Tag: Writing Instruction

Categories
Grammar and Grace Uncategorized

Five More Confusing Word Pairs to Consider

We’re continuing to examine words that are used incorrectly.

  1. Enthused/Enthusiastic—Although enthused has become acceptable in standard usage, old school people still prefer enthusiastic.

My daughter was not very enthusiastic about salmon for dinner.

  1. Farther/Further—Farther is used for geographic distances. Further means “in addition to” without involving geography.

A great bed and breakfast is located about a mile farther down the road.

Further accidents can be avoided with common sense.

  1. Fewer/Less—Use fewer for groups or collections with parts that can be counted individually. Use less for things in bulk.

The fifth grade class earned fewer cupcakes than the fourth grade.

We added less butter in our brownies for a low fat option.

  1. Impact/Affect— Some people shudder when impact is used as a verb although it’s become acceptable in standard English.

The impact of the wind knocked me down.  (Yes.)

The song impacted me more than you’ll ever know. (No. This usage may bring to mind images of impacted teeth…or bowels. You don’t want that, do you?)

Instead, use affect.

The nostalgic play affected me to the point of tears.

  1. Irregardless/Regardless—Old English teachers might have rapped knuckles and said, “Irregardless isn’t a word. It isn’t in the dictionary.” My dictionary has it listed along with the definition of non standard English. Irregardless is, however, a fun café in Raleigh, NC. Please use regardless instead.

Do you agree or disagree about the usage of enthuse or impact?

Happy writing!

Categories
Dear Young Scribes

10 Tips for Reading Through the Eyes of a Writer

Book and glasses

For most writers, our passion to write was birthed from a passion to read. We grew up immersed in books. Books that touched us, entertained us, made us laugh and cry. And somewhere along the way, we discovered that we, too, wanted to create the same effect for readers through our own stories.

As writers, it’s only natural that we should want to learn from the masters. We should not only read for enjoyment, but for education as well.

Sure, there are plenty books on the writing craft that can give us instruction. I’m not against this at all. But personally, the best way I learned how to write was from reading books through the eyes of a writer.

How is this done?

Here are 10 tips for reading through the eyes of a writer:

        1. Study the plot as it unravels. When would you assume Act 1 ends and Act 2 begins? Can you identify the character’s external and internal goals at the beginning of the book? What is the conflict and unanswered questions that the author has set up? How is the backstory woven in without interrupting the story?

        2. Study the scene structure and pacing. Does it begin in a way that “grabs” you? Does it end in a way that lures you to read the next scene?

        3. Study the author’s wordsmithing. Are there words you are not familiar with? If so, highlight them and research their definition. How does the author’s word choice create tension? Strengthen mood and emotion? How does it develop characterization and paint the scene in your imagination?

        4. Study the rhythm. Read the book out loud. How do the words and dialogue flow? How are the sentences structured in a way that intensifies the mood of the scene?

        5. Study characterization. Does each character have their own unique personality, dialect, style, traits, etc.? How is this revealed in a way that shows rather than tells? How do the secondary characters contribute to the plot, and are they three-dimensional or cardboard characters?

        6. If you lose focus in the book, identify at which point your attention began to lack. Was it caused from a decrease in conflict/tension? Did it become too easy for the character to reach his/her goal? Or is it because the scenes were passive, written about the character’s day-to-day, dull life?

        7. If you love the book, identify why you can’t seem to put it down. Is it the writing style or the plot? Is it because the writing is concise and tight, or because suspense is woven into each scene?

        8. Study the emotion and humor. If the story makes you cry, take note of how the author tapped into your emotions. How was this emotion portrayed without “telling” or coming across as overly dramatic? If the story makes you laugh, take note of the kind of humor the author used and how they portrayed this without coming across as cheesy.

        9. Study the setting. Do you think it was well-developed and/or well-researched? Does it contribute to the mood of each scene? How did the author use sensory details to highlight unique features of the setting without interrupting the flow of the story?

        10. Study the theme. Do you have an idea as to what the theme is by the end of the book? If so, how did the author get this across without “preaching” to the reader? Or if it did come across as preachy, how could the author have subtly woven in the theme instead?

