More than Writers

  Having three teenagers and an eleven year old, it’s a question I find myself asking a lot. Does it matter? My kids ask it a lot too, but in different wordings. It can be a hard question to ask, as there is culture and what is seen as appropriate. It seemed to matter a lot more when we were younger too. There were certain colours that should never be worn together as they clashed. Does anybody still cringe when pink and red is worn at the same time? I don’t think my children are even aware how out of line that is… Writing can be like that. I know someone complained that I had a coracle, a manned lighthouse and an army bergen rucksack in the same chapter. But I made up Elabi, so I got to add all the things I enjoy. Who wants an automated lighthouse, when you can have a lighthouse keeper? And a coracle is a wonderful craft, and I was thrilled to read a lot more detail about those little boats in Joy Margetts’ book The Stranger. When writing historical fiction, accuracy matters, ...

  Image Credit:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. There are many contrasts in writing. There’s the joy of creating your stories or articles. Then there’s the editing. I find it helpful to approach editing with a smile.  When I realised good editing was helping me to become published, my attitude towards it changed. I now see it as a creative task, separate from the initial writing, which will make those drafts so much better. I know many see editing as something which has to be done while gritting your teeth! (If you are gritting someone else’s teeth, you have a problem beyond the scope of this post!). There are many contrasts in writing themes. Light and darkness are the obvious ones and are classic themes. When more appropriate to think about these than now as we go into Advent? Advent - preparing for the ultimate Light to come into this world and break our darkness. As writers, we can bring light into readers’ lives. I have a soft spot for humorous wr...

  Where do you want to be?  This is not about your wanting to go to Heaven at the end of your earthly reign. It’s about growth as a Christian writer. I’ve often asked myself: Is this where I want to be?  I praise God for you if your name invokes a buzz or a blast in the writing community locally and afar! That is where I want to be! It’s not being vain. Here are some tips we could apply by God’s special grace. Honestly, I confess that I can be sluggish stepping up! I know that following these tips could help one achieve huge strides in their growth as a Christian writer. Right, let’s see the tips:     Don’t be content with words on pages; focus on their impact so readers are influenced by the kingdom message.        Ensure professional growth by reaching out to other writers who have hit the mark.     Be bold and confident, and worry less that your message might hurt your critics. 4.      Trust that the ...

In the lead up to Christmas I cannot help but find my thoughts turning towards angels and their role in our lives.  We have the famous story of the Angel Gabriel making himself known to both Zechariah and to Mary, announcing incredible and life changing news to both.  Am awesome experience?  Yes but one that shattered their lives forever as they'd been living and planning them, but which had beautiful, wondrous, life reverberating repercussions. Last week I attended a ladies lunch at our church leader's home.  I'd felt reluctant to go as I knew one of the ladies was going to get us to make angels.  Any group creative activity like that puts me in a panic.   Many reasons why, but I think the main ones were that I was always told I was a fool at school as my deafness had not been diagnosed.  In group activities I never heard the teacher's instructions and inevitably came under his/her wrath and was teased by the children or shouted at for ruining th...

I attended a weekly prayer meeting from 1986, when I invited Jesus into my life, to 2014. It took place every Wednesday at 7.00am. At first, it was in the home of a Christian businessman and was for any Christians in business. I was a self-employed builder and made welcome, especially as I had only been a Christian for a few months. It truly is amazing what happens when we pray, especially corporately. 28 years later that meeting continued but not in the same location. The meeting moved to ‘The Door Youth Project’, a venture that I co-founded in 1991. In 1996, I became the first paid youth worker for the organisation. It was exciting and scary all at the same time and I rapidly set to praying every day. I would start each day in prayer and commit my impossible workload to the Lord. Remarkably, even though I had seemingly wasted time praying, every task and more was achieved, as I learnt to pray into every situation and do things in His strength. Now, I chat away to God in my dail...

  Last week the SpaceX Starship was launched. I don’t know much about it except that I understand it was an experimental launch, and that the Starship involved will one day take astronauts and passengers to Mars – if all the testing goes to plan. President elect Trump joined Elon Musk and other apparently important people to watch the launch and celebrate its ‘success’. I suspect that the people most engaged with that launch were the people who had worked for months to design and build the starship and its launch gear. And the people in charge of the launch itself – I suspect they were watching more closely than anyone else. Drinks were served, flags were waved, TV coverage was widespread, America cheered. I didn’t. I missed it. I only read about it days after it happened. And I am still not really that bothered or excited about it, or the people behind it! Last week I also launched. Well, rather my book was launched. Although there were times when I wished I could be transported...

How often do you buy a book on the strength of its cover? I’m a sucker for a line-cut image of the countryside, it will draw me to a book, not quite despite its content, but it might come close. On the other hand, give me a pink, chick-lit style cover and I will assume the book isn’t for me. My book club get our books from the library, usually from a list we submit, but sometimes if none of these are available, then from their recommendations. If the book I receive looks unappealing, not to my taste, the opening chapter is going to have to be really good because it’s starting with a massive disadvantage. Like starting a 100m race 20m behind the blocks. I’ve been researching the market recently, checking out what’s new in my area of writing and searching for up-to-date comps. The comparison titles that agents and publishers so love. They show that you know where your story would be positioned, they act as a shorthand for someone reading your pitch – they know what to ex...