Tag: focused writing

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Get It Done

If you are like most people, you are excited about the arrival of fall this month. I have been looking forward to it myself, although I have mixed feelings about the season. But I guess I have to take the bad with the good.

  • Windy days
  • Cooler temperatures
  • Fall colors
  • Shorter days

Shorter days mean less sunlight and with the arrival of September comes my S.A.D. (seasonal effective disorder). While the cooler temperatures are nice, less sunlight can have negative effects on brain and body.

Sunlight helps strengthen bones by increasing vitamin D, which also helps fight depression. Sunlight increases serotonin levels that helps us feel calm and be more focused.

September is also national suicide prevention month. The days will only get shorter from now until the first day of winter. So, we must make the most of the daylight hours we have.

For someone with a brain injury, like me, less sunlight can worsen the effects of living with a brain injury. I already have a hard time staying focused and motivated. Some days, I don’t accomplish much of anything, even though I have a lot that needs to get done.

Get It Done

The demands of the writing life can put a lot of pressure on us. We have to create original content, stories, and articles, then proofread and edit. And yet somehow there always seems to be a typo that slips through, despite our best efforts.

I don’t know about anyone else, but the demands of writing can be overwhelming at times. Feeling overwhelmed can be paralyzing for someone with a brain injury or disability.

Overwhelmed

Being overwhelmed means we feel an unbearable weight or pressure that causes stress. As I have stated before, stress is not good for someone with a brain injury. In some cases, too much stress can be lethal.

After my accident, I learned about my need to avoid overly stressful situations in both my personal and vocational life. Stress damages both the structure and function of the brain which can lead to severe impairment.

One way to reduce stress levels is to work on time management skills. This ensures enough time to get work done, which is key to our lives being less stressful.

Below are some ways we can stay productive without feeling overwhelmed from Redbooth.com

  1. Keep it simple
  2. Eliminate distractions
  3. Identify and organize tasks
  4. Just dive in
  5. Don’t get bogged down
  6. Ask for help
  7. Delegate/swap assignments when possible
  8. Take care of yourself
  9. Make your work environment pleasant

My goal isn’t to be less productive, just more efficient with my life, skills, and time. The old adage, “We all have the same amount of time in a day,” comes to mind.

When we focus more on reducing stress, we can be more productive with whatever time we have and will be able to stay focused.

Stay Focused

When I take care of myself physically and mentally, I am able to be more efficient with my time and workload. Make time to take care of yourself and your writing will follow. Don’t let your deadline be the death of you.

Professional writers understand the importance of meeting or beating deadlines. However, we all know how stressful deadlines can be. Below are a few tips for meeting deadlines from mindtools.com

  • Evaluate what’s required
  • Allow for problems
  • Plan in detail
  • Limit the damage of a missed deadline

Having a brain injury has taught me to be proactive instead of reactive with my health to help me stay on task. Focused productivity is the best way to get things done.

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.

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Categories
Devotional/Christian Living

The Bridge: How to Choose and Write the Bible Point in a Devotion

The Bible point is the bridge between the hook where you began your devotion and the application point at the end of your devotion. The Bible point bridge must be strong and smooth, a natural arc so your reader can implant God’s word into his or her heart.

A short form devotion is usually three paragraphs: the hook, the Bible point, and the application point. Last month I wrote about the first paragraph, the hook. The hook pulls the reader towards the Bible point in the second paragraph.

How does a devotional writer choose and develop the Bible point? Here is how I do it:

Brainstorm all the Bible points. If I am writing for a publication, I am assigned a Bible passage. If I am writing for my own blog or book, then I chose what Bible passages I will be focusing on for my blog series or book. First I start with a prayer that the Holy Spirit will guide me to see the truth in the Bible passage. Then I read and reread the Bible passage writing down all the things that stand out to me about the passage.

I jot down interesting words that I want to look up to see what they mean in the original language. (You can do that here on blueletterbible.org.) I list descriptions of who God is. I notice any commands someone in the passage had to follow, although, be careful here because not all commands given to others in the Bible are for us to follow as well. The same goes for promises. Not all promises given in the Bible are for all people for all time. I also look for emotion words, too, and jot down if the Bible passage or verse reminds me of any other verses or passages. I also read the context around the Bible passage so that I remember who is speaking and in what time period are they speaking.

Let it simmer. Once I have brainstormed all the possible Bible points, then I pray again and set the list away for another day. I want to give the Holy Spirit time to work on my heart and see what particular Bible point He wants me to focus on for the devotion. During this time, I also read a commentary or two to make sure that I have not missed anything or misunderstood any of the Bible passage.

