Fifteen Great Picks from 2021

Throughout the year, our blog team share their insights and wisdom - it may be inspirational, a story of writerly struggles or triumphs in a pandemic world; tips about the writing life and writing craft, or an interview of one of our members. Sometimes it's moving, or funny or thought-provoking or all three.. Always, it's the result of thought, research, experience, passion, creativity.

The CWD Admin team would like to give our blog team a huge thank you for your contributions throughout 2021 (and over the last decade).

As we near the end of 2021 which felt far too much like a 2020 sequel, we thought we'd honour our bloggers' contributions with a pick of 15 blogposts that have inspired us this year (in no particular order). Out of close to 90 posts, it wasn't easy to choose and there are many other posts equally deserving of notice. We have a wealth of information and inspiration on the blogsite - accessible on multiple subjects and themes.

Jeanette 

1. A Story of Life by Meredith Resce  (Sometimes God has other ideas)

I have a real-life story of my own I’d like to share. It is about the love of God in a difficult situation.

It’s a true story, a little bit funny, a bit sad, but it’s an inspirational story. It started Easter 2015, on Good Friday to be exact.

As is often the case on Good Friday, I found myself part of the Good Friday church service. I was playing the piano, and my husband (the pastor at that time) had arranged, among other things, that I would play the old hymn ‘When I Survey the Wondrous Cross’ as a background accompaniment while three people read pieces of Scripture. I needed to get a scanned copy of the music as I couldn’t find my old hymn books. I had it all sorted and I’d practiced it, and it was all good. The service went along as planned, and it was inspirational and a little bit stirring, as all Good Friday services should be.

 

At the end of the service my husband did one of his special spontaneous moments that he is famous for, and announced to the congregation that he would get his wife (that’s me) to come back to the piano and sing ‘The Old Rugged Cross’. I’m sort of used to these surprise put-you-on-the-spot ideas that pop up from time to time, and I can usually fumble about and make something happen, but I honestly hadn’t played ‘The Old Rugged Cross’ in years. I couldn’t remember half the words, was not sure which key ... Read More Here.

2. Never Give Up On Your Dreams by Nola Lorraine

Sally Funk was one of the Mercury 13, women who trained in the 1960s to for space but never got there.  That is until decades later when something amazing happened, but what has that got to do with writing? Read of Nola's Post Here.

3. Resistance is Futile! by Susan J Bruce

This week I’ve had the Borg catch-cry in my head as I’ve pondered a different, but very futile kind of resistance: resistance to writing.

I suffer from this resistance a lot—even though I love writing. Do you? I know I’m not alone.

To create a world and immerse yourself in the lives of your characters is a thing of joy. You get to know these make-believe people, torture them in some diabolically cathartic way, then cheer them on as they overcome the obstacles you throw before them. What’s not to like? Writing can be so much fun, so why do we resist sitting down and filling empty pages with our words.

Resistance is weird ... Read More Here. 

4. A Bag of Goodies! by Anusha Atukorala

Anusha contemplates the aha moment for using a treasured but unused bag, and the metaphorical bags writers can carry with them, stuffed full of unhelpful or helpful attitudes.  To find out what they are Read More Here. 

5. Feeding the Reservoir (aka Soaking up the View from my Window) by Mazzy Adams

A writer’s inclination to observe people and places is common, if not intrinsic, as it informs the character characteristics and settings we create for our readers. But for months, opportunities to casually watch passers-by while sipping a caramel latte inside a coffee shop, or freely travel to another place just to see what’s there, have languished in the realms of wishful thinking. Whether introvert or extrovert, opportunities to top up our creative reservoirs have taken a hit.

It’s not surprising that, as global conditions have created compelling reasons to stay at home, innovative online groups have created new ways for people to connect and explore the world.

Last year, I joined a group called ‘View from My Window’. Precious glimpses into the daily lived experience of folk from across the globe have broadened my view of the world and the people in it. ... Read More Here.

6. Transformation Stories - Our friends or foes? by Paula Vince

In his book, 'Waking the Dead', John Eldredge makes the following observation.

'The phoenix rises from the ashes. Cinderella rises from the cinders to become a queen. The ugly duckling becomes a beautiful swan. Pinnochio becomes a real boy. The frog becomes a prince. Wretched old Scrooge becomes "as good a friend, as good a master and as good a man as the good old city knew."'

Wow, stories of transformation really are prolific! If we live and breathe this sort of literature, if we were brought up on it, has it really been good for us? Doesn't it convince us, in a very palatable and surreptitious way, that we need to become something completely different in order to be acceptable? ... Read More Here. 

7. The CPU of Marketing and Beyond by Jeanette O'Hagan

We all would love to discover the formula to instant success in becoming a block-buster, best-selling author. Unfortunately, that formula probably doesn't exist - but in this blog, I share three Cs, two Ps and the U that can help us power towards publication and and finding our readers. Read More Here.