It might take longer to read a book if you study it through the eyes of a writer rather than a reader. But if you do this — if you dissect books as you read them and highlight passages when necessary — then this should result in a major improvement in your own writing.

“To succeed as a novelist, reading novels must be a priority. Don’t be afraid. You won’t lose your voice; you will only enhance it. And soon, students will be using your novels as their textbooks.”

~Linda Hall

[bctt tweet=”10 Tips for Reading Through the Eyes of a Writer @tessaemilyhall #amwriting #writingtips”]

[bctt tweet=”Can our writing improve by studying the books we read? @tessaemilyhall #writingtips #amwriting”]

Do you read books through the eyes of a writer? If so, how has it made a difference in your writing?

Categories
Craft Writing with Humor

Adding Humor to Your Writing Is As Easy as 1 – 2 – 3: The Rule of Three, to be exact.

Adding Humor to Your Writing is as Easy as 1-2-3. The Rule of Three to be Exact. by Jean Wilund via www.AlmostAnAuthor.com

Adding humor to any type of writing is as easy as 1 – 2 – 3.

Not 1 – 2 – 3 – 4.

Or 1 – 2.

1 – 2 – 3.

Research shows we like lists of three. Four sounds overdone. Two feels incomplete. Three is just right.

I guess Goldilocks and the three bears were right.

The literary device known as The Rule of Three says lists are funnier, more satisfying, and more effective in threes. 

I agree.

Here are three easy tips for adding humor using The Rule of Three:

1. Add an Unexpected Humorous Ending to a List of Three.

Whether you’re writing a serious or comedic piece, throwing in a humorous ending to a list of three grabs your reader’s attention.

Getting fit and trim is easy. Eat more fruits and vegetables, eat less processed foods, and borrow your skinny neighbor’s five kids and three dogs to chase around.

In the above example, the third point could easily lead into a serious discussion about adopting a more active lifestyle for an article on health and fitness.

It could also lead into a humorous anecdote in a novel about two friends who are opposites.

In my last article, I talked about using opposites in humor, which is otherwise known as juxtaposition for you scholarly types. Check it out here.

2. Add an Unexpected Serious Ending to a List of Three

A list that starts out humorous but ends in a more normal tone is another method for catching the reader by surprise and introducing the topic in a memorable way.

The following example could be used to introduce the topic of why every writer should join a critique group.

The most successful road to publishing awakens delusions of grandeur, unearths deep-seated insecurities, and leads through a writer’s critique group that will help keep the author grounded somewhere in between.

3. Change-up a Well-Known List of Three

Can you fill in the last word in each of these lists?

Live, Love, _____.

Friends, Romans, _____.

The good, the bad, and the _____.

Surely every American knows these famous phrases. (If not, check the bottom of the post for the answers.) 

When we take a familiar list of three and change it up with something unfamiliar, we throw our reader off and make them laugh.

I came, I saw, I bought the t-shirt.

Click to learn how easy it is to add humor to your writing using The Rule of Three.

When well-done, The Rule of Three brings a smile to our readers’ faces, encourages them to keep reading, and results in smiling authors.

It’s a win-win. 

Not everything has to be grouped in three’s.

The answers to the blanks in #3 are:

Live, Love, Laugh. 

Friends, Romans, countrymen. 

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

I came, I saw, I bought the t-shirt came from the famous quote by Julius Caesar: I came, I saw, I conquered. 

What are some favorite change-ups you’ve heard? Share them in the comments below. 

[bctt tweet=”Adding #Humor to Your Writing is as Easy as 1-2-3. The Rule of Three to be exact. #amwriting #author”]

Categories
Polishing Your Message Uncategorized

A Shell of a Draft . . .

Shell of a Draft

Shortly after moving to the Islands, a new habit easily became walking early on the beach. On one particular morning, something unlikely happened. (Unlikely from my beach experiences . . . ) I found a big beautiful shell— a whole shell. Do you understand?  I found a large complete shell five inches tall and four inches wide.  Feeling stunned, amazed, and thrilled, I instantly knew I was meant to find this particular shell, on this particular day, in this particular way.

