying fervent prayers Can you add more to the list above? Being involved in the listed activities and the like requires some hard work behind the scenes to bring success. On 26 th October, I was involved with like-minded authors to celebrate the Black History Month event in Abbey Wood Library. We prepared for 40 guests, in faith.  It was our third time. Yet, I can tell you that this released my adrenalin level. Even my sleep before the event was broken with thoughts of planning for the event! In preparation,  a program of events was drawn. Fliers were made. In...

I suddenly realised this morning that I'd lost track of the days and today is my Blog spot!  I'm very sorry to be late and hope this is still a blessing.  I'm just returned from leading a conference and now have covid!  That's no excuse but maybe explains me losing track! I've been thinking a lot recently about our sense of inner strength or lack of.  I often feel weak and very inadequate for the things I need to do.  Last week's conference for example.  When I feel panicky about my ability to do something well, I often run away from it which is crazy because I am thus preventing myself from preparing properly which of course then increases my feeling of inadequacy.   I was reading in Joshua 1 and felt really encouraged by the powerful words God spoke over Joshua to empower him for his new calling, to step up as the new leader of the displaced Israelites and to fulfil what the mighty Moses could not fulfil himself throughout his 40 years as leader...

Do you dream of having a superpower? Long for the power of invisibility, so that you can snoop in all of the prohibited places? Desire x-ray vision, so that you can see through walls? Yearn for the power of invincibility, so that you can live forever? My favourite fantasy superpower is the ability to steal the superpowers of other people. What is your favourite? Joking aside, as Christian writers we all have a superpower. We all have the power to bring about change, influence, inspire, build up (and tear down), encourage, motivate, direct, and guide. Our power is endless, especially when we partner with the Holy Spirit. Words have the power to bring forth tears (of joy and happiness), turn a frown into a smile, mourning into laughter, instil fear, evoke anger and more. A great story starts with carefully chosen words. They set the tone, the mood, the scene, a moment in time. The reader consumes and digests every single word, every sentence and paragraph. By the time they have...

 I am in reflective mood again. I hope that is OK. I was struggling to find something intelligent and inspiring to write for this blog, as life is pretty full on at the moment. It wasn’t happening. And then I realised that this month marks a milestone and that got me thinking. Four years ago, in October 2020, I signed my first publishing contract. Next month my fourth novel, The Stranger , is being published. This will be my sixth published book in four years, including my Advent Devotional, Christ Illuminated , and my little eBook novella, The Beloved , which I published myself through Amazon KDP. I have had the honour of working with all sorts of different publishers – traditional, hybrid, and the new model collaborative that is BroadPlace Publishing . I have learnt so much, so quickly, about things I actually had no clue about when this all started. I am not saying all this to boast. I am actually pinching myself as to the reality of how much has happened to me in the last fou...

I love the Biblical story of Gideon. The humour of a young man threshing in the enclosed space of a winepress being greeted as ‘mighty warrior’. Gideon’s reaction when the test he set for God comes back and he wonders if maybe fleece is always wet with dew in the mornings and he’s just never noticed. The crazy methods used to decide which soldiers to keep and which to send home. But Gideon’s story is not just an amusing tale. Underpinning it is a clear message about never giving up; about what it means to trust God and his power even when things seem hopeless. About how God can use the most unlikely of people. Important lessons. But if I am summarising the gospel for a non-Christian, I’m not talking about Gideon. The Bible tells us how a loving and holy God relates to the people he created. Jesus is the vital part of that tale, Gideon is not. He’s an example. Many moons ago, I spent 3 years studying for a degree in history. Every week in term-time, I would work my way down a long r...