Pick one Bible point to focus on. If you are writing a longer Bible study lesson or a sermon or a longer blog post, you may be able to focus on many points in the Bible passage, but in a short devotion you will only have room for one point. Many short devotions have a word count of between 250-350 words. Plus, your devotion will be more memorable if you focus on one well-developed Bible point.

Explain the Bible point in simple, but descriptive detail. Once you picked out the one Bible point to focus on, then you can write the hook and the Bible point. Writing about the Bible point is not a retelling of the whole Bible passage. It’s a short paragraph pointing out one observation in the passage. You don’t have a lot of words to spare here, but make sure you reserve some words for descriptive detail to paint the picture of the passage in the reader’s mind.

The bible point bridge in devotional writing. Almost an Author.

Try it out! Pick out a Bible passage. Maybe it could be one that you are reading in your own Bible reading right now. List out the possible Bible points, then pick one to write a devotion on. You can submit it to any of these publications and maybe your devotional will be published! Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions along the way.

Rachel Schmoyer is a pastor’s wife who is loving her church life. She writes about the hard parts of Scripture at readthehardparts.com. She has had devotionals published in the past, but now she is looking forward to getting her first Christian Living book published. You can connect with Rachel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Categories
The Intentional Writer

How to Host a DIY Writers’ Retreat

The intentional writer

What writer doesn’t dream of attending a writers’ retreat in some charming or exotic location? Retreats can be wonderful opportunities for encouragement, learning, and networking, along with glorious stretches of uninterrupted writing time. But retreats can also be expensive, intimidating, and inconveniently far from home.

Wouldn’t it be nice to find an inexpensive writer’s retreat near your home?

Enter the DIY writers’ retreat.

A writer’s retreat doesn’t have to be a big affair with nationally known speakers. The key ingredients are simple: encouragement, fellowship, challenge, and (most important of all) time to write without the normal daily distractions.

So one day I decided to host my own one-day retreat where the attendees would take turns leading various sessions. The writers I invited might not be qualified to teach at a major conference, but they were perfectly able to share a favorite technique or lead a creative excise.

That first retreat was a great success. Those who attended left my house encouraged, reinvigorated, and eager to come back for the next one. I have since hosted five more.

Here are my suggestions for designing and running your own DIY writers’ retreat.

1. Keep it small

Hosting a retreat in someone’s home keeps things cozy and simplifies logistics, but it limits the number of attendees.  Between six and ten is a good size, unless you have a house large enough to handle more. You need enough attendees to generate good discussion, but not so many that you feel crowded. Ideally, the group should be small enough so you can all eat lunch at the same table. The conversations over lunch can be as important as any other part of the day.

2. Keep it simple

My first retreat was over-planned. I worried about unnecessary details, bought too much food, and packed the schedule too tightly. I have since found that retreats work best with a flexible schedule and plenty of time for solo work. Plan a few key sessions, but leave the rest of the day open. Who knows when an impromptu brainstorming session or walk in the park might be exactly what someone needs.

Keep the food simple, too. Order pizza, do a pot luck, or ask everyone to bring their own. Whatever is easiest for you and your group.

3. Divvy up the tasks

A DIY retreat is a group project. By spreading tasks among the attendees, the whole thing comes together without any one person feeling overwhelmed. Part of the vision for a DIY retreat is that the attendees are also the teachers. One person shares a devotional. Another leads a creative writing exercise, A third teaches a simple-but-useful writing technique.

You can pool your resources for the meal and snacks as well, so the hostess doesn’t need to provide everything.

4. Identify your primary needs

In my first retreat we tried a little of everything. In subsequent retreats we skipped critique time (we all have critique partners) and opted for more free writing time, since most of us have children or other distractions at home.

What does your group want most? Free writing time? A chance to brainstorm story problems? Two hours of creative writing prompts? Poll your potential attendees and design a schedule that meets their needs.

5. Mix it up

A writer’s retreat is an opportunity to meet with people outside your regular critique partners. Invite writers you don’t normally hang out with and be intentional about cross-pollination. A broad selection of personalities and genres makes for more interesting discussion and fresher insights. You never know when a YA sci-fi novelist might spark an idea that takes your historical romance to a new level.

A writer’s retreat doesn’t have to be complicated. All it requires is a quiet place where you and fellow writers can share knowledge, challenge each other, and provide support through encouragement and practical problem-solving. Why don’t you give it a try?

Lisa E. Betz believes that everyone has a story to tell the world. She loves to encourage fellow writers to be intentional about their craft and courageous in sharing their words with others. Lisa shares her words through dramas, Bible studies, historical mysteries, and her blog about intentional living. You can find her on Facebook  LisaEBetzWriter and Twitter @LisaEBetz