How do I know that? Because it was God showing off again in my world. See, before my walk I had just read how God uses our SHAPE for his purpose. SHAPE being an acronym from Rick Warren’s book A Purpose Driven Life (236).  His SHAPE acronym represents the following words and how God uses them in our life:

S – Spiritual Gifts

H – Heart

A – Abilities

P – Personality

E – Experiences

The SHELL I found is a symbol for the devotion I had read and a gift to remember the lesson. Believe me, I have walked beaches many times, and I have never found such a big unbroken SHELL. On this particular day, He reminded me he has made us all for a special purpose and wants us to use all the above traits for his purpose.

A couple months pass and again I’m walking the beach contemplating inspirations for a new blog, and again I am still thinking about that SHELL. (Now anytime I see a shell, I think of that shell.)

As I continue walking the pastel carpet of broken shell pieces listening to the crunch of each step, I ponder Warren’s acronym and think about how our first drafts for short blogs, essays, and articles form a shell for our final written work. Getting that first Shell of a Draft is sometimes the hardest part of writing. Coming up with ideas is not difficult for writers– it is giving the idea shape. Ask around and discover, most writers keep stashes of ideas tucked in shoe boxes, notebooks, electronic files, and the sandy corners of their minds to develop one day. Discerning what direction, what purpose, and for what audience an idea best agrees often forms its shape when we write that First Shell of a Draft.

[bctt tweet=”Getting that first Shell of a Draft is sometimes the hardest part of writing.”]

While walking and enjoying the formation of birds standing at attention, a new ACRONYM for the word SHAPE came to mind. An acronym to help writers create a first SHELL OF A DRAFT.

How to SHAPE a Shell of a Draft:

birds8

S – See it

H – Hear it

A – Ask it

P – Perceive it

E – End it, Edit it, Edit it, Edit it,  .  .  .  and END IT.

[bctt tweet=”Write to see what’s on your mind. “]

See it:

One of my favorite quotes to share is by E.M Forster, “How do I know what I think until I see what I say?” The heart of our drafts often originates when we free write those first initial thoughts and ideas. Sometimes we are surprised by what appears on the blank screen or notebook and we discover, learn, and grow when what is deep within our heart is revealed.  So for step one, when you have a topic or idea,  just write. Write to see what’s on your mind. Write to see what’s on your heart, and write to see what’s in your Spirit. Just get it down on paper.

Hear it:

Do my thoughts flow smoothly for the reader? Reread the draft repeatedly listening for areas where words may be missing or thoughts are not connecting smoothly. (Perhaps some transitions will help.) Listen for opportunities of adding parallelism with list or alliteration to catch a reader’s attention. These are all writing elements, tools, or techniques a wordsmith enjoys adding to his or her work. Pay attention to word choice when rereading aloud. Look up words if needed and use a thesaurus to reduce redundancy. Finally, say a little prayer and trust your ear; trust it as an assistant to your writing.

Ask it:

Are there any areas of confusion? Are the examples and support all supporting the main idea of the message? If not, some may need to be omitted. Writers often have lots of ideas on how to reveal a message, but determine which details and examples best reveal your purpose and audience and omit the rest. This question is a key factor in helping writers decide what to leave in and what to take out. If it does not support the purpose, consider leaving it out.

Perceive it:

This is the time for peer review or reader feedback. Can the text be misunderstood, unclear, or offensive to readers? How might others interpret the prose? When asking someone’s perspective, you may want to share a past blog on how a friend can offer confident feedback.

End it: 

This may be the hardest decision, but deadlines and goals help encourage the process. End it, then edit it, end it again, let it rest, and edit it again. Embrace the process and accept revision, revision, revision is required to get that draft into shape. Continue the process until you feel peace or your time has expired. Say a little prayer and let your message go.

Today, when I hold the shell I found, it symbolizes for me the SHAPE God is molding me into and how my spirit, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences SHAPE my writing. In addition, the shell is a marker of answered prayer (for years I’ve wanted to live back near a beach).  It represents my current life transition from single motherhood to empty-nester and the SHAPE for which my heavenly father sees me and cares about every detail in my life– even a walk on the beach.

