Are You A Ready Writer?

by Carolyn Miller @CarolynMAuthor

Recently I was reading through Psalm 45 when I noticed the last phrase of verse 1:

“My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” (NKJV)

A ready writer. 

Those last three words might vary from my particular version – perhaps your Bible says a ‘skilful writer’ or something similar, but the ‘ready’ aspect really struck me, with its sense of preparedness, of letting nothing slip. Matthew Henry’s commentary says of this particular psalm “The song was a confession with the mouth of faith in the heart concerning Christ and his church…of that Spirit of prophecy that dictated the psalm to David, that Spirit of Christ which was in the prophets.”

The poets in biblical times had to be prepared, ready for when a moody king (ahem, Saul) might want a song or a poem outlining their greatness, or when a more God-focused king might want a faith-building reminder of God’s accomplishments in the past. I imagine that much of their time would have been spent in contemplating such things, spending time in prayer and God’s presence to hear His heart, spending time in ancient manuscripts to remind themselves of the past, and then carefully crafting their words to best reflect God’s truth for today. All of these elements would have served to build within a plethora of praiseworthy phrases and words ready for when the king might need a song of encouragement and demand something immediately – with threats of imprisonment (or worse!) should such a request not be fulfilled.

Chances are we won’t be required to produce a psalm-like hymn to an insecure authority figure in our life (or maybe we will…), but I like to think that we are ready writers in the sense of being prepared, of knowing our subject matter to a degree that means our words can flow rather than be stilted and halting, that we can trust God and the leading of the Holy Spirit as we begin our times of writing in prayer.

So how can we be a ready writer?

·      Being a ready writer might mean taking care to record those snippets of dialogue that come to us in the middle of the night, necessitating pen and paper by the bed, or a smartphone or voice recorder that can record those phrases of gold that tumble from our mouths as a song inspires us to find exactly the right words as we drive or we’re on a walk.

·      Being a ready writer might mean taking this writing journey seriously so we carve out space in our houses so we can easily create, rather than treating our writing as an afterthought, hidden under layers of papers and bills and the stress of modern life.

·      Being a ready writer might mean committing time each week to doing exactly that: writing, even without a deadline approaching.

·      Being a ready writer might mean preparing to invest in quality resources and materials, and attending writer’s conferences and online writing seminars.

·      Being a ready writer is about allowing God to speak to us, taking time to hear His voice, so our words can be moulded by the King of King for His use.

I’m trying to be a ready writer, and I’m sure you are, too.

What are your tips for being a ready writer?

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, The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey, and Winning Miss Winthrop, all available from Amazon, Book Depository, Koorong, etc

Connect with her:        website | facebook | pinterest | twitter | instagram

Small Things, Slow Beginnings

by Jeanette O'Hagan

From small seeds, mighty Bunya Pines grow

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” Zechariah 4:10, NLV*

There is something exciting about the beginning, the start of something new, the very first moments pregnant with vision and hope. Perhaps that's why we celebrate them - engagements, weddings, births, first day at school, openings and launches. Those very first words on the blank page, the first time we type THE END, the first contract, the first time we hold our book in our hands, the first launch.

But often our high hopes are tested when things don't happen as fast or as big as we imagined. When our hopes begin to strain and things take longer than we expect or we face more obstacles or set backs than we believed possible. When it is easy to give up.

A few years ago, Australian marine scientist and multi-published novelist,  Ian Irvine, said: 

"Here’s the sad truth: most people who write a book will never get it published, half the writers who are published won’t see a second book in print, and most books published are never reprinted. What’s more, half the titles in any given bookshop won’t sell a single copy there, and most published writers won’t earn anything from their book apart from the advance."

In fact many people who start writing a novel never complete it.

That is rather depressing thought, though it doesn't discount the successes. Determination, hard work, adaptability, stick-ability and exploring new options all help.

It's not easy to find readers in a saturated and sometimes cynical market.

A couple of Saturdays ago, Omega Writers held it's second Book Fair in Brisbane - great venue with a wonderful and diverse range of authors, publishers, booksellers and editors including Rhiza Press/Wombat Books, Breath of Fresh Air Press, Gary Clark of Swamp cartoons, Kathy Hoopmann (All Cats have Asperger Syndrome) and our own award-winning authors such as Lynne Stringer, Adele Jones, David Bennett, Catriona McKeown, Ruth Bonetti, Hazel Barker, Anne Hamilton and more. As in the previous Book Fair - many of the authors read excepts of their works to an appreciative audience. It was good day with a small, steady trickle of readers and sales.

This year we pulled out the stops with advertising & we'd had positive feedback from some schools and organisations, so to be honest, I was hoping for a greater attendance of readers. A mob would have been just about right.

A wise person said to me, 'Do not despise the day of small things.'

In looking for the big and the grand, for the crowds and the accolades, we often miss 'the small things' that matter to God.

Over the next few days, various people mentioned how they had enjoyed the day and got special something out of it.

“Didn’t know what to expect. Thought it would be a small bunch of middle-aged authors. Surprised by the range and quality.’ One of new authors.  (Authors ranged from teen or twenties to 70plus, non-fiction & fiction for all ages.)

