Words, words, words. As wordsmiths, we dabble, we play, we agonise, we yearn over the tools of our trade.
When we speak, our tongues can drip poison and hurt people, or our speech may be seasoned with salt to bless. There’s often little time to think about the effect of what we say. How many times do we wish we could take back the words that have left our lips?
Even bad news [read more]
There is an Arab proverb that says something along the lines of if you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go with others.
I think it applies to writing as much as anything else in life.
When I started [read more]
When I told Adi that I had a blog post to write on the word prompt ‘voice’ he laughed.
‘Well that shouldn’t be a problem for you, should it? The problem is getting you to shut up.’
Cheek!
But he made me think. I talk freely and easily, arms waving.
Yet sometimes when I sit down to write, I find myself writing what I think I should be saying rather than what is in my heart. If I pause to listen, I then hear the Holy Spirit’s quiet prompt to ‘just write’. Not to be so focused on the perfect opening sentence but to simply jump straight in there with what is on my heart.
When I take those few seconds to listen to Him – usually with a slightly sheepish grin on my face because this is a regular occurrence and you’d think I’ve have learned by now – and follow His wisdom, then writing flows. And sometimes I’m amazed at what has cascaded down from my mind to my fingers and out onto the screen.
But when I’m in a rush or tired (like being in the middle of this Lent word-a-day challenge), I think I haven’t got time to listen to Him and my focus shifts from Him to me. That’s never a good thing. At the end of such posts, there’s usually a feeling of frustration of not expressing whatever it is I set out to say, and even emptiness. Because I’d turned it into a striving, doing-it-in-my-own-strength, I-know-better-Lord thing.
Sometimes when I’m in striving mode, the blog post I end up with bears no resemblance whatsoever to the one I started out to write.
Of course, that can happen when the Holy Spirit is in the driving seat (so to speak) too, but when that happens it leaves me feeling satisfied and awed. Because He is using the writing gift He’s given me to bless others through me. And that’s really what we’re here for, isn’t it?
This is my 300th blog post!
If not for Adi, this would never have happened. He persuaded me to start blogging, back in October 2008. It took me a while to settle into the groove and find my ‘voice’, and there were lots of doubts and angst. Through it all, Adi believed in me and in my God-given gift to write.
This blog started as a memorial of our tiny twins’ extremely short lives. They were only about twelve days from conception when we lost them, but it seemed wrong for their existence not to be acknowledged. Today, I celebrate our precious Two and Three. You can read more of that story on my About page.
I celebrate my readers. Thank you for every ‘like’, retweet, and comment. You are such an encouragement and blessing.
I celebrate the seekers who have been directed to my blog specifically because you can identify with some of the issues I write about. Thank you for getting in touch and trusting me to pray.
Writing itself is a way to rejoice in who God has made me and what He’s done in my life. Without my fingers tapping on the keyboard trying to keep up with flowing thoughts, there’s every chance I might explode. Being able to share my reflections in this blog is such a privilege.
And finally, I must celebrate my Jesus. He has chosen me, made me a royal daughter, calls me His very own. Why? So that I may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called me out of darkness into His marvellous light.
Ever heard of NaNoWriMo?
It stands for National Novel Writing Month. That happens to be this month: November.
The idea is to write 50,000 words between 1st and 30th November. Lots of people all over the world take part and it sounds intense but fun.
I’ve wanted to join in for the last few years but have always been too busy. This year, however, I have a fairly free diary with no church commitments (for once)…. so I’ve registered and am at the start line.
It’s a wee bit nerve wracking, even scary, but also exciting.
I planned out my word count on the calendar. Gulp. That looks, erm, intense. I’m hoping to have one day off each week so am planning to write at least 1,925 words per day. That means 9,625 by this Saturday.
But NaNoWriMo is a writing adventure and I can’t wait to get stuck in.
I’m having a go at a young adult/children’s novel about some tiny creatures who live in a tree. They are an orphaned family called Jay, Poppy, Robin and Blu. And that’s all you’re getting for now! They have been living in my head, making their characters known for many years now, and it’s time for them to see the light of day. I have a storyline in mind but I hope my little family will go their own sweet way and surprise me with what they get up to.
If I have any spare energy, I’ll post again in a couple of weeks and let you know how I’m getting on/how frazzled I am!
When I first thought God might be calling me to be a writer, I was excited: a childhood dream come true!
But it didn’t take long for doubt to set in, and those of you who know me can testify to my teetering back and forth.
Who do I think I am trying to do this? Is this really what God wants? Do I even have a gift?
It’s draining.
I even do the ‘right’ thing and take my doubts to God: ‘Are You sure You want me to write?’
It’s kind of inevitable that I tie myself in knots and end up chained by fear. Fear of failure, fear of what people think.
Too often my confidence is affected by how many Facebook likes I get for a blog post or whether it’s retweeted on Twitter. A comment on my actual blog makes my heart sing and dance.
But this is a dangerous position to be in. I’m settling for praise from people, which is nice, but not what I should be aiming for. My aim should be the heavenly ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’ from Jesus. It’s His opinion that really matters.
While it’s helpful to know if I’m reaching anyone through my writing, ultimately I need to focus on writing for an audience of One.
I love that the Father had adventures planned for me before I was born: things to do, places to be, people He wants me to mother. How exciting is that?! The Father must be pretty passionate about me because He puts these desires in my heart, and is guiding me step-by-step into all He has for me.
So, how ever much I have wibbly-wobbly doubts, my part is to respond to the revelation I have right now.
For me today, this means taking writing seriously and giving it time, energy and prayer. If I’ve misheard, my Father will graciously redirect me.
The Father doesn’t clobber me over the head for getting it wrong. Nor does He operate through fear. He is love and perfect love casts out fear. So when I detect that knot of fear in the pit of my stomach, you can bet it doesn’t come from God.
What if I don’t pursue this dream because I’m scared of getting it wrong or failing? On that day when God is giving out rewards to His faithful ones, is it possible I could miss out because of being scared to go for it?
Blogging at More Than Writers today:
I’ve spent the last couple of days printing out seemingly endless copies of my manuscript and handing over my precious baby to the Chosen Few for feedback. No one prepared me for the thumping heart and sweaty palms that goes with it.
What if they think it’s rubbish? What if – heaven forbid – it bores them? I’ve been pretty honest in it, have I been too honest?
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