I hope these suggestions will help new writers develop their ideas into drafts and then on to a final message.

(I am ending here because it’s now time to go walk on the beach with a friend.)

Below, I invite you to share what gifts God reveals to  you while enjoying nature.

Categories
Grammar and Grace

Understanding Lie and Lay

 

We’ll take a break from adding more confusing words to our list this time and  focus only on the two verbs lie and lay. They are often confused because they’re both irregular verbs, and the past tense of lie is lay.

(present tense)     Lie                                         Lay
(past tense)           Lay                                        Laid
(past participle)   Have lain                             Laid

*To lie means “to recline.”

I hope to lie down to sleep at 9:30.

Last night, I lay down at 10:30.

I had lain in bed for two hours before I gave up and turned on the light.

*To lay means “to put down.”

Colleen, lay the baby in the crib for a nap, please.

Colleen laid the baby in the crib twenty minutes ago.

Colleen had laid the baby in the crib before the phone rang.

Next time, we’ll continue with more confusing words.

Categories
The Ministry of Writing

Fiction Writers are Teachers Too

Labeled for reuse. Image can be found at https://www.flickr.com/photos/cybrarian77/6284181389

Christian nonfiction writers receive all the credit for being the biblical and spiritual teachers. If we want to learn the truth then we are told to pick up one of those boring nonfiction books written by a preacher, but that is not fair because fiction writers are teachers, too. Actually learning is accelerated far more through narrative than simple prose therefore we learn more from fiction writers than we even realize.

Education experts and our own experience tell us that we learn best through watching examples than hearing a lecture. As famous author Henry David Thoreau once said, “If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. But do not care to convince him. Men will believe what they see. Let them see.”

Your stories in your fictional writings teach. They teach far more than a sermon or “how-to” book does. Therefore, you must understand you aren’t just a story teller — you are a teacher.

Your writings teach a lot of practices, doctrines, and values — but most of all you teach worldview.

You don’t just teach worldview you create worldviews. You create whole worlds and then you teach how that world should be viewed and understood.

So how do I know this? Because I am trying to instill a Christian biblical worldview in my children, but that worldview is constantly being challenged through the fiction books, movies, televisions, and clichés that fill their lives.

We guard the shows and books that my children see and hear. We find stories that convey solid values and don’t introduce “bad” things. But even in those good stories a different world view is presented. Even in the good stuff my kiddos see people who are good people, but do not walk with the Lord. The self-sufficiency of man is championed. In many of those stories, the world just appeared and was not created by an almighty God. The characters live their life and do not worship God. In the stories the characters chase their own dreams and don’t let the Holy Spirit guide them. Nature may be worshiped. The list could go on. Here are some of the worldview challenges that has come up:

 

[bctt tweet=”“Daddy, Calliou doesn’t pray before he goes to bed.””]

“Daddy, do you think Daniel the Tiger knows Jesus? He doesn’t go to church.”

“Daddy, do you know that at that princess castle with the tea cups you can ride that all of our dreams will come true. Can we go?”

“Daddy, do you know that the ponies (My Little Pony) can make rainbows, too?” (Meaning in addition to God).

“Daddy is Jesus like Superman?”

“Daddy on Dinosaur Train I heard that dinosaurs were here millions of years ago.” (Did I mention I am young earth proponent?)

 

I could go all day. None of these are terrible. There are all good shows, but they portray a worldview of life without God or a reality where something is a god.

Not only do they portray things, they shape worldviews.

So what kind of worldviews are you creating?

Please be creative and tell amazing stories, but how about still portraying the biblical worldview and values you hold dear.

Refer to the one, transcendent Creator. Refer to an afterlife. Have your hero still reliant on the Creator. Have your character carry out spiritual disciplines. Again know that you are shaping your reader’s worldview.

Author Brian Godawa wrote, “Every story is informed by a worldview.” I would add that every story shapes our worldview.

[bctt tweet=”Since fiction writers are teachers too, teach a biblical compatible worldview.”]

