Thursday 29 September 2022

The Gift and the Blessing

Rosemary New

Reading a good Christian book is a blessing. 

Writing a good Christian book is a gift from God—a ‘pay-it-forward’ blessing for readers. How long might it take for the writer’s gift to merge into the reader’s blessing? 

In my book, it was 22 years.

I heard these words from God one day in 1993: “I want you to write a book.”

I was shocked. Stunned. The last time I had written anything like a book was as a 7-year-old, when I asked Mum for some sheets of paper. These I folded in half, then I wrote and illustrated my short story about a mischievous kitten called Paffy. I bound the pages into a book with dress-making pins. 


With great excitement I showed Paffy, the Naughty Kitten to my schoolteacher. He returned it edited with his red pen. My spelling and punctuation transgressions were red-marked severely—and so was my soul. I was so proud of my first book—but it wasn’t good enough. 

So that day, in 1993, I replied to God, “Me? Write a book? What about?” 

He didn’t say any more but He had clearly spoken and I knew I had to get started. I turned on the computer, opened a new blank document … and waited for inspiration to come. The words poured out, like liquid through my fingers. I was astonished to read my own writing as it emerged on the screen, about the conflicts of faith our eldest son, Joshua, 17, was struggling with—the ways of the world were drawing him away from the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Writing the book through those difficult years was a gift from God. As my fingers raced across the keyboard, He would charge words with His grace for my time of need. Anything—from inspirational Christian literature, scripture, to prayer partners’ encouragements—all nourishing my soul and adding chapters to the book.

In 1995, we were called 500km to an Intensive Care Unit. Joshua was in a coma on oxygen, having had an accidental drug overdose. He had shared heroin with his girlfriend but his half-share, combined with headache medication, rendered him unconscious, near death, asphyxiating from his own vomit. Paramedics saved his life. 

He awoke from his coma the next day with no recollection of drug use but, during his coma, he heard everything I spoke while he was unresponsive. Since he couldn’t speak or move, he thought that he must have been totally paralysed in an accident. While still intubated, he scribbled on a notepad, “what did I break?” I had to tell him, “You had a drug overdose and you nearly died.” Then he tearfully apologised for who he had become. He sought rehab, trying so hard to recover his Christian integrity and be the son we would be proud of. It broke my heart that he felt so unworthy and I poured my distress, and my hope in God, into the book.

Early in 1999, Joshua attempted suicide. We rushed 500km again. He was on life support. Remembering that he heard and recalled every word I spoke during his coma in 1995, I sat beside him day after day, talking about God’s forgiveness and lovingkindness, urging Joshua to repent and re-commit his life to Christ. He was unresponsive but I knew his soul and spirit were still alive.


I wrote it all in the book. Every painful, heart-wrenching, medically hopeless diagnosis through those final seven days … yet God came through restoring MY soul with His songs in the midnight hours. When life-support was turned off, Joshua entered into the Lord’s salvation at 22 years of age.  

I continued writing the book throughout our crippling grief for the next few years but paused when I joined Christian Writers Downunder and attended a Christian writers’ retreat. I didn’t feel much like a true ‘writer’ and my book had stalled. I was such a broken person but my writing recovery has begun through the CWD friendship—and reading their books!  

In 2015, our friend, a fine Christian man, was struggling with overwhelming challenges in his life. During visits, while listening and sharing, we encouraged him to keep his focus faithful.

One day I felt impressed to lend the manuscript of my book to him.

He returned it a few days later with tears in his eyes. “I was planning,” he said in a faltering voice, “to suicide on Sunday, but I knew I had to read your book first. Thank you.”

The gift of words in my incomplete book was the pay-it-forward blessing of life for this man, twenty-two years after the book began. For that, I am so humbled at God’s gifting to write it.



Rosie New has held the gift of writing all her life, with many short stories accumulating in a private stash! But in 2015, “Simply Simon”, an entry she submitted to the Birdcatcher Books Short Fiction Award, was published in the anthology. Rosie says, “That blew me away with excitement, because I loved writing but was still afraid of getting the red pen … LOL!”

Rosie’s hobby is Miyuki glass bead-weaving tiny miniatures. She is writing her first novel and is greatly encouraged by the CWD friends who have recently published their firsts!


