Tag: flexibility

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Be Flexible

Recently, I discussed with a fellow health nut at the gym that I was wanting to try something new in my fitness cycle. My goal is to maximize the benefits of the time I spend in the gym.

During my time in rehabilitation after my accident, I learned the importance of being flexible. I’m not talking about lots of stretching of the body, but not being so set in my ways or movements. Being flexible in life has lots of benefits.

  • Opportunities to learn new things
  • Decreases stress
  • Keeps the mind active

Of course, we understand the need to stay physically active for overall health. However, over time our exercise habits can become routine, boring, and less effective.

The age-old adage is true.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

The more we perform activities and movements, the more our bodies become used to them, and that decreases the benefits.

I have already shared how I only do a particular exercise routine for eight weeks at a time before changing my routines to different exercises. A brain that isn’t stimulated ceases to grow. According to VeryWellMind, we need to practice psychological flexibility to help our brains adapt and stay healthy and creative.

Flexibility

To be flexible means, “Able to be easily modified to respond to altered circumstances or conditions.” Flexibility can be applied to every area of our lives, from relationships to finances and healthy lifestyles. Flexibility is a key trait to being a successful writer.

Writer’s Life

Writers need to be flexible with both their skills and time. I have been writing for almost 20 years. I have learned that writing is easier at certain times than at others, unfortunately, it isn’t always the most opportune time for me.

I have also experienced what I set out to write isn’t what I end up with in the final draft. The writing process can change the focus of our prose. Unfortunately, we don’t always have the privilege of writing what we want.

Writers are at the mercy of publishers, editors and what is in demand at the time. The writing community is continually evolving; whether it’s traditional, self-publishing, or hybrid, a writer needs to be able to adapt to trends and genre expectations.

Writers must learn to be flexible if they want to be successful. Every writing journey will be different and a writer can’t expect to follow the same path as other writers.

Niches are comfortable and help us get experience, however, expanding our writing repertoire gives us more opportunities to grow our skills and connect with different audiences. Flexibility is one of the five F’s writers need to become better writers from Writer Unboxed.

  1. Forgiveness
  2. Flexibility
  3. Food
  4. Fun
  5. Friends

Being more flexible in our writing can also help keep the creative juices flowing. It helps overcome writer’s block. It gives us more opportunities to work as writers. It can open new doors for relationships in the writing community. And it will help our writing become stronger overall.

Stronger

The goal of good writers is to be strong writers. I do not mean being strongly opinionated. Certainly don’t be rude. And for heaven’s sake, please don’t get too wordy.

Get to the point and get out of the readers’ way. Below are a few more tips for strong writing from Writer’s Digest.

  • Never let the truth get in the way of your story.
  • Never use two words when one will do.
  • Use the active voice
  • Use parallel construction.

One of the biggest mistakes people make in exercising is over training. They think if they do more weight, more reps, or spend more time in the gym that is how they will get stronger. However, it is best to pick one or the other and learn to be flexible.

Martin Johnson

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com  and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
A Lighter Look at the Writer's Life

People Plan . . .

lighter look at a writer's life

People plan, God laughs.

One of my favorite quotes in all the world is “People plan, God laughs.”

Now, I don’t know that God actually laughs in these situations, although sometimes, after I have done something especially wacky (which happens more often than you think), I’ll look to the sky and say, “Boy, God, I’ll bet you found that one funny!”

My experience with Easter this year made me think of this quote. I am the children’s pastor at my church, and Easter is a BIG THING! Colossal egg hunt, fancy clothes, children’s song in the big service, perfectly-planned object lessons, backup games and songs in case service runs long—we’re talking BIG with a capital “B.”

I am not a planner by nature (God gave me my wife for that), but I do kick it in gear at Easter, because it is so BIG (Where have I heard that before?). I pray, I search for lessons and crafts and activities (Oh, my), I sort plastic eggs until my fingers are sore. This Easter was no different at that point.