Categories
Child's Craft Uncategorized

Where to Begin?

Where to begin? I had a friend ask me this question recently, who is interested in writing a young adult novel. She was worried that she didn’t have an agent or know of a publisher. I’ve had people tell me they wanted to write a picture book but didn’t have an illustrator. I know another man who keeps talking about writing a novel, but keeps buying books on how to write novels so he knows how to write a novel correctly before he begins writing. That was about six years ago, and he still hasn’t put the pen to the paper yet.

Let’s clear up some of the above misconceptions then I’ll share my three thoughts on where to begin. If you’ve never been published before in any manner, an agent isn’t necessary at this point. You must have something written. They want to see that you can write. You need a tangible manuscript as a new author.

If you’re writing a picture book, most publishers provide their own illustrators. They just want the text from you. I’ve heard that unless you are an artist and draw your own illustrations, do not submit pictures with your manuscript. However, with that being said, you need to write a picture book with varying pictures in mind to make it enjoyable for the reader. Write creatively so your words illicit what pictures would appear on each page. Write so that the illustrator will have fun designing the pictures.

Reading books is also helpful in directing your writing, but not to the extent that it becomes an excuse not to write. It’s great to learn as much as you can about the craft. Go to writer’s conferences, attend critique sessions, and read books to hone your craft, but keep on writing. You generally need to be in the midst of your project to get as much as you can out of conferences and critique sessions and book advice. When I was in anesthesia school, the first semester was didactic book work. But if all we did was read about anesthesia, that would not mean we’d know how to actually administer it. We needed hands on experience and a lot of it. It’s the same with writing. It’s good to read about the craft, but you won’t have a full understanding of how that works until you jump in and begin writing.

So, where to begin? First, you must have an idea in mind of what to write, an inspiration that can’t help but be written. It’s difficult sitting in front of a white page trying to will the words to appear. You definitely need an inspiration. Once I get an inspiration, I usually have to mull it over for a few days, take it for a couple runs, play with it in my mind so I can imagine a direction it may go. Do whatever you need to do to help formulate the idea in your mind.

Secondly, once you have an idea in mind, sit yourself down and let it flow. Write with the creative side of your brain. Don’t edit yourself yet. That comes later. Let it go. It may flow in the direction you imagined or it may grow feet of its own and charge down its own path. But start writing and see what you’ve got. Sit anywhere you feel the most creative. I actually hand wrote my first manuscript sitting on a sofa before plugging it into a computer.

Third. Have fun. Writing is a calling, a joy, a pleasure. God will not place a calling in your life that will place you in eternal misery. It may not always be a walk in the park, but it’s what you are made of, made for, it’s who you are. This is not a high school book report or grueling essay. It’s what you choose to do and what chose you! Have fun with it. Work at it. Then the critique groups, conferences and books can help make your writing better, stronger, publishable. But in order for that to happen, you must have something written. Begin by sitting down and starting to write. That, my friend, is the hardest part.

Categories
The Writer's PenCase

Writing Unforgettable Fiction—Part III

The Writer's PenCase

This time, we’ll look at Character Struggles, and how they help make unforgettable fiction. Here’s a great way to start it out: “To initiate your story, your protagonist will either 1) lose something vital and try to regain it, 2) see something desirable and try to obtain it, or 3) experience something traumatic and try to overcome it.”

[bctt tweet=”Three types of character struggles: internal, interpersonal, and external.”]. #amwriting #unforgettablefiction @stevenjames

Continue reading “Writing Unforgettable Fiction—Part III”
Categories
Child's Craft

Picture Book Submissions – The Powerful Proposal

Apparently this is a controversial issue – To submit a children’s Proposal with your manuscript or not? I always do. The editors can choose to read it or not, but I submit it, unless the Market Guide for a publisher states specifically not to submit a proposal. I will share with you what I learned at a conference from Christine Tangvald, back in the early 2000s, who has had a gazillion children’s books published. I figured if it worked for her, then I would do exactly what she did. I have not learned anything different through the years, it has worked for me, so this is how I still submit.