Monday 26 September 2022

Commitment by Marion Kilchester

King Charles III summed up his mother’s (Queen Elizabeth II ) life as ‘A life well lived; a promise of destiny kept.’ His nine-word description can be further summarised by one word – Commitment.





Commitment is such a big word. It is a weighty word.


     I am writing this blog primarily to myself, although I believe many of you can also relate to my blog in some capacity as you review your own lives.


     I had committed to write regularly and be part of the CWD blog roster. I wrote the first blog for the 8th of August, two days after my 75th birthday. Then, over the following weeks, I allowed self-doubt to come in with thoughts such as ‘You are not good enough’, everyone else on the roster has far more experience than me’. They were enough to de-rail me and I decided I would not write a blog again.


     Then the Queen died, and the TV channels were awash with commentary on her life. She

was only twenty-six when, on the death of her father, she became Queen. She could easily have had thoughts like mine, but she stepped into her role, resolutely dedicating her life to the service of her family, country, and the commonwealth.


     What is commitment? – It is an agreement or pledge to do something in the future.


     Who is a committed person? – It is someone who regularly keeps their commitments to whatever he or she has signed up to do.


     There are three components of a commitment.

  1. Stated intention/s
  2. A time and a date
  3. Action.

These three components combined constitute commitment.


I admire people who are willing to step out of the boat and take a risk, to think outside of the box in order to fulfil a dream. To do that always requires commitment.


My favourite TV programme is ‘Escape to Le Chateau’. Angel and Dick Strawbridge packed up their comfortable and secure life in London, and with their two tiny children, moved to a derelict, forty-five room chateau, without electricity, heating or sewerage and set about the task of restoring the building and establishing a viable living for themselves and their family. It was a mammoth risk, and a massive undertaking, requiring enduring commitment. But they did it. They turned their dream into reality.


ROADBLOCKS TO COMMITMENT

  1. Life’s Pressures and Busyness.

I wrote my second book this year, in the midst of ill health, family crises and grief. I wrote my goal into my diary and drew up a roster setting time aside to write. Once I did this, it was easier to keep on task. Despite those roadblocks, I kept writing. It kept me going and helped me to maintain my sanity.


     So why did I baulk on writing a blog?


  1. Fear of Failure, Ridicule or Some Other Negative.


For me, it was because of my being insecure in my own abilities and the false belief that I have nothing to give.


  1. Lack in an Area, such as Time, Freedom from Pain, Technology Skills.

(a) Time.  Set a place and time – Be intentional. As I did this, I began to look forward to these times of research and writing, and as the word count grew-10,000, 20,000, 30,000 40,000 – my commitment to the task was paying off for me.

 

(b) Pain or Ill health. This is a tough one, but maybe just the action of putting pen to paper may well be a panacea, a distraction to the pain or grief. It was for me.

 

(c) Technology. This was and still is to a lesser degree, a large hurdle for me. I needed to seek help, to learn, and to delegate what I couldn’t do. The wonderful people who helped me, and still do, are amazing.  I am so grateful for their willingness to help, for their patience, and their skills and knowledge. I had to learn that I was not an island, isolated and alone. These helpers have enriched my life and enabled me to enlarge myself and my world where and when it was needed.



REWARDS OF COMMITMENT


  1. Knowing that you have kept your word and done your best.
  2. Leaving a legacy.
  3. Setting an example. 
  4. No Regrets.
  5. To hear from our God, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.’
  6. And for us writers, to see our writing in print- tangible, touchable and hopefully reaching their target.


So, I encourage you, my fellow writers, to join me in making good commitments and to follow them through. God Bless, Marion.





Marion Kilchester is a mum and grandmother. At 75 she loves spending time with her family and friends and her little dog, Hope. 


Having taught classroom music and piano, now in her retirement, she published her first book, Though the Storms Rage Yet Will I Dance in 2021. Marion has just completed her second book, a biography about her mother-in-law, Ludmila, who grew up and survived in The Ukraine under the rule of Stalin, before finding herself transported in a ‘cattle-train’ to a forced-labour camp in Germany, under the rule of Hittler. At the end of the war, Ludmila made another epic journey, this time by boat, to Australia where she made a new life for herself and her family.


