Writing Rhythms

I'm a bit of a musician. I've played the piano for as long as I remember, played clarinet for a number of years in high school, I sing, and I’ve written songs. I like to think I'm one of those people with a fairly good sense of timing - you know, someone who can clap in church to encourage the musicians out the front, and not put them off with faulty counting :)

In music, rhythm is regarded as the pattern of sounds and silence; how the beats are structured decides the rhythm. Tempo is slightly different, in that it refers to the speed of the music, whether it is fast, medium or slow. This has to do with the number of beats per minute: allegro (which means fast, bright or quickly) is played at 120-168 beats per minute (bpm), whereas adagio (which means to be played at a leisurely pace) is around 54-56 bpm.  It’s often the tempo that can determine the mood of a piece of music – you don’t tend to hear too many fast-paced sad songs.

Lately, I've been learning in my writing journey about writing rhythms: the ebbs and flow of creativity and marketing and how that relates to productivity and just plain life.

Sometimes we have seasons of creativity, where the words are begging to get onto the page (or into the computer). Other times it's more of a challenge, like when we feel stuck in a box with no whisper of inspiration to be heard, when every sentence written feels like it deserves some form of chocolate reward. Sometimes we might move into a period of promotion, when selling ourselves is considered necessary (even if we find it painful – hello, fellow introverts). At other times, life—by way of family, health, work—can feel like it’s hijacking our writing journey, and we may feel like we stutter to a stop, or at least to an uncertain pause.

I’m learning that whatever the season I’m in, whether it be the very, very fast pace of ‘prestissimo’ when words are pouring forth furiously and deadlines and marketing demand an accelerated pace (hello: where I feel like I've spent most of my year!), or the quieter times of ‘calando’ when circumstances slow and it feels like one can breathe again, the most important thing is to keep listening to the rhythm orchestrated by God. God is always constant, like a metronome that sets the tempo and regulates our rhythms. This means we need not panic when life feels like it’s getting out of control, nor despair when it seems like nothing is working out.

God’s character never falters, His promises remain steady, and as we read His word and listen to His leading, we can be assured by the fact that He knows the various rhythms of our life. God is right there with us, a steadying heartbeat, in the ‘presto’ and the ‘tardo’ and all the other tempos of our writing journey, and our lives.

Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked part-time as a public high school English and Learning and Support teacher.A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her Regency novels include The Elusive Miss Ellison, The Captivating Lady Charlotte, and the upcoming release The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey, published by Kregel, and available from Koorong, Amazon, Book Depository etc

Connect with her:        www.carolynmillerauthor.com                                      www.pinterest.com/camillering  www.facebook.com/CarolynMillerAuthor/  twitter.com/CarolynMAuthor

The things writers do—Jo-Anne Berthelsen

I have had some interesting experiences during my writing journey, as I have spoken at many and varied places, promoted my books in stores or simply taken them somewhere to sell. In fact, from time to time, I threaten I will write a book about it all ... one day. Yet I doubt I will because, while most of my experiences have been so rewarding, I might well be too unkind about those that were not!

Take, for instance, the occasion I drove almost two hundred kilometres to speak in a church service. By the time I arrived, it had begun to rain, so I carried my books inside as quickly as I could—all the while watched by various church folk. I was shown a table I could use, but later discovered I had indeed sinned, since it was the morning tea table! I poured myself into speaking, had one good conversation, sold one book, then drove back home in the pouring rain, having been given nothing towards travelling costs—and certainly nothing for speaking.

Or take the time I sat at a church fete all day in the boiling sun, with even my book covers sweating in the process, only to sell not one book. Or the time I drove right across Sydney to speak on a busy Saturday evening, to have only four women turn up, since the meeting had not been advertised well. Or the time I was invited to speak at an RSL club nearby. Again, I was shown a table I could use—only to be told, minutes after setting up my books, that it was needed for the food. Instead, I was given a tiny, low, round table to use, still with the wet rings of cold beer glasses on it!

I doubt a book about such things would be either kind or uplifting, don’t you? But I have had many other experiences worth writing about. Like the time I spoke at a very well attended women’s breakfast. It was beautifully organised, with someone else even volunteering to sell my books afterwards, while I focussed on praying for various women instead. Later, I received a cheque for what to me was such a mind-boggling amount that I thought they must have added an extra zero by mistake!

Or take the conference I spoke at in a country town one weekend where several women bought all four of my novels published at the time in one big swoop, much to my amazement. Or take the many smaller meetings where I have spoken, including one only last week. I had just talked about how thankful I am for those who encouraged me on my writing journey and challenged those present to encourage others in their lives, when a lady I knew from years ago spoke up. She shared how I had given her a little encouraging note way back in 1992 that she has carried in her Bible ever since. A wonderful, ‘God moment’ indeed, well outweighing any negative experiences I have had.

So I encourage you all in your writing journeys, wherever you are at. Let’s take the good experiences as moments of great grace and be thankful. And let’s take the less than good as opportunities for growth, when God can comfort and strengthen us to keep on persevering.

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of six published novels and one non-fiction work, Soul Friend: the story of a shared spiritual journey. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and four grandchildren. For more information, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com.