I don’t use the same form of proposals as is encouraged for adult books. Those seem to be more in paragraph form. Children’s Proposals are shorter, more precise with bullet points and sub-headings, and to the point. If you are an editor and prefer receiving children’s manuscripts in a different form, please mention it below. We’d love to submit the format you hope to receive, especially if it has changed in the last 20 years.

Here is a sample of a proposal and a short description of what each section may look like. Number the pages, with the exception of the first page, in the header right corner. In the header left corner put your last name and brief title. Use Times Roman Numeral 12 point font. Let’s use a purse theme and call it For the love of Purses.

In header: Lord/purses

Top left corner

Single spaced

Name/address/phone

email/website

 

(start this about 1/2 way down)

For the Love of Purses

Proposal

By Jill Roman Lord

 

Proposal: A Picture book for girls celebrating a child’s passion for purses that becomes a passion for sharing. (In one sentence tell what your book is about)

Purpose:

  • Bullet points here.
  • What point do you hope to make?
  • What impression do you want this book to make?
  • Any lessons you hope will come across?
    • For example – to demonstrate a girl’s passion for purses
    • To exemplify the joy of having a passion
    • To demonstrate a girl going ‘overboard’ in her passion
    • To serve as an illustration of a girl sharing her passion with others less fortunate
    • To exemplify the joy in giving and sharing
    • To encourage girls to reach out to others in need
    • To encourage girls to share their passions
  • Hopefully you get the idea – not too many but enough to state your purpose.

Target Market:

  • Girls ages 4-8
  • Girls who love purses
  • Girls learning to share with others in need
  • Get as specific as you can… All girls is too broad.
  • Not too specific as to shrink your market too small.

Special Features:

  • What makes your book stand out? List them here.
  • Written in delightful rhyme
  • Scripture verse at the end
  • List of charitable organizations at the end to which children may donate items
  • Template for making purses with items around the house
  • Apps for children wanting to sell purses
  • Whatever creative idea you come up with to help your book ‘rock’!

Specifications:

  • 750 words (shows your word count is within this publishers target range)
  • Written as a 32 pages book (flexible) – always be flexible here, but let them know you’ve thought it out
  • Colorful pictures on each page
  • Any other specifics here…

Comparisons:

  • Do your homework and see what other books are already published similar to yours and list them here, but don’t slam them as theirs is published and yours isn’t, yet…
  • Mention how yours is different. Briefly. Editors don’t have time to read too much detail.
  • Clifford’s Big Red Purse – List author, publisher, date: Story illustrating a big red dog and his love for his new purse. Written in prose. For the Love of Purses is written in rhyme and also demonstrates a love of purses but takes the reader further into sharing this passion with others.
  • Next one, etc.
  • Not an eternal list but enough to show it’s a popular topic but why yours should also be published.

Credentials:

  • Any published work?
  • Start with most recent and work down to oldest
  • Important accomplishments related to your manuscript
  • Won award for starting collection of purses to send overseas
  • Articles published or number of articles if you’ve written a ton
  • This is the place to let them know you’re the one to write this book
  • Not the place to mention your high school summer work at Walmart, unless of course you were manager of women’s/girls purses.

And that’s it. This is not the one and only way to submit, but I learned this method from a professional at a writer’s conference and it has worked for me. Again, if you are an agent or editor and prefer different submissions please let us know! Spend time on this, do your homework, and make it powerful and make it sparkle!

Categories
Journeying through the Writer's Life

9 Things for Your Writing Vault

We all know the value of saving for the future. The truth is that’s not just good financial advice—it’s also good advice for writers. There are times when creativity won’t come and times when failure seems to be all that’s happening. For those times, we need to have a place we go to renew and refresh. I like to call that my writing vault.

