Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Strong, Stronger, Strongest




November Meeting
Saturday, Nov. 2
10:00 - 12:00

High Mountain Church
681 High Mountain Rd., No. Haledon, NJ 07508



Strong, Stronger, Strongest

Strong words, verbs in particular, pump your writing and propel the reader along. 

Come to the meeting prepared to get "pumped up!" 

We'll be exercising, but with paper and pen! 



For those interested in the critique group, 
please look for a separate email coming soon. 

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Thoughts from October's meeting



The Well is Deeper than You Think


Are you dismissing writing options because you come up empty? 
Do you feel limited in the scope of your writing?
Are there topics that interest you but you dare not tackle them?
Most people have greater capacity than they realize. Often this is evidenced when they are challenged and, amazingly, rise to the occasion in a better way than they thought possible.
I believe that as writers we have a greater writing capacity that we can tap into if we rise to the challenge.
Writing is a God-given talent, but we need something more from God than talent. We need writing wisdom.

  • At what point in the story do I begin the telling? 
  • What slant should I give this article?
  • Is this the most powerful way I can word this sentence? 
  • Is this a significant point or am I only including it because I like it?

And then there are the publishing questions:

  • Which market is best to pursue?

  • Will I retain my rights? Does it matter?

  • E-publishing or paper? Do I self-publish or submit my piece… again?

Wisdom. You can probably anticipate the verse I’m going to refer to. James 1:5 assures us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God…” The Message Bible makes the point abundantly clear: “If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help...”
We know we can ask - we just read God’s invitation. But I know that often I walk away with a small portion of wisdom, content with just enough to get by. In life, but to our topic today, specifically in our writing, we need to learn to wait for God’s wisdom, His abundantly deep, rich wisdom (Romans 11:33). From the first keystroke of our manuscript, until we hit send, let’s ask, expect, and wait for greater wisdom from God in our writing.
Take-home thought: The well is deeper than you think - the well of our creativity and the well of God’s wisdom.
Next meeting: November 2.