The day before the holiday, something happened that necessitated me and my wife to be three hours away from home—away from my church and my plan, on Easter. Volunteers stepped up to fill the void, and I am grateful. Though my Easter didn’t look like the original plan. It held blessings that only God knew were in store for me.

Recently, I had a conversation with a friend about our writing careers (Is mine really a career? Not sure about that.), and we discussed how God sometimes changes our course. When I started writing and aiming to be published, I thought I knew how it would go. My genre choice was secure, and I had a piece I was POSITIVE would be my first publication.

That piece remains unpublished. Is God laughing? No. Instead, His hand is guiding my writing and my path in ways that could only be orchestrated by Him. I have been published numerous times, mostly in a genre I would have never chosen for myself.

I am not against planning—it is a good thing. But trusting God in the unknown trumps planning sometimes.

The lesson here? It’s okay to plan, but be open to having those plans changed. Sometimes you have to follow the laughter . . .

Carlton Hughes wears many hats. By day, he’s a professor of communication at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he does object lessons and songs with motions as Children’s Pastor of Lynch Church of God. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including Chicken Soup for the Soul and several devotional books from Worthy Publishing—Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. Carlton and his wife Kathy have two college-age sons, Noah and Ethan. He is on the planning committee for Kentucky Christian Writers Conference and is a year-round volunteer for Operation Christmas child. He is represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary Agency.

Categories
A Lighter Look at the Writer's Life

Whatever!

lighter look at a writer's life

“What do you write?”

Sit down with a group at a writers conference or anywhere else writers gather, and that will be the first question asked. The answers usually vary widely.

“Speculative.”

“Amish.”

“Romantic suspense.”

“Women’s Bible studies.”

“Amish speculative with a touch of romantic suspense, and a secret baby included for good measure.”

(Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating about that last one . . . but it could happen.)

My answer is a bit different: “Whatever God gives me to write.”

That may seem like a super-spiritual reply, but it is truly the way things have happened since God called me to write. Time after time, God has opened unlikely opportunities for me, and all I had to do was to say, “Yes, whatever.”

So, in the last ten years, I have written:

–devotionals

–children’s Christmas plays

–test questions and chapter summaries for a textbook

–standardized test questions for an educational company

–sports stories for an online track and field/cross country website

–blog posts

–news articles

–general nonfiction

–fiction

I’m sure there’s more, but you get the idea.  I don’t share this list to brag on myself, but to brag on God. He’s the One Who has opened (and closed) the doors, and it was up to me to be obedient and to walk through (or to accept the slammed-shut ones). Each assignment has sharpened my skills, taught me about deadlines, and generally stretched me as a writer.

My advice then is not to pigeonhole yourself into one genre or specific type of writing. Sure, it’s okay to specialize and to hone your skills in one area (maybe God has called you to that), but it’s also important to be obedient to God’s leading when He makes a way for you to stretch your wings.

Now, back to Levi and Martha, who are waiting to get out of the time warp . . .  

Carlton Hughes wears many hats—some serious, some goofy.

During weekdays, he sounds like Charlie Brown’s teacher (wah-wah wah-wah-wah) as a community college professor of communication and journalism. On Sundays and Wednesdays, you’ll find him playing games, performing songs with motions, and doing object lessons in his role as a children’s pastor. He and his wife also attempt to keep up with their two college-age boys.

In his “spare” time, Carlton is a freelance writer who has been published in numerous books, including several recent releases from Worthy Publishing: The Wonders of Nature, So God Made a Dog, Just Breathe, Let the Earth Rejoice, and Everyday Grace for Men. He has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul and other publications and is represented by Cyle Young of the Hartline Agency. He contributes regularly to two writing blogs, almostanauthor.com and inspiredprompt.com. He specializes in humorous observations of everyday life, connecting those experiences with spiritual application.

Carlton loves watching classic sitcoms like I Love Lucy, eating way too much chocolate, and rooting for his favorite college and high school basketball teams. He is on the planning committee for Kentucky Christian Writers Conference and a year-round volunteer for Operation Christmas Child.