[bctt tweet=”Here are 9 things all authors need in their #writing vault – @EdieMelson” via=”no”]

Here are 9 things for your writing vault:

  1. Books—I’m a writer, so of course I have a library. But my library isn’t just for recreational reading. I have scores of writing craft books (ebooks and physical). I also have a lot of books that I study because the author is either really good or really bad at some aspect of the writing craft. For example, I learned some amazing tricks of dialogue by reading and studying Janet Evanovich. I bought several of her books at the used book stores and marked them up, studying how she made her dialogue so natural and interesting. I also have books full of writing prompts, and even some blank books for those days when I need to step away from the computer.
  1. Websites—these range from author sites I follow to writing instruction, to research. I bookmark my favorites and return to them again and again.
  1. Writing Friends & Critique Partners—these are the people who get me. They know the struggles I face. They also help me grow by holding me accountable, exchanging critiques and providing someone to brainstorm with.
  1. A History of Workshops & Classes—well, truthfully I have the notes and often audio recordings from these. But over the years I’ve amassed a lot of knowledge. I keep it filed away and easy to find so I can return to it when the need arises.
  1. Favorite movies and TV shows—I’m more of a movie person, but with Netflix and Amazon Prime, I’m watching more television shows. All of these help me with story, character, pacing, even ideas.
  1. Quality Equipment—I’m not just talking computers here. I have an iPad, stylus, standing desk, and a copier/printer. I also have a stash of my favorite pens, notepads, and general office supplies. Having what I need on hand helps take away the excuses.
  1. Inspirational Music—this isn’t necessarily religious music, it’s anything that inspires you. Put together a playlist on Spotify and keep it on in the background while you’re writing.
  1. Alligator-tough Skin—writing isn’t for the faint-of-heart. We must endure rejection, revision and those horrible voices that live in every writer’s mind.
  1. Faith—This may be listed last, but I believe it’s the most important thing of all. For me, it goes beyond faith in myself, although that is important. My faith in the God who created me for the purpose of stringing words together is my foundation every single time I sit down to write.

[bctt tweet=”What do you keep in your #writing vault? @EdieMelson” via=”no”]

These are the things that I keep in my writer’s vault. I’d love to know what’s in yours.

Categories
The Ministry of Writing

Improve Your Writing With Your Spiritual Gift

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If you are a born again follower of Christ then you have been given a spiritual gift or gifts. Scripture tells us that our gift is for building up the body of Christ. There is no doubt that ministering with our gifts gives God glory and enhances our witness.

The benefits of our gift — building up the body, glorifying God, and reaching the lost —probably steal lines from your personal writing mission statement. Those things are the reasons we write. They are our purpose. Therefore understanding our spiritual gift is essential to our ministry of writing.

There is a hiccup though.

Writing is not listed as a spiritual gift in the Bible.

So does that mean our writing is not important or a tool for ministry? NO WAY! We know better. I will only provide one example — the Bible was written, right? Definitely God has blessed you with a gift of writing, but I believe spiritual gifts should be understood that they are more about the message rather than the method.

Spiritual gift lists are found in Romans 12:1-8, 1 Corinthian 12:1-31, Ephesians 4:1-16, and 1 Peter 4:10-11. Read a complete list [here]. There are methods of ministry listed like preaching, service, encouragement, and others. But even with those the emphasis is on the thought process and the message. There are gifted writers throughout the spectrum of spiritual gifts. We are tempted to stop short of expressing our spiritual gift because we do not look past out writing, but it is our spiritual gift that shapes our writing. Writing is a tool to exercise that gift so it is important to know your area of gifting because out of that gift comes what you like to write, as well as the writing you despise.

We can find writers gifted with encouragement, preaching/prophecy, shepherding, encouragement, evangelism, mercy, teaching, and faith. And to find them we wouldn’t even need to receive the results of their spiritual gift inventory or receive special revelation from God to know their gift for their writing reveals it.

The writer gifted with encouragement (exhortation) writes positive, encouraging, and uplifting pieces.

The writer gifted with evangelism seeks to win souls with everything they write.

The writer gifted with shepherding will write with people at the center of their work, while the writer gifted with prophecy focuses on doctrinal truths and tends to be harsh towards their reader.

The writer gifted with teaching is always going to have a lesson in their books.

I’m sure you get the idea by now. [bctt tweet=”Our spiritual gift is more about the message rather than method.”]

Within the biblical teaching of spiritual gifts we are told that we are all parts of one body and  have different roles within that body. Therefore, we need to fulfill our role and support others in their roles.