     

Marion’s books are about hope, positivity, and resilience in the face of huge obstacles.


Her website is leavesofhope.com.au


Thursday 22 September 2022

CWD Highlights - July - September 2022




Christian Writers Downunder is a diverse group of writers, editors, bloggers, illustrators. As a group we support each other through our Facebook page and blog.

Today's blog will highlight some of the achievements of our members from July - September 2022



New Releases

Amelia's Island by Jeanette Grant-Thomson




Amelia’s Island relates beautiful Amelia’s journey from being vain, spoilt, and lost in fantasy
to finding real love, life and The Truth.
An island,
an author friend,
an outspoken doctor,
an obsessive muso
are all part of her story, while in the background the great ocean gleams and murmurs.


Title: Amelia’s Island
Author: Jeanette Grant-Thomson
Published 26 th July 2022
Published by Jeanette Grant-Thomson with the help of InHouse Publishing

This book cannot be purchased in shops but is available at:
www.facebook.com/jeanette.grantthomson
Its RRP is $23 but it sells for less during sales.

Licence to Die (GRUnGE.001) by Mazzy Adams 



Three shattered people. Two cutting-edge technologies. One licence to die. This time, the spy game is real. 


‘A total stranger knows my thoughts? Oh, my God! I’m gonna die. For real.’


When fledgling ASIO agent and tech guru, Benjamin Alejandro, takes over a top-secret ‘mind-reading’ software project, he inadvertently exposes Mac, an unwitting participant who’s embroiled in a dodgy witness protection scheme.


The mysterious Mac unravels Ben’s altruistic comfort zone quicker than a cat attack. With a criminal consortium poised to pounce, is Ben the only one who gives a bandicoot’s patootie whether the audacious teenager lives or dies? Stuck for options, Ben enlists hotshot game developer, Christopher Darnell, but Chris’s own demons surface to drag them all under.


Integrity and emotions collide as Mac’s thoughts—brilliant, spirited, and irresistible—dance across Ben’s computer screen. With a killer closing in, time running out, and Chris out for revenge, must Ben pay the ultimate price to save the intriguing stranger whose thoughts have captured his heart?


Bleeding hope and humour through cracks at the edge of reality, Licence to Die is quirky, raw, and redemptive; a unique blend of intrigue and inspiration with an upmarket Down Under vibe.


Mazzy Adams' entertaining, genre-bending fiction offers a thought-provoking word feast for New (and not-so-new) Adults alike, with deeper allegorical and metaphysical mysteries to intrigue upmarket readers and book club connoisseurs.

Title: Licence to Die (GRUnGE.001)

Author: Mazzy Adams

Publisher: Zest N Zenith Creative & Academic Group (CIPA/CAN member)

Release Date: 14th September 2022

Purchase Links:

Via Booklinker:  https://mybook.to/licence-to-die-mazzy-adams

Via Books2Read: https://books2read.com/licence-to-die-Mazzy-Adams

Or follow the arrows to both links from her website: https://mazzyadams.com/


Book launch will be held at 2:00pm Saturday 24th September at the Danish Flower Art and Cafe Complex, 10347 New England Hwy, Highfields, Qld (just north of Toowoomba).

The Case of the Missing Moggies by Debra Clewer


Expert Australian Persian cat detective, Ah-Fur, is called upon to investigate the cat-napping of two expert rat-catching cats from the English Prime Minister’s office and country residence. He suspects that the perpetrator is a slippery rat villain who has escaped his capture in Australia and is now in London. But is he right? Will good triumph over evil?


Debra Williams's new Junior Fiction Chapter Book released by Morris Publishing Australia in August 2022, under her pen name of Debra Clewer.

The book launched was on Wednesday the 21st of September in her local library. It is a fun cat detective mystery for 7-11-year-old children and is titled The Case of the Missing Moggies. The book is available to purchase as a print copy n:

Debra Clewer is the author of 3 Middle-Grade fantasy fiction novels and short stories, published in print and online. Her websites - http://www.clewerpuppets.com and http:/www./clewerbooknook.com

Title: Ah-Fur, Super Sleuth - The Case of the Missing Moggies
Author: Debra Clewer
Publication Date: 26 September 2022 (on Amazon).
Publisher: Morris Publishing Australia
You can buy it through Morris Publishing Australia, bookstores and through Amazon here.

