Summertime encouragement...

A Reminder of June's Focus Point 

I hope you are all finding the time and inspiration to write this summer. Following is the Focus Point from our last meeting. Remember those goals we set? I hope this will spur you on as you write for Him. 

Barbara

barbarahigbyhope.com 

Whose life will you touch?    

Photo from depositphotos.com

Why Goals?

We often talk about goals at our meetings. It’s the topic of our first and last meetings of a season and usually touched on in between. It’s no secret that clear goals are the impetus to getting things done and as Christian writers, it’s important that we get our words out there because they bring light.

I am increasingly aware of the subtle infiltration of darkness in our society. I recently read through Ephesians and in chapter four, Paul says that the Gentiles (meaning those far from God) live “in the futility of their thinking.” Read verses 18 and 19:

They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. (NIV, italics mine)

The descriptives of those who don’t know God are bleak―darkened, separated, ignorant, hardened, insensitive, sensual, indulgent, unsatisfied. This is not condemnation but observation because there is hope for change. When I read these verses I was saddened, but they also invigorated me by renewing my determination and igniting my desire to be a beacon of light and truth. This is why our writing goals are so important―because of their purpose. Because our words can bring light, connection and knowledge. They can soften hearts, purify thoughts and demonstrate contentment.

We write as those who have been made new in the attitude of our minds (see verse 23) and that attitude is reflected in our words. So press on. Define your goals. Write as the redeemed and bring light to a darkened world.

Take away thought: I will write and work toward my goals to maintain focus on my purpose―one beggar writing to other beggars because I’ve been given bread to share.

Writing Opportunity _ Life Changing Miracles

Life Changing Miracles: True Stories of How God Miraculously Transforms Lives

The editor emailed to say stories are due by August 15, 2016. Send submissions to email address below. Do not reply to this email. From James Stuart Bell: You may recall my role as editor for story collections such as: A Cup of Comfort, Extraordinary Answers to Prayer, Love is a Verb, and a number of books related toAngels, Miracles, and Heavenly Encounters.  I am now compiling a story volume for Bethany House Publishers with a working title of Life-Changing Miracles: True Stories of How God Miraculously Transforms Lives.    In the past five “supernatural story” volumes I have compiled, the focus has been on events and circumstances that had a supernatural element demonstrating God’s power.  In this volume I want you, the writer, to share how supernatural encounters brought you as an individual into a state of freedom from past sins of many kinds to walking in the grace and power of God.  In other words, how did a supernatural experience transform you into a new person conformed to the image of Christ?   We would like the reader to see “walking miracles”—people who have a new strength to follow God’s will and overcome the aspects of their old nature that were holding them back from receiving all of God’s blessings.   We’ll consider original, unpublished stories of up to 2,000 words and they must be at least 1,000 words.  The stories should have a creative title, an attention-grabbing introduction, main body with a conflict or challenge, and a clear, satisfying resolution.  They need to be descriptive, rooted in time and place, with a realistic portrayal of the characters involved.   They also need to be substantive stories rather than mere testimonies or teachings, and the focus should not be just on the supernatural realm alone, but rather the spiritual lesson learned.  Please include a personal biography of 30 words or less at the end of each manuscript.    Stories are due by August 15, 2015. Please send your manuscript attached to the e-mail rather than pasting text in the email window.  Send your manuscript in normal manuscript formatting in Times New Roman, 12-point, with your full contact information--name, address, phone number, and e-mail address at the top of the first page.  We are offering a one-time fee of $50 for stories 1,500 words and over, and $25 for stories under that word count.                              We will send you contracts upon the publisher’s acceptance and would need them back promptly.  Payment will be made after all contracts have been received.  Please direct all inquiries and manuscript submissions to my colleague, Jeanette Littleton, at supernaturalstories2@earthlink.net.  If this e-mail has been forwarded to you, and you can’t submit to this call, but would like to hear about other editorial needs as they arise, please send us your e-mail address and we’ll add you to our notification list.   Blessings to you and yours,   James Stuart Bell

Meeting this Saturday

Don't miss our last meeting of the season!

Saturday, June 4, 10 am to noon

High Mountain Church of the Nazarene

Come prepared to share your summer writing goals -

and if you don't have any, we'll help you set some!

Also share the writing challenges you face and a growth plan.

If you bring work to critique, please follow the instructions on our website.

See you Saturday, as we encourage each other to "Write for Him",

Barbara

barbarahigbyhope.com

Last month's Focus Point:

Our Best Effort

In Matthew 25, we find a man who is about to leave on a journey. In preparation for his absence, he gathers his servants & entrusts his property to them. To one, he gave five talents, to the next two talents, and to the last, one talent.