Knowing your spiritual gift(s) can help you focus your strengths, but the greatest value is that it shows how we fit into the body. Through understanding our gift we can see our writing in the context of other authors. Along with providing us with strengths our divine gifts also have a negative side. I feel my gift is teaching. So my focus tends to be on discipleship and spiritual growth. So when I run across a writer who is always putting out peppy uplifting devotions — I get frustrated. I condemn them for presenting everything in rose-covered glasses, but I am sure when they read my work they complain that I am discouraging and negative. The reality is that we are on the same team. That writer has the gift of encouragement which the body of Christ needs and I am writing from a teaching prospective that the body of Christ also needs. There is a place for both of our writings. I have many times been blessed by a writer spiritually gifted with the gift of encouragement when I googled “encouragement for writers” or “encouragement for pastors”.

I have had writers who are gifted with evangelism criticize me because I don’t present salvation enough in my writings. On the other hand I feel they need to focus more on making disciples not just “soul-winning”. Again we are both on the same team just gifted differently, but both providing what the body needs.

Christian writer it is important to seek out your spiritual gift and to recognize gifts in others. We are all on the same team. Some are feet, some hands, some a nose, some an eye, and I guess someone has to be a butt.

Regardless of your role in the body [bctt tweet=”improve your writing with your spiritual gift.”]

 

For more information on recognizing your spiritual gift or taking a spiritual gift inventory check out my blog…www.graytotebox.com

 

Categories
Writer's Block

The Blank Page

There’s nothing more daunting than a blank page and no idea where to go next. Over the next months we will be sharing ways to overcome the dreaded Writer’s Block.

Of course, our first line of defense should be prayer but often it’s the last thing we do. And, even if we won’t admit it, we sometimes feel that people use the statement “pray about it” just to get out of offering us any other help.

Writing Prompt #1: PRAY

   Writing Prompt #2: USE PICTURES TO JUMP START YOUR STORY

We are going to start with the following picture. I want you to study this picture and then write the first page of your story based on what you see and feel when you look at it. Hook me. Make me want to read your book. Email me your stories and I’ll pick a winner to announce in next month’s column.

Apply to Your Story

How to use this idea in your own story: Start from the scene where your character is stuck. Use the idea of a picture to see and feel what your character is seeing and feeling. Go on with your story from there.

Keep Praying and Keep Writing!

[bctt tweet=”There’s nothing more daunting than a blank page #writersblock #novel #writingtip” via=”no”]

 

 

 

Categories
Journeying through the Writer's Life

What to Pack for the Writing Journey

Early on I discovered a basic truth for writers. Publishing is a journey, not a destination. This holds true no matter what you write—long or short pieces, fiction or non—there’s not really a final destination. Even award-winning, best selling authors still have new places to go with their writing. So it’s important to know what to pack for the writing journey, so you’ll have fewer regrets.

[bctt tweet=”Publishing is a journey, NOT a destination #writing #pubtip”]

  1. A sense of adventure. I can promise you this writing path is going to take you places you never dreamed. Be ready and open to where the road will take you.
  1. The knowledge that the path isn’t a straight line. I know a lot of writers and we all have one thing in common. Our journeys have never gone in a straight line. But truthfully, it’s the twists and turns that make it so much fun.
  1. A library. It’s important for writers to be readers. Read deep and wide and your writing will reflect that.
  1. A sense of curiosity. All they best writers will tell you that they never quit learning. So e prepared for life-long learning.
  1. Humility. In the beginning we tend to look at things as black and white. But the publishing industry is subjective. Hear what others have to say and don’t be quick to argue.
  1. A strong sense of who you are. It’s easy to begin chasing publication and lose your way. It’s also tempting to take every critique we hear and act on it. If you do that, you risk stifling your unique voice.
  1. Traveling companions. Every journey is more fun when you share it with friends and family. Don’t try to tackle this on your own. You’ll miss out on the support and encouragement you’ll need along the way.

These are the things I list when writers ask me what to pack for the writing journey. What would you add to the list? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

[bctt tweet=”7 things you need to pack for the #writing journey #pubtip”]