Monday 2 November 2020

Hiding in Plain Sight

 by Jeanette O'Hagan



My original title for this post was going to be 'No Words' or 'When Words Fail' - a reflection on my non-writing year after a decade of writing novels, short stories and blogs and seeing many of my creations in print and new ideas flourishing and never at a loss for words. Yes, I hit a titanium wall this year, mainly due to circumstances beyond my control (but not beyond God's) - and Covid has only been a small part of that. But with recent posts on Writers Block, I've decided to switch topics, because as unassuming as the the CWD blog may seem - it is in fact a treasure trove of inspiration, excellent advice and respectful debate for and by Christian writers. One that I'm not sure our members always use. 

Our CWD Blogsite

The very first post was on 1 September, 2010 by Meredith Resce. Since that first post, we have averaged around 100 posts a year by our many and diverse wonderful bloggers. For what it's worth, this post will be the 1179th with 579,422 total Page(Blog)views over the last decade. 

While some faithful members - such as our very first blogger, Meredith - have blogged for the entirety of that period, many others have joined the team along the way and others have taken a rest, while we can continue to enjoy their legacy. We are grateful for each and every contribution. 

Over this period, we've also teamed up with Australasian Christian Writers and Omega Writers with cross-posts on Craft, Genre or the latest Omega Writers news about the Conference or CALEB. 

The posts from our bloggers are inspiring, informative, challenging. 

They give reflections and tips on:

*the interface between faith and writing

*God's sustaining power 

*the nitty-gritty of a writers life

*practical tips 

*pitfalls to avoid

*writing craft and writing practice

*tips to survive feedback

*creativity

*publishing pathways

*promoting and marketing

*different genres and trends in writing

*hot potato issues

*interviews with members and member highlights.

The blog also provides links to our bloggers' own blogs. 

How to access all these gems?


The easiest and most immediate way to make use of the Blog is to click on the link shared each Monday and Thursday and read the latest blog. Or follow through the email subscription. Or check out the Fifteen Picks http://christianwritersdownunder.blogspot.com/search?q=fifteen+picks.

To access past blogs - use the archive list of past blogs - arranged by year & month (right hand side).

Or use the labels - again on the right hand side of the page or at the bottom of each post.

Or the 'Search This Blog' feature on the top right hand side of the page. 

For example:

Typing 'Publishing' results in this link https://christianwritersdownunder.blogspot.com/search?q=Publishing


  1. Tuesday, 10 November 2015 How to identify a vanity press publisher and avoid being ripped off 
  2. Thursday, 28 August 2014 Publish or Perish? Part Two
  3. Thursday, 4 July 2019 Indie Publishing anyone? 
  4. Monday, 25 August 2014 Publish or Perish? Part One 
  5. Monday, 8 August 2011 Why? A journey to publishing
  6. Monday, 11 June 2012 Writing: A Ministry or a Business?
  7. Friday, 24 August 2012 Aussie writer on the journey: Publishing pitfalls for new fiction writers

etc
  

While 'block' results in this link https://christianwritersdownunder.blogspot.com/search?q=block

  1. Wednesday, 13 February 2013 Defeating the Blank Faced Monster
  2. Thursday, 1 October 2020 Writer Burnout: How I am accepting that I'm not a machine
  3. Monday, 25 March 2019 Trust and Obey
  4. Sunday, 24 February 2013 Your Story Matters
  5. Thursday, 29 October 2020 The Curious Case of NaNoWriMo and Two Very Different Writers
  6. Monday, 5 October 2020 Just Keep Pumping
etc

You can toggle between 'Sort by Date' (puts the most recent blogs at the top)  to arrange the order of the list or 'Sort by Relevance'. 


What difference does it make?

So, back to you. Have you been drawing inspiration from the CWD blog posts? Have any had a impact on you and your writing journey or have given you valuable pointers on a particular issue or challenge? What areas would you love to see covered (or covered again) in future blogs? 

And finally, a big shout out to all our bloggers and admin who have given of their time, creativity, wisdom and experience to encourage and help other writers. 

--


Jeanette spun tales in the world of Nardva from the age of eight. She enjoys writing fantasy, sci-fi, poetry, and editing.

Her Nardvan stories span continents, millennia and cultures. Some involve shapeshifters and magic. Others include space stations and cyborgs. She has published over forty stories and poems including Akrad's Children (Book 1 of the Akrad's Legacy series) & the 5 book Under the Mountain series.

Jeanette lives in Brisbane with her husband and children.



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10 comments:

  1. Thanks Jeanette. There's such a wealth of information and inspiration in this blog. We are very blessed by the many contributors who give freely of their time, efforts, knowledge, and ministry gifts in order to encourage others in this calling and its consequent pursuits.

    I've personally found help and inspiration here through the diverse offerings. I love the varying types of posts and the way each author offers something both personal and universal. Rich pickings indeed.

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    1. Thanks Mazzy. Yes, it is wonderful and a blessing to get a wealth of different perspectives and experiences :)

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  2. Hooray, well said! Thanks Jenny, I've enjoyed the rich and varied contributions all that time. What a lot of wisdom to pick from, and still plenty to come, I trust.

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    1. Thanks, Paula :) As you say, a lot of wisdom shared 0 and more to come :)

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  3. Thanks Jeannette, and to all who have contributed to this blog over the last decade. It's so nice to have a place where people think about writing from a Christian perspective.

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    1. It's great to be part of a team and a wider community.

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  4. Thanks for all of your hard work during that time, Jenny. And thanks to all of the bloggers. So many helpful and inspiring posts over that time. Definitely worth delving into the archives for those gems.

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    1. Thanks, Nola - and thanks for the contributions you've made over the years as blogger and coordinator - and also the the admin team past and present (Mazzy, Kirsten, Sue, Paula, Anusha, you) as well as all our wonderful bloggers. Together, we are stronger indeed.

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  5. I too have enjoyed reading and contributing to this blog over the years, Jeanette.

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  6. Thank you for this, Jeanette. I found this very interesting and I have read some of the blogs. It is always helpful to read what others have found. I love your smile, too. I trust we get the opportunity to meet some time.

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