When their master leaves, the first two servants invested their talents. The third one played it safe; he buried his talent because he was afraid to use it.

The returning master was pleased with the servants who invested their talents, but disappointed and even angry with the one who buried his talent.

These are his concluding words: “Everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.” In other words, those who use what they’ve been given will receive more, to the point of abundance.

This parable underscores that what we are given is an entrustment from God and His expectation is not that we merely protect our gifts, but increase them through investment. That is the goal of NJCWG - to give us an opportunity to invest in and thereby increase our gift of writing.

It is not enough for us to write raw, without honing, editing, and improving our work. As we cultivate our talent, we multiply its value and extend its effectiveness. Like the servants in the parable who invested their talents, we increase our talents’ worth through investment.

To that end, we meet with our writing group; we allow our work to be critiqued; we edit and edit again; we attend writing conferences and webinars; we subscribe to writing blogs; we read about writing and we study techniques.

Let’s be encouraged to learn and grow, spending time and effort to increase our talents.

Next month we will share three things for the summer: our goals, our challenges to writing, and a growth plan. What one investment can you make to multiply your talents?

Take away thought: My talent is a gift to nurture and develop because, as a servant of the Lord, He has entrusted me with the gift of writing.  

May Meeting Details

Reminder, this Saturday, May 7, we will meet from 10am to noon at different location:   

Cornerstone Christian Church

495 Wyckoff Ave, Wyckoff

(In the Barn, the red building on the right when you turn into the driveway)

DIRECTIONS

Saturday's meeting topic is Show, Don't Tell

Please come equipped for a writing exercise.

If you want work critiqued, please adhere to the critique guidelines on our web page. The guidelines include the following: your name, 2 pages, double-spaced. 

Last month Katie Sweeting shared an outstanding presentation,

Research for Writers.

You may access her notes HERE

Hope to see you there as we encourage one another to write for Him,

Barbara

barbarahigbyhope.com

Note: Change of Venue for May

May 7, 2016

10 am - noon

This month we're meeting in the Barn at

Cornerstone Christian Church

495 Wyckoff Ave, Wyckoff

(The red building on the right when you turn into the driveway)

directions here

Hope to see you there!

April's Focus Point:

Knowledge

Good, interesting writing requires a balance between passion and knowledge. If we write from emotion, our words may not be accurate, but if we only convey knowledge, our writing may not be palatable. Passion writing is fun and I hope our first drafts are infused with passion. Informative writing is work and I hope our edited copy adds knowledge to our passion.

Our passion drives us, but our knowledge qualifies us. The Apostle Paul wrote something similar in Romans 15:14. He said that knowledge is what makes us competent to instruct one another: “I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.”

Peter integrated the balance of passion and knowledge in 1 Peter 3:15 when he wrote, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have...” Giving an answer (and writing a book) includes 1) the willingness of our spirit that does not hold back but is ready and eager to speak and 2) the understanding and knowledge that equips us to adequately present our case.

Knowledge without passion can be dry, but passion without knowledge is dangerous. This is especially true in areas with which we are familiar and quickly make assumptions.

Take away thought: “The discerning heart seeks knowledge….” (Prov. 15:14), When you write, make sure your passion is coupled with knowledge.

April Meeting

Our April meeting is this Saturday,

April 2, 10 a.m. til noon

Member Katie Sweeting will present the importance and methods of Research, drawing from her personal and professional experience.

Location and critique guidelines can be found at njcwg.blogspot.com

The following is the Focus Point of our March meeting (which was actually February 27).

Clarity

Pitch is a concise, nutshell description of a writing project. The benefit of a pitch is that it clarifies our project so others can understand what it's about, but there is a personal benefit as well - pitch clarifies our purpose.

Take a look at the word clarity. It is defined as the quality of being easily understood, of being clear. Synonyms include: apparent, understandable, comprehensible, plain.

I usually have a swirl of thoughts, feelings, ideas and plans spiraling through my heart and head. I need to calm myself and look deeply so I can clarify my purpose and focus. Just what are my goals, aspirations, intentions, dreams and objectives in this project? Most importantly, what is God’s purpose in inspiring me to write this piece?

Proverbs 20:5 reads, “The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.” While this is speaking of someone drawing out the purposes of someone else’s heart, the same can be true of understanding what is in our own hearts. If we want clarity of direction and purpose we need to draw them out so we can chart a clear course.

Most Christian writers are familiar with Habakkuk 2:2: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.” Before a herald runs with it, it needs to be plain enough for me to run with it. According to Proverbs 14:8, “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways….” Prudence to seek God's purpose and wisdom and draw out my thoughts and bring them into focus, frees me to run with my words.

