No meeting in April.

We hope to meet in May, but it may be June - I'll keep you posted. 

Last month's Focus Point is below. 

Market, write, research - keep your vision alive!

We may not have retreated to the era depicted in this image, but we've certainly slowed down.

Image by Bruno /Germany from Pixabay 

I hope less demands on your time means you're writing! Honestly, I'm have difficulty getting motivated. I'm keeping up with my blog and wrote an article for Tri-State Voice (here), but when it comes to my writing project I've not done much more than open the document. But that's yesterday. It's a new day and, with rain in the forecast, I will write. There, I've made myself accountable!

Kudos to Bob for asking me about some periodical markets. How about you? Shake off the lethargy, flex those fingers, and commit your brilliance to the page.

Be a blessing,
Barbara
barbarahigby.com

April's Focus Point

Let’s Talk about… Marketing Wisdom

Marketing seems to be the Achilles heel of many writers, at least it is in this room. We suffer from lack of knowledge, lack of direction, lack of courage—perhaps all three. Our discussion today will open a variety of possibilities and trigger many good ideas. What will we do with them? How will we sort through them and decide which avenues are right for us?

As I maneuver through the marketing labyrinth, I’ve depended on Isaiah 48:17:

This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: 

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, 

who directs you in the way you should go.” 

I look to the marketing experts—and there are many, with many methods and inspiring ideas, but I cannot and will not implement them all. The incredible blessing for us as Christian writers is the promise of James 1:5:

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, 

who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 

In the governing of our lives, the exercise of our writing, and the necessity of our marketing, God will give us direction and wisdom.

Take-home thought: I will glean from the experts but follow God’s direction for what is best for me.

Meeting this Saturday

Let's talk about... 

MARKETING

March 7, 10 AM - noon

Cornerstone Christian Church, Wyckoff 

In the Barn (2nd building on the right)

Pasquale Russo will present on the topic of marketing, an eagerly awaited discussion. Bring your personal comments, experiences, and questions. Identify the next step to move your writing project forward.

Guests are welcome, both novices and seasoned writers.
Critiquing is available for members - please adhere to the guidelines on our website.

Looking forward to Saturday,
Barbara
barbarahigby.com

February's Focus Point

Why Should We Care if our Writing is Tight?

We "write tight" to present our best work to our readers, but why should we care? Why do we labor over multiple edits, offer our work for critique, and rewrite what seemed fine the first draft?

There’s only one reason—because we want to be read. I’ve said it so often, you should be able to finish this sentence for me: “If you don’t want to be read, just journal.”

I can be impatient positioning my words, crocheting around a basic point, couching my thoughts just so, but as we’ll discuss later, it’s necessary if we want to be read and have our words received. To write relevantly, we also need to know our audience and understand how they most readily receive instruction or engage with works of fiction. This may seem a little compromising but listen to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:20-23:

“To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law…so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the…so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (italics mine).

It is for the sake of the truth we present that we do our best to be read and received by others. People do not want to read loosely written work or go down rabbit trails or turn on their internal editor as they read. We never compromise the truth, but we write with integrity that produces our best work and prioritizes the truth of the Gospel.

Do we need to write tight? Yes. Do we need to check our grammar, use our thesaurus, rework run-on sentences? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Take-home thought: I will write well so my words will be read and my readers will embrace the truth they tell.