Once a Jolly Swagman by Sara Powter




1870s Parramatta and Kent - An old black Billy Can contain the secrets of an incredible life.

Rick Lockley’s life is seemingly taken from his hands by his family. At seventeen he’s not too keen about being told what to do so he runs away and becomes a swagman. Years pass, still heart sore he returns home, arriving wiser, engaged and broke. He has collected some valuable friends, including Jack, a jolly swagman. 

Rick knows little about the old man who protected him during his years on the road. He understands Jack has secrets, but Rick trusts him. The old man comes to live with Rick and his new wife, and some of his story unfolds. On his death Jack leaves Rick his precious Billy Can, the contents reveal Jack’s identity. Stunned, Rick finds he must travel to England to finalise Jack’s wishes. There he uncovers Jack’s life of love, betrayal and a link to his own family. Rick finds there is much more to learn about this enigmatic man.

The story was inspired by twenty of THE SEEKERS songs.

Sara Powter lives in Australia and a descent of four convicts. Her stories are inspired by them. Two years ago she started writing during a covid shutdown and now have fifteen books done. ( 1.8 million words all up)

Title: Once A Jolly Swagman 
(Bk 5 in Lockleys of Parramatta series)
Author: Sara Powter
Release Date 26 September 2022 (on Amazon).
Printed by Pacific Wanderland Publications & distributed by both Amazon and Woodslane Press in Sydney Australia.
You can buy it here.

Readings Stones


The end of July saw the launch of the book, “The Old Gympie Bakeries and their Families” written by John Stark. It was our pleasure to assist this wonderful Christian man in his venture.



Helen Brown's“ You’re; Healing Broken Hearts in Huntersville” will officially be released on 8 October. 2022  The book was inspired by Helen's story, “Casey’s New Life” (which made it into the top ten entries of Power to Change’s short story competition earlier this year). 

Title: You’re; Healing Broken Hearts in Huntersville
Author: Helen Brown
Release Sate 8 October 2022
Publisher: Reading Stones

Acceptances

Hazel Barker's short story, ‘The Hand of God,’ has been selected for publication in the Stories of Life anthology which will be published in November. http://hazelmbarker.wordpress.com

The full list of stories to published in the latest Stories of Life anthology will be announced in October. Prize winners are announced at the launch of the anthology in November. For more information check out the Stories of Life website.

Awards

CALEB Awards 

The winners will be announced at the CALEB Awards Dinner at the Omega Writers Conference Kingscliffe.

Events

Coorparoo Presbyterian Book Fair

In August several authors attended the Coorparoo Presbyterian Church Book Fair, facilitated by David Malcolm Bennett.  CWD Authors at the event David Malcolm Bennett, Lynne Stringer, Jeannette O'Hagan, Rebekah Robinson, Hazel Barker, Ruth Bonetti, Helen Brow, Wendy Wood.  




 Helen and Wendy report " a wonderful time of fellowship withother writers and family members."

Reading Stones go North


After the Coorparoo PC Book Fair, Reading Stones editors, Helen Brown and Wendy Wood travelled to Gympie to spend a day with Helen’s father and Wendy’s grandfather, before continuing on to Proserpine to take part in the Liberty Whitsundays Church's Book Extravaganza.

The results were very successful, making a considerable number of sales, new contacts with prospective authors, artists, and other Christian members of their community.

Rendered Realms


Rendered Realms was at Oz Comic Con last weekend. While Adele Jones was unable to be there for the weekend, both Jeanette O'Hagan and Lynne Stringer were present. Lynne dressed as Missilina, the main character in her latest release, The Verindon Conspiracy while Jeanette was dressed as Kupanna Marra, one of the characters in the Akrad's Legacy series.  While a little quieter than other years, crowds of enthusiastic spec fic fans streamed through the doors, many in cosplay, interesting conversations were had and books signed by the authors were sold :) 






Lynne Stringer, Jeanette O'Hagan and Adele Jones will be at Supanova in November at the Brisbane Convention Centre. This year one of the special guests will be Alex Kingston, known to Doctor Who Fans as River Song. 