Take away thought: I will seek clarity by taking time for reflection to understand God’s heart and my own heart in the piece I’m writing and in the life I’m living. 

Story Callout Opportunity

Quick reminder - our monthly meeting is THIS Sat. 2/27 @ 10 am. 
Our meeting is about "pitch":  

• Please prepare a pitch for a current project (even if it's not a book), whether it's in progress or still a dream. Part of our discussion will include how a pitch can focus our writing and thereby help us in the process.

Here's an article that explains a little about "pitch" (vs. press release): 
http://bit.ly/1LOinNd


Below are two opportunities to publish for Moments from Grace Publishing:

Moments Submissions should be sent to: Yvonne Lehman Story callout from Yvonne Lehman: I'm now accepting submissions for two new Moments books to be released in 2016 and 2017. These are compilations of 50 stories by 40+ authors in each book, published by Grace Publishing Already in print are Divine Moments, Spoken Moments, Precious, Precocious Moments,and Christmas Moments (2014 and 2015). The variety of approaches to the themes for past books has been really inspiring. Some long, some short, some humorous, others serious. There is no compensation (except publication and joy!). Authors get one free copy and discount on orders. Royalties go to Samaritan's Purse. We always make a presentation of authors of Moments books at the May Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Submissions come in quickly, so you might want to hurry! First acceptable 50 will be accepted. These are true stories of events, experiences, lessons learned, etc. Articles range from 500-2000+ words. Content is the key! Christmas Moments Book #3 - articles about the true meaning of Christmas - Christmas experiences, meaningful or touching stories about Christmas - similar to Christmas Moments Books #1 and 2. Deadline March 15, 2016. Loving Moments - personal love stories; love for children, parents, animals, etc.; and/or love for God, His love for us, etc. Deadline May 31, 2016. Contributors should put Loving Moments or Christmas Moments Book #3 in subject line and send to yvonnelehman3@gmail.com.

New Meeting Date

Our next two meetings: February 27 and April 2

Due to several schedule conflicts in March, 

we will meet February 27, 10a - 12p. 

The topic: pitch

• Please prepare a pitch for a current project (even if it's not a book), whether it's in progress or still a dream. Part of our discussion will include how a pitch can focus our writing and thereby help us in the process.

• Time will be allotted for critiques. Please follow the guidelines at njcwg.blogspot.com. I encourage you to bring a sample of your work.

• On April 2nd, Katie Sweeting will present on the topic of research. (And if you're thinking that research isn't doesn't apply to what you're writing, you're wrong :)

• Below is the focus point of the February 6 meeting. 

Be blessed as you write for Him, Barbara

February Focus: Mindfulness

I just finished reading the book of Joshua. It was stimulating - inspiring - to read of challenges met and battles won. Who doesn’t like to hear about victory taken over an enemy? I gleaned a lot of warfare wisdom as I read through the book and now offer one of the nuggets as it relates to us as writers. It is the need for mindfulness.

A lack of productivity and discipline in our writing is rarely due to an outright refusal to work. We don't willfully resist writing, it's just that we’re not mindful of our craft. Mindful means: watchful, aware, alert, attentive, careful. 

In Joshua, the words “be careful” were spoken to or by him five times, often in conjunction with the admonition to be strong and courageous. They were spoken in an atmosphere of victory and success, which tells me that it is easy to become lax during times of accomplishment.

Last month I felt good about identifying and sharing my writing goals at our meeting - I suspect that you did too. But this month, I’m warning each of us to be mindful of the goals we set. Let’s not allow them to remain words on paper. Let’s be careful to intentionally work toward those goals, 

• to be watchful of our time 
• to be aware of creativity and time robbers
• to be alert to opportunities
• to be mindful of our intentions
• to be attentive to our craft and calling.

Joshua’s closing words include these: “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left”(Joshua 23:6). Let us be very strong and careful to do what God has put on our hearts, without turning to one side or the other, mindful of the task before us. 

Take away thought: Be careful. Live, and write, mindfully and intentionally.

Feb. Meeting - this Saturday

Date: Sat., Feb. 6
Time: 10a - 12p
Place: High Mountain Church
              681 HighMountain Rd., No. Haledon, NJ


This month's meeting will focus on self-publishing:

• Why you should self-publish
• When you shouldn't self-publish
• Types of self-publishing
• Steps to take 
• Mistakes to avoid
• Testimonies from self-published authors
• Q & A

If time allows, we will have critiques. Please follow critique guidelines on the sidebar of our website: www.njcwg.blogspot.com. 