8. [Self] Publish or Perish? Pros and Cons – by Ruth Bonetti

Authors trudge rutted paths to print goals. Rejections tempt them to secure incomes selling used cars or real estate. Or they learn to forge their own independent ways.

We polish a manuscript until it gleams, then submit. And wait. Wait. We remind ourselves of big name authors rejected many times by publishers–who now regret that!

 
But...

Do we give up too easily ... Read More Here.  

9. Behind the Scenes: In Want of a Wife by Meredith Resce

Today we go 'behind the scenes' as Jeanette (Jenny) O'Hagan interviews Meredith Resce about her rom-com contemporary romances featuring author and match-making mother, Luella Linley. Read More Here. 

10. Keeping the Joy in the Call by Helen Carr

The process of entering the Caleb Awards had a truly positive effect on me, and not just because it pushed me to finish my novel! Deadlines are something I work well to, and often having the pressure to get something finished is the motivation I need to stop binging Netflix, or reading someone else’s novel, and work on mine. That being said, I do recall having a bit of a chat with God about the awards, after becoming slightly cranky with him about the pressure to get things ready before the first deadline. It was a very short conversation, and went like this…

Me: I don’t know how to fix this part! It’s too hard, God, why did you ask me to enter the awards?

God: I never asked you to, Helen.

Me:….. {awkward silence}

He was right, of course. I had made the choice to submit my manuscript, not once stopping to ask God if it was the right timing or something he wanted. I returned to God, repentant, and humble, and asked him, “Lord, do you want me to enter the awards?”

His answer was so beautiful - “Yes, enter them if you want to, but Helen...do not lose the joy of writing.” Read More Here. 

11. The Story of Us by Shane Brigg

The hero archetype is generally defined as an individual protagonist who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. A hero protagonist's traits help readers to understand them, connect with them, or follow their actions and understand why they do what they do.

I have been asking myself - like Papa (2016) - if the Hero’s Journey is “the chief organizing story” of human civilization and stories are the most powerful communication technology, to what extent might the Hero’s Journey be responsible for where we are at today?

Where I am at today? (“Gulp”)

How might the conceptualization of the Hero’s Journey be contributing to what we are experiencing on all scales of society, development, world issues, good things, bad things, personal vexes and maybe even sin?

What could happen if we told our hero stories differently?  ... Read More Here.

12. Write Amidst the Storm by Adele Jones

I need not remind Australians that for the majority of us, the past eighteen months have been a period unlike any other in our lives. That includes writers. Bookstores have been shut, many never to reopen. Sales have been down. Libraries have been closed, so no PLR. Publishers have been hit hard. Events have been cancelled, and re-cancelled. Gatherings have been forbidden by government edicts. Homes with children usually at school have been thrust into the realm of home schooling, and a pandemic of fear has seen panic buying and frenzied behaviour uncharacteristic of our usually “laid back” Aussie culture.

What’s a writer to do?


... What can we do when writing gets hard? Here are a few tips from my “Top Ten Block Busters” presentation, shared at a recent visit with the Rose City Writers ... Read More Here. 

13. Can we be in unity in these tough times? Thoughts from Jo Wanmer

As Christian authors and readers we write…not only books and short pieces, but emails, posts on social media, articles and blogs. Are we being known as Christians by our love that's displayed in our words?

In these difficult times, we don’t all agree on theology, politics, vaccines and other topics. How can we walk in unity when we see things so differently?  ... Read More Here.

14. Do We Write on Human Hearts? by Janelle Moore

Who else wants their words, their writing to challenge, inspire and bring life, just as God's words do?

Who else wants their writing to be an extension of who they are, just as God's words are?

2 Corinthians 3:3 tells us that "...you are a letter from Christ...written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on human hearts". Read More Here.

15. Mentors, Godparents and the Writing Thing by K A Hart

‘Me? She really asked if I would consider being her mentor?’


I was flabbergasted. Me. A mentor? I don’t know anything. I’m barely able to work through my own issues in life and someone wanted me to be their mentor? And what was a mentor supposed to do?

Would you believe me if I said I looked up the definition?

A wise and trusted counsellor or teacher. [Pft! Wise? I’ll probably have to look that up in the dictionary too, but I know I’m neither old enough or experienced enough to be wise.]

An influential senior sponsor or supporter. [Ha! I should never be left unsupervised, let-alone influence anyone.]

I checked the thesaurus, maybe there was a better fit than mentor — adviser, coach, guide, instructor, trainer, tutor, counsellor … maybe not. ... Read More Here.

We hope you've enjoyed this selective review of the many great blogs of 2021. And we'd like to thank all our active CWD members and bloggers who interact, comment and support each other and the group - and to wish you all a blessed and joyful Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Saviour and Lord and a wonderful New Year in 2022.