Omega Writers Conference 2022 Kingscliff

The Omega Writers Conference 2022 Kingscliff is fast approaching. 

Are you going? Conference registration and afternoon tea are at Peppers from 3pm NSW time on Friday 7 October. ie. Conference registration opens at 2:30 at Peppers, and afternoon tea is at 3:00pm.



Did you have a new release or event or brag point that didn't make it to the Highlights Post? Keep an eye out for the next call for information from members - the next Highlights post will be in end of December 2022.

Congratulations to all our members for your milestones and achievements.


Jeanette O'Hagan




Monday 19 September 2022

Omega Writers | Conference Packing Tips

 

Bookings for the 2022 Omega Writers Conference are now closed.

Which means it's almost time to start packing ...

I've done a lot of travelling over the years, both alone (for writer's conferences or business) or with my family. Here are my top tips for packing for a writing conference:

1. Plan Ahead

You don't want to get to the airport and discover your passport has expired (yes, I've seen that) or that you got your flight time wrong and it’s leaving as you approach the check-in desk (guilty). Planning ahead can help avoid these little "issues". I use lists.

Travel List

Travel documents and sundries, including:

  • Tickets (I always carry the paper printout even if it’s also on my phone)
  • Passport (if required)
  • Booking confirmations (e.g. transport, rental car, hotel/s, conference)
  • Travel Insurance information

Note the flight time and the check-in time, and remember to factor in travel time to the airport (plus extra time for delays and parking).

If you're flying into Gold Coast Airport, remember the airport is on Queensland time but the conference venue is in New South Wales. Check your departure and arrival times.

Conference registration opens at 2:30pm New South Wales time.

Packing List

My basic packing list includes:

  • Toilet bag
  • A basic first aid/medicine kit (I never need it unless I forget it)
  • Kindle and phone, and the respective chargers
  • PC and charger (optional)
  • Any non-clothing items I need to remember (like books!)

I try and focus on the things I either won't be able to buy at my destination, or things that will be overpriced. Forget shampoo? No problem. You’re going to a writer’s conference. First, no one will care if you don’t wash your hair. Second, there are dozens of other women around. Someone will be able to loan you some shampoo.

Forget your underwear? That could be a problem.

One thing to remember: Deodorant. Please.
One thing to leave at home: Perfume.

The Omega Conference isn’t designated perfume-free, although many conferences are, for the benefit of people with allergies.

Travel Light

This is the advice "everyone" always gives, but they don't necessarily tell you how to achieve it (I have a couple of suggestions that work for me below). There are two reasons to pack light:

  1. It's easier to carry (or drag).
  2. It gives you room to buy books. Yes, there is a bookstall at the conference, and you will want to buy books.

A lot of travel advice says not to check luggage if you don't have to. This is an option if you can travel light, although it does depend on what the airlines will allow through security, and what had to go in checked luggage. There was a time when this seemed to change every week …

My top tips for travelling light are:

Save the sample sizes

You know how when you buy makeup or skincare there is sometimes a gift-with-purchase? I save those product samples and put them in my holiday toilet bag. Then I don't need to carry full-sized bottles. It also means my toilet bag is pretty much ready to go.

Watch the Shoes

Shoes are bulky. More to the point, they take a lot of space in your luggage. Sure, you can stuff things inside them, but it’s better to take fewer pairs. The conference is only two nights, so you probably need one or two pairs … and you’ll be wearing one of them as you travel.

When I go on holiday, I take as few pairs of shoes as possible, in the same colour, or coordinating colours.

Choose comfortable, flat shoes. You’ll be doing a lot of standing (and chatting), and a little walking (between your room and the conference rooms).

You may also want a pair of shoes to match your outfit if you plan to dress up for the CALEB Awards on Saturday night.

If you’re flying, make sure your travel shoes are easy to slip on and off, in case security needs to put them through the scanner.

Plan Coordinating Outfits

This goes along with the shoes. I have two basic colour "themes" in my wardrobe: black and navy. When I go on holiday, I take one theme, and I make sure that I have at least two tops to go with every bottom (skirt or trousers), and at least two bottoms I can wear with every top. It adds variety, and helps me not get too bored with limited wardrobe choices on a long holiday.