Story Callout - Miraculous Answers to Prayer

Hello writing friends,

Here is an opportunity to submit a story to a James Stuart Bell compilation: 

Miraculous Answers to Prayer

Send submissions to email address below. Do not reply to this email. From James Stuart Bell: You may recall my role as editor for story collections such as: A Cup of Comfort, Extraordinary Answers to Prayer, Love is a Verb, and a number of books related toAngels, Miracles, and Heavenly Encounters.  I am now compiling a story volume for Bethany House Publishers with a working title of Miraculous Answers to Prayer.  Jesus said in Matthew 21:22, “And whatever you ask in prayer you will receive, if you have faith.”  I’m sure you’ve had numerous wonderful answers to prayer in your Christian life.  What I’m seeking is the story of perhaps your most amazing answer to prayer that would show unmistakable evidence of God supernatural power and presence in an overwhelming, if not impossible, situation. You need to demonstrate the link between the given prayer or prayers and the miraculous consequences to follow.  As with the other three volumes in this series if there are heavenly encounters or supernatural presences, so much the better.  The main test is that if prayer hadn’t been part of the equation there would be no human or natural possibility of the incredible outcome. We’ll consider original, unpublished stories of up to 2,000 words and they must be at least 1,000 words.  The stories should have a creative title, an attention-grabbing introduction, main body with a conflict or challenge, and a clear, satisfying resolution.  They need to be descriptive, rooted in time and place, with a realistic portrayal of the characters involved. They also need to be substantive stories rather than mere testimonies or teachings, and the focus should not be just on the supernatural realm alone, but rather the spiritual lesson learned.  Please include a personal biography of 30 words or less at the end of each manuscript. Due date for the manuscript is January 31, 2016. Please send your manuscript attached to the e-mail rather than pasting text in the email window.  Send your manuscript in normal manuscript formatting in Times New Roman, 12-point, with your full contact information--name, address, phone number, and e-mail address at the top of the first page.  We are offering a one-time fee of $50 for stories 1,500 words and over, and $25 for stories under that word count.                           We will send you contracts upon the publisher’s acceptance and would need them back promptly.  Payment will be made after all contracts have been received.  Please direct all inquiries and manuscript submissions to my colleague, Jeanette Littleton, atsupernaturalstories2@earthlink.net.  If this e-mail has been forwarded to you, and you can’t submit to this call, but would like to hear about other editorial needs as they arise, please send us your e-mail address and we’ll add you to our notification list. Blessings to you and yours, James Stuart Bell

2016 = 365 Opportunities

Calendar from printablecalendars.com

As writers, I trust we’ve set writing goals for 2016. Even though we have 365 days to accomplish them, I find that goals are tricky things. It seems that we either set them too low or too high, depending on our mood. It’s hard to find a balance between underachieving and being unrealistically aggressive. Low goals allow us to meander through our days without stress, but also without satisfaction. High goals can be equally dissatisfying when they are unattainable and thereby frustrate us.

A helpful goal-setting acronym is S.M.A.R.T. goals, meaning goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. This is a useful guide to follow, but I want to suggest another component of goal-setting - one that is critical, but often ignored. It is simply to move our focus away from what we want to accomplish and ask God what He wants to do through us. 

While it's good to set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely, let’s hold those goals loosely. If God points us down another path or asks us to redirect our energies, let’s do so willingly. Psalm 37:5-6 offers us His wisdom for goal-setting:

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

As we work toward our goals for 2016, let’s commit our way to the Lord and trust in Him. He will do what the verses say and make our righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of our cause like the noonday sun. He will use us for the benefit of His kingdom in ways we could not anticipate.

Take home thought: I will set my goals prayerfully, committing my way to God, trusting that He will cause me to shine in righteousness.

This is the meditation from the January 2, 2016, meeting. 

Reminding you to write for Him, Barbara 

Happy New Year... and happy writing!

The first 2016 NJCWG 

is this Saturday, January 2, 10 am til noon.

Be prepared to share specific writing goals for 2016.

Location details and critique guidelines are on our website: njcwg.blogspot.com

Christmas Brunch Reminder

Please join us for our annual Christmas brunch. 
Sat. Dec. 5 ... 10am-12pm

Bring a Christmas reading to share 

along with something tasty to eat! 

(We have bagels, dessert and pasta salad so far.)

RSVP to Susan :: panzica.susan@gmail.com. 

Next meeting: Annual Christmas Brunch

Please join us for our annual Christmas brunch. 
Sat. Dec. 5 ... 10am-12pm

Bring a Christmas reading to share 

along with something tasty to eat! 

(We have bagels, dessert and pasta salad so far.)