“This is so needed. It is becoming harder to find appropriate material for my children” Homeschooling Dad

“Treasure trove of great books from the Omega Book Writer's Fair last Saturday. I can't adequately express how much I enjoyed meeting authors and looking at books. ...  I was most excited to put books in my son's hands that are written FOR him, from his perspective and exploring the Asperger's world with positivity and humour! Love it!!” Mum whose son has Asperger's

"Wonderful event. Pity not more people came. Their Loss. Looking forward to Next year's event."

 In Sydney last weekend, I noticed a big hole in the ground - where a huge skyscraper were under construction. I was reminded of how long it takes to build the foundations.  Things worth doing, take time.

And I'm tickled that 'the Lord rejoices to see the work begin' Zechariah 4:10

As always, we come back to these questions. Why do we write? Why do we seek publication? Why do we look for readers of our scribblings, stories, books?

Called to serve

Just as God calls his anointed among the returned exiles (Zech 4:12) to serve Him, so we as Christians are called to serve in the church and in the world. For me, writing and encouraging other writers is part of that calling.

In line with God's character.

The one called does the work in line with God's plumbline (Zech 4:12). For Zerubabbel, this meant rebuilding the temple in line with God's purposes. 

For us, it means building in line with God's will and character. Which surely means doing the best work we can, being willing to learn, not cutting corners, and not becoming proud or slanted by wrong motives.

Not by might, but by God's Spirit 

While we labour --- learning, crafting, plotting, writing, connecting, promoting --- the impact of our work is ultimately in God's hands. He says, '“not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit said the Lord’ (Zech 4:6)'.  His timing is not always our timing, His objectives are not always our objectives.

He says to us, 'Do not despise the day of small beginnings.'

Do not be disheartened if things are not happening as fast or as big as we hope.  Good things take time to grow.

On the other hand, if we have success, if we are going well, do not despise others because nothing seems to be happening, or their sales are low. We don't know what impact another's work (or our own) might  have.  After all, Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime, and that was to his brother (or so I believe).

So whether Ian Irvine is right or not, is not the point. The returnees Zechariah addressed were a small, motley group facing an impossible situation, an overwhelming task, huge opposition, and yet God was at work among them. 

We have the same God at work in our midst. I can't wait to see what He will do.

* New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved

All images © Jeanette O'Hagan 2018

Jeanette recently published a collection of fantasy and sci-fi Nardvan stories, Ruhanna's Flight and other stories. She started spinning tales in the world of Nardva at the age of eight or nine. She enjoys writing secondary world fiction, poetry, blogging and editing. Her Nardvan stories span continents, time and cultures. They involve a mixture of courtly intrigue, adventure, romance and/or shapeshifters and magic users. She has published numerous short stories, poems, two novellas and her debut novel, Akrad's Children. Find her on Facebook or at her webpages Jeanette O'Hagan Writes or Jenny's Thread.

Stepping Out

By Andrea Grigg

As writers, we are continually faced with rules. Rules for grammar, spelling, punctuation, (English vs American vs Australian vs colloquial) rules for point of view, rules for dialog, rules for genre, rules for publishing, rules for marketing, rules for social marketing… phew!

Now, while I’m an advocate for following and learning the rules before you consider breaking them, all this rule-keeping can be exhausting. We become so concerned with doing the right thing, using it as our measuring stick, that it can be easy to lose sight of what we are called to do.

What each of us is called to do is very much a personal thing, depending on what God has said to our individual hearts. For example, it might surprise you to know I don’t feel so much called to write as to encourage.

This being said, I’ve stepped out of the familiar, and started writing for the general market.

These previously unknown, unchartered waters started me thinking about Peter when Jesus called him out of the safety of the boat.

Would those in the boat have been cheering him on? Possibly. More than likely they were questioning Peter’s sanity in stepping out onto a surface that logic told them would not take his weight.

The thing was, as soon as he struggled, Jesus was right there to help him, lift him up, and walk beside him.

I’ve found Jesus is right there with me in this writing journey—calling me out of the HMAS Safety-Zone, out of the familiar, and into something new and exciting.

There may be some who will question my reasoning for stepping out of the firm confines of a genre that allows me to talk about my faith in concrete, evangelical terms—but as I said, my calling is to encourage. 

What’s the name of the boat He’s calling you to step out of? The safety net you need to leave behind, trusting that Jesus will lift you up if you sink a little, struggle a little?

Maybe it’s that you too, are thinking about aiming for a different market, trying a different genre, being nudged to embrace social media, to take up public speaking ...

It’s said that courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to do it scared.

Too often we measure ourselves by those who are called to something different, who are sitting somewhere different to us. The others didn’t hop out of the boat—but Jesus specifically spoke to Peter, didn’t He?

What I’ve realised is that unity as Christian writers is not uniformity. Difference need not be dishonour, that we can move on to the endeavours God calls each of us to, and not be afraid.

In essence—let’s do it scared. Because He’ll reach out and help us out if we flounder.

Andrea Grigg lives on the Gold Coast, Queensland, and is author of two contemporary Christian romance novels, and a novella. She would love to connect with you via: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.andreagrigg?ref=hl

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Email:    andreagrigg@live.com

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