But this is just a weekend, which is much easier. I’ll pack:

  • Something comfortable to travel in. That’s usually jeans, because I tend to get cold on planes. But I’ll have something lighter to change when I arrive, if the weather is warm.
  • Something smart but comfortable for Saturday (you want to make a good impression if you’re meeting with publishers or editors).
  • Layers (because the weather forecast can be wrong).

I know some people who can wear the same pair of jeans all weekend. I am not that person: if I only had one pair of jeans, you can guarantee I’d spill coffee on them before I even arrived at the venue. I always take one extra top for the same reason. Otherwise, I’m doomed to spend the conference with an obvious stain in an inappropriate place (like my friend who sat on a pumpkin pie. Yes, it looked exactly like you think it looked).

What Else Do I Need?

Pen and paper (or a device) for taking notes. You know you want a new notebook ...

Your Steven James books. You'll want him to autograph them, right?

Something nice for Saturday night (the CALEB Award ceremony). The theme is:

"Going Troppo"

Think florals or Hawai'ian prints (please, no coconut bikinis or budgie smugglers. Actually, let's keep all swimwear in the pool area ...).

Yes, there is a swimming pool, so you might want to bring your togs, cossie, swimwear ... whatever you swim in.

Bring cash or a credit card, for additional meals (e.g. Friday dinner, which isn't included) and for the bookstall. Yes, there is a bookstall.

You can also bring business cards if you have them (don’t worry if you don’t, as most people don’t), and a laptop if you plan on doing any writing (as if you'll have time!).

Finally, bring an open mind, a humble heart, and a teachable spirit.

I don't know what God has planned for this weekend, but I do know you'll get more out of conference if you come prepared to learn, share, and connect with your fellow Christian writers.

Okay, those are my tips for packing for a writing conference.

What tips do you have to share? And do you have any exciting travel plans?

Wednesday 14 September 2022

Health for Writers

Young man with hand on lower back
Photo by Adrian "Rosco" Stef on Unsplash 



Smoking used to be the only big no-no. Going back thirty-five years, the second-hand smoke in a large restaurant or pub was so bad it was hard to see the far wall. I am heavily into music, but I couldn’t see the point of endangering my health while I was entertained. I can protect my ears but wearing a mask back then, hmmm—think about the bouncers.

But, when enough smokers finally got the message or gave up because of the cost, the health police turned their attention to the bottle. But this wasn’t about the level of abuse seen in film—think Crocodile Dundee. Instead, it questioned the tradition of ‘quiet ones’ with mates after work, after which you go home largely unaffected. Quite recently, a study concluded there is no safe limit on alcohol usage. Teetotallers applauded. Viticulturalists groaned. I thought, what next?

Sitting kills you

Well, the answer is ‘sitting’, described by a state government as the new smoking. It’s just no good to sit. Mind you, bus drivers will still bark ‘sit down’ to the unruly students at the back of the bus!

But (a little) more seriously, I get it that today’s society sits way too much, usually bingeing subscription TV. We can probably blame the Pandemic for that as well, but most can easily go back to normal programming and binge as a change-up. That same government department tells us sitting increases the risk of all the chronic health problems that smoking and drinking cause. Sitting and drinking is definitely not a good cocktail!

Old school wooden chair with metal frame positioned on bare ground in front of a wooden post. Grass-covered rolling hills, a large tree and cows in the background.
Photo by eduard on Unsplash 

Personally, I think life is the riskiest condition. The dead don’t have any of these problems. That said, desk jobs are ‘sit’ jobs. Apparently, sit-stand desks need to be ‘installed’ and thus cost employers much more than desks with limited adjustments. In my paid job, I sit and leer at my computer. Don’t be envious, the only scurrilous content is ‘classified’, but working supports my writing habit—or should that be ‘sitting’ habit.

If I lynch the thought police, will the problem go away? Well, not for me, obviously.

Avoiding the dangers

So, are there ways around the conundrum? Schooling trained me to sit while writing and studying; and that first learned is the hardest to unlearn. So, be kind to yourself if you make a lifestyle change. It will take practice and persistence.