RSVP to Susan :: panzica.susan@gmail.com. 

Meeting this Saturday

Our next meeting

Saturday, November 7
10 am - noon

North Haledon Church of the Nazarene

(address on our website)

Saturday's focus: 

Tell me a story!

Bring your notebook (paper or electronic) along with your most colorful adjectives, strongest verbs, and greatest story lines.

If you have work for critique, 

please follow guidelines on our website.

Beautiful Words

From NJCWG member, Maude Carolan Pych

A friend came up to me at church one Sunday (She’s a woman who studies Scripture in depth and who also enjoys my poetry.) and said, “You are of the tribe of Napthali.” I asked what made her say that and she referred me to Gen 49:21: “Napthali is a doe let loose. He gives beautiful words.”

This verse comes from the “Blessing of Jacob,” the longest poem in Genesis, in which Jacob blesses each of his twelve sons with the appropriate blessing for each of them.

A few interesting points: Napthali, being a “son” of Jacob is described as a doe. The reason given by Rabbi David (I couldn’t make out his first name) on the “Hebrew Nation” website is that the female deer is swifter than the male. The rabbi also said that the Hebrew for “beautiful words” is Imrei shefer, which speak of musical ability and natural eloquence and that the word shefer is related to shofar, an instrument that may be used to issue warning and alarm.

Also, while looking at this verse online, I found that other versions translate “beautiful words” as “gives goodly words.” “John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible” says this verse looks ahead to the New Testament and refers to good tidings of good things (the Gospel). He says it points to the people of Christ’s time who were swift to run after Jesus and hear him; panted after him as the hart after the water brooks. The people who received and gave out the goodly words of the Gospel were made free and became like a hind let loose.

The verse caused me to think of the beautiful words/goodly words in Scripture that we use and write about. Here are examples:

Grace, salvation, holiness, righteousness, purity, Jesus, living water, eternity, eternal life, glory, forgiveness, resurrection, love, mercy, truth.

I’m sure you can think of more “beautiful words.” Use them as a springboard to write a prayer, a poem, an article, haiku, etc.

                                                                                    Maude Carolan Pych

Our Next Meeting

Saturday, October 3

10 am to noon

North Haledon Church of the Nazarene(directions on website)

Think outside the box! What topics, genres, formats await your discovery?

If you bring pages for critique, be sure you followed the guidelines on our website.

Meeting this Saturday

September is here and we're back to our monthly meeting schedule. 

Saturday, September 5

10 am to noon

North Haledon Church of the Nazarene

(directions on website)

Please be prepared to report on your summer progress and share new goals for the fall.

If you bring pages for critique, be sure you followed the guidelines on our website.

I look forward to seeing you Saturday for a time of inspiration, accountability and encouragement,

Barbara

barbarahigbyhope.com

Writing Prompts

Following is the devotional from our June meeting.

Writing prompts are all around us. Life abounds with inspiration for that next story, essay, poem or book. We simply need to keep our eyes open, our ears tuned and a notepad in our pocket. As Christian writers we have an even wider field because we see life in two dimensions, physical and spiritual.

The stories we tell, regardless of genre or format, are public declarations of what resides deep within. In its own way, each is a testimony - “a formal statement about something that we saw, know, or experienced” (Macmillan Dictionary). Convictions of the heart, things we know to be true by what we saw or experienced provide writing prompts we may overlook or dismiss.

In Cecil Murphey’s blog post of June 16, 2015, he wrote:

My biggest obstacle is to keep writing, even now, because I'm tempted to hit the delete key a dozen times a day. I constantly think, This is garbage and everybody knows it. 

My late wife, Shirley, used to say to me, "Because you think about it all the time, you assume everyone knows it. But they haven't read it the way you write it." (see blog)

How true! God speaks to us and through us in unique ways. Our personal understanding of an event or truth is expressed from an individual voice that is ours alone. 

God has made precious deposits in us. Let’s not overlook writing prompts of the heart. The psalmist gives us several in Psalm 71:15-18:

       My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long...

       I will … proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord; 

       I will proclaim your righteousness...

       I declare your marvelous deeds.

       Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare 

       your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.

What has God shown you of His righteousness, salvation, mighty acts, marvelous deeds, power and might that you can write about?

Take away thought: I will tune my heart to the writing prompts of the Holy Spirit.  

Our meeting is this Saturday

Just a reminder...

Our June meeting is this Saturday, June 20, 10 am - 

our last meeting until September.

We will focus on periodicals, looking at format and writing ops.

Please bring two periodical/anthology writing opportunities and 

your summer writing goals. 

If you have work you want critiqued please follow the guidelines on our website.