Categories
Magazine and Freelance

Why Write Articles?

When I began writing I had small children at home. I wrote in my head all day long and looked forward to the few computer moments I would have at nap time, between loads of laundry, and after bedtime. Because of that mental prewriting, I was able to quickly get my work into files ready for submission. The best market for these short pieces seemed to be articles, so that is where I focused.

After several years of writing articles (because I thought it was the only thing I had time to do), I realized that I really enjoyed writing articles, for several reasons.

  1. They were short and they fit very well into my daily schedule of parenting. As the children got older I realized that even though we had added new activities to the day, I could still write in carpool line or while I was waiting for dance lessons or soccer practice to be over. Even when the children got old enough to be dropped off for long periods of time or to drive themselves, my favorite thing to write was articles.
  2. Because of their brevity, I could complete articles quickly. Some days I could finish multiple articles and submit them. That was always a good feeling to know much had been accomplished in a day. Especially since some days left almost no time for writing.
  3. Articles often require research which means not only am I writing something that will educate others, I am learning new things myself. Research can also be used to write other articles without additional time in the library.
  4. Often when you figure it per word, articles are a great way to supplement your income. Many people think books are the best way to make additional money. But strategically placed articles can be lucrative.
  5. Articles are a good exercise in writing tightly and making the most of the words you use. When you only have a few hundred words to get your message to the world, you need to make sure they all count.
  6. Articles can be written anywhere. Recently I was on the road and someone else was driving. Before I arrived home I had written an article, edited it, submitted it, and it was accepted. What a great road trip!
  7. As writing moved into the digital world, I found many new markets for my articles. True, writing for the web is a little different than writing print articles. But with very little additional learning I found a new world of writing for the internet.

What about you? Have you discovered the fun and excitement of writing articles?

Linda Gilden is an award-winning writer, speaker, editor, certified writing and speaking coach, and personality consultant. Her passion is helping others discover the joy of writing. Linda recently released Articles, Articles, Articles! and is the author of over a thousand magazine articles and 16 books including the new LINKED Quick Guides for Personalities. As Director of the Carolina Christian Writers Conference, Linda helps many writers take the next step in reaching their writing goals. Linda’s favorite activity (other than eating folded potato chips) is floating in a pool with a good book surrounded by splashing grandchildren—a great source of writing material! www.lindagilden.com

Categories
Writer Encouragement

When Plans Change

By Elaine Marie Cooper

Life can throw curveballs at you. You’re certain one moment what will take place tomorrow. Then the unexpected happens and you shake your head, wondering what happened.

Life happened. I think Scripture addresses this situation in James 4:13-17. We never know what plans God may have for our tomorrow.

The unexpected happened to me just this week as I had plans to attend a writer’s conference in Wheaton, Illinois, in June. But my knee doctor said otherwise. Surgery is in my immediate future instead. I wanted to cry but preferred to hold onto my tears until I arrived home.

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Despite my grieving over this loss, I felt a deep inner peace that it would be OK. God was still in control and I could rest in Him, placing all my fears into His hands. I would miss visiting with my writer friends at the conference. I looked forward to classes and workshops. I had great plans! But God had other plans. And His ways are always best, despite my personal preference.

Christian friends responded to my upcoming summer of surgery with thoughts such as: I wonder what writing you’ll do while you’re laid up? I wonder what exciting plans God has for you instead?

Isn’t the friendship of fellow Christians a gift? They help us see the big picture; the God picture.

I pray that my “fork-in-the-road” testimony will encourage you in your writing plans. Sometimes the unexpected happens, and God redirects. Won’t it be exciting to see where He leads us?

Have a blessed—and hopefully surgery-free—summer of writing!

 

 

Image of doctor courtesy of stockimages via freedigitalphotos.net

Image of typewriter courtesy of Just2Shutter via freedigitalphotos.net