The anti-sitting crusaders will suggest all sorts of activities that won’t mix with writing, because they are aiming at the big targets. They recognise that many jobs are seat-bound, so they would want you to be doing sport or walking your dog and letting your TV on-demand subscriptions go. But that doesn’t mean you should shove your derriere into the plush sofa and block them from your hearing entirely.

You may have to sit to write, but you can limit your sitting by using a sit-stand desk or two surfaces set up properly—one at sit height and one at stand height—which you swap between.

But you are not constrained to a desk.

You can use voice to text. Most smart phones support voice to text. You may have heard of Dragon, but you don’t need the Rolls to do what a Hyundai does. I’ll back out of that metaphor. We are discussing voice to text apps. I use Otter, which is designed as a note-taking app for meetings. Otter ai has a great free version. The basic free plan will stop your recording at exactly 30 minutes, but—when I last checked—you’re not limited on the number of sessions. You then play the text of your voice and correct what Otter heard, which is usually what you spoke unless you are in a noisy environment.

Several sinusoidal out-of-phase waves on a black background
Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

You can stand up to do all of this.

If you use voice to text, you do not have to sit to write. Go for a walk and write. You can use it for shopping lists as well!

Voila! You have your writing.

It uses a different brain pathway as it’s via voice, not fingers. But that can be freeing, too.

Efficient sitting

Another way to limit sitting is to write in sprints. Done well, it’s also an efficiency gain. The pomodoro method can be applied to any task but works especially well with writing. First, stand up and think through what you want to write. Then set a strict time limit—25 minutes is recommended. Sit and write. When the timer buzzes, stop writing, stand up, be lightly active. Repeat as required.

Legs and arms of a relay runner on starting blocks. Baton in right hand.
Photo by Braden Collum on Unsplash

Think while standing, set the timer, then sit. Watch your posture but write hard.

Live long and prosper your writing!

Have you got any good ideas?

Marc Z Jeffrey writes suspense and thrillers when he is not working for the Australian public service. He loves editing fiction and can spot an errant apostrophe at a thousand paces.

Thursday 8 September 2022

Imperfect Progress



 There is a beautiful thing called Imperfect Progress
It comes when we take slow steps of progress wrapped in grace
Lysa TerKeurst

 

I don’t know about you, but there are some things I need to be perfect and others I don’t.


So many times, I’ve watched YouTube videos of people folding fitted sheets and ended up bundling mine into a squarish shape and shoving them into the linen cupboard. 


At the end of the day, I don’t lie in bed and worry about those sheets being scrunched instead of beautifully folded. But, there are other things that I obsess about, worry about, and try to make perfect.  


When something keeps you awake at night, when something interrupts your peace during the day, when you keep going over and over something to get it right, then you know you have a perfectionist problem. 


When this happens to me, I get stuck. I’m like a mouse on a running wheel that keeps going in circles, not getting anywhere, but I’m giving it all I’ve got. I’m sweating. I’m putting in a lot of effort. But, I’m not getting anywhere.


Every book I've worked on over the years has the same struggle. I keep editing, adding, second-guessing, getting advice, editing, adding, second-guessing ... 


You get the picture.


I decided to take this problem in hand and forget about perfectionism. Instead, I took up imperfect progress. 


I now build my plans around fewer goals. I have had pages and pages of goals in the past but now I’ve refined them. Maybe it’s a by-product of getting older? 


I  make sure I have milestones along the way. I just have to get the words on the page. I write on planes, trains, and ferries. I write between appointments. I write wherever and whenever I can. 


When I have the first rough draft done, it feels great. Is it perfect? No.


Do I still have work to do on it? Yes.


Sometimes, we need to break down a big goal into steps. Make it manageable.


Sometimes, we need to give ourselves grace. 


Beating ourselves up over something because it’s not perfect and letting that stall us into inaction, is not helpful.


Whether it’s writing, parenting, weight loss, fitness, or climbing a mountain, taking slow steps of progress wrapped in grace is a great way to live. 


Grace means forgiving yourself, allowing yourself to be less than perfect. Allowing yourself to acknowledge that there is a purpose for your life and that, step-by-step, you are walking on that path.


If you get stuck for a while, just do one small thing that will take you one step closer. 


If I don’t take those imperfect steps, my manuscripts would still not be finished. 


If I hadn’t taken many walks and climbs in preparation, I’d never have been able to climb Mt Kilimanjaro a few years ago. 


