More than Writers

  All Things Shiny New by Gillian Poucher Summer term had barely ended when my daughter e-mailed a list of items needed for the new school year. I’ve grown accustomed to e-mailed shopping lists, but sometimes question the practicality or need for all items.   ‘A handbag?’ I said to myself, channelling Lady Bracknell. ‘A handbag?’ I made face-to-face enquiries. ‘Wouldn’t a rucksack be better, just like you’ve always had? How will a handbag fit folders and books, lunch box and water bottle?’ My daughter explained patiently that in Year 10, handbags are the norm. Many of her friends already had one in Year 9, and she had held back asking. There would be enough room. I duly ordered the bag and other items. Two weeks into term, and the handbag seems to have capacity – though I still eye it dubiously, and find myself gazing nostalgically at some of the younger children carrying their rucksacks… My more substantial summer purchase was a new laptop.   I’d postponed this for...

 Do you ever wonder if your words have any impact, or question if anyone is even reading? Especially when you share your writing online, it can be difficult to know the impact it’s having. However, as Christian writers, that’s where faith comes in. We release our words and allow God to use them as he chooses – and sometimes he does in the most unexpected ways.       I thought I’d share an encouraging true story this month. While not directly related to writing, I hope you are heartened in your writing journey by this example of God at work:       A young man was working as a door-to-door salesman, and he went to the house of an elderly lady. In the course of the conversation, the lady shared the Gospel with him. (Sidenote: what an amazing way to deal with door-to-door salespeople – if they’re interested it’s a wonderful opportunity and if not, I’m guessing they’ll leave pretty quickly!)       In this case, the lady c...

My post for September, Moving Forward , mentioned I was working towards a reset in my writing journey. I hoped that my annual reflections around my birthday would be significant, especially as I was planning a pilgrimage to spiritual places in Northumberland. I was keen to visit Durham Cathedral and Lindisfarne (aka Holy Island) with an expectation of an inspiration injection for the year ahead. I had not anticipated how popular the resting place of saints Cuthbert and Aiden would be, and I was disappointed not to find many quiet places of contemplation among the bustling crowds. In the cathedral, there were a host of purple-clad stewards directing the queues of visitors around their one-way system. While they were happy to explain the background to the artifacts and coloured-glass windows, many were surprised that we weren’t interested in the areas that appeared in few Harry Potter films. Lindisfarne also proved to be hectic as visitors flowed onto the diminutive island across the c...