If I hadn’t given myself some grace, I’d still be stuck. 


My grace is enough; it’s all you need.


My strength comes into its own in your weakness.


The Message 2 Corinthians 12:9


Is there something in your life that needs imperfect progress? What small steps of progress wrapped in grace do you need to take?














Elaine Fraser

Monday 5 September 2022

Of Birthing Books and Babies by Jo Wanmer

 

A baby begins with a lone egg. 

A book begins with the beginning of an idea, just like a seed in a womb. Fertilization, a sperm or a boost of another idea or concept, pushes the writer to start to grow and develop the seed. Expectantly, we begin to create something for others to absorb.

A baby in the womb develops quickly. By the end of the first trimester it even has individual fingerprints and, if a girl, more than a million eggs stored in her ovaries. (babycentre.com) 

Our books' skeleton's form quickly too. Ideas are noted, and the plot develops. Characters start to come to life. The work of growing the plot word by word and then adjusting it takes the bulk of our time.

After a while the book, which the author thought was their creation starts to take a life of its own and make its presence felt. It can  demand its own way, just like the baby within a womb grows without the mother determining sex, size or features. The mothers role is to nurture and protect the little life. 

The most important task for the writer is to keep tapping those keys, to keep the document growing.

As the baby grows, the mother prepares for the day of birth. She plans for a total change of  life and gathers everything a baby would need. Similarly, a writer prepares to launch their book into the world. There are so many things to do to complete a book. Endlessly we edit and then check again. A social media presence must be built to welcome the baby, for without readers we strive for no reason. Marketing, choosing one cover, and then another, gathering responses from beta readers... The list goes on when all we wanted to do was write a book. Like mothers, many first time authors don’t understand the effort needed to successfully push a book into the world.

The big difference between birthing a paper (or digital) baby and a flesh and blood baby is gestation time. I was sure I could write a book and see it published within a year. Some can I know, but not me. Some have shorter gestation times and produce a wonderful volume. Others bring their book forth before due time…and it struggles to live.

A few years ago my granddaughter carried twins, but they decided they only wanted 28.5 weeks to grow in the secret place. For ten long weeks they were nurtured, fed and cared for in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Their short cut didn’t save them any time and put themselves and their Mummy and Daddy through a lot of stress. Thank God they are now strong and healthy two-year-olds.

A book born prematurely often needs similar care and attention, even to the point of edited versions being reproduced later….or sometimes the book simply fades away.

The first time I participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) another author was posting her progress on social media, detailing the adventures of her heroine. She completed her 50,000 words within the allocated month of November, edited her work over night and then published it on Amazon the next day. I'd read so much about her protagonist that I down loaded the book to read. It was worse than a premmie book. It was deformed and ugly.

How important to carry our book until it is fully developed and to garner as much help as we can from the writing community, who are always keen to help. Editors and line editors are our lifeline. My first book had its own midwife, a title I bestowed on my best friend. She read every word (multiple times) and gave me advice and feedback throughout every stage of development. Even then my books need expert help from editors and mentors.

Then of course there are those of us who carry a book for a decade, or who simultaneously carry two, three or more manuscripts, all with different due dates. Those books are in danger of being aborted, especially when there is a lack of attention by the writer.

But as with all pregnant mums, eventually, despite the discomfort and the ups and downs there is a birth. As painful and exhausting as processs is, ultimately the result is beautiful. And the brand-new book is released and can go all over the world, to bring pleasure and inspiration. 

So can I encourage you, as I encourage myself, to stir up the gift that is within you? Continue to grow and develop the thing of beauty that the Lord planted in your heart. Then bring it forth in inspiring beauty.

Have you a hidden book developing within? I'd love to hear your book-birthing stories.


Jo Wanmer is first of all a mother to many people and a mother to several writings. She has two books languishing in the womb and another in seed stage! 

Her book, 'Though the Bud be Bruised' was birthed ten years ago and was well received. She also has many published article and short stories. Her article 'Mum meet my mother', was a winner in the Stories of Life competition in 2021



Thursday 1 September 2022

Let's face the Re-Words. Like Rejection– by Ruth Bonetti

Authors tread a hard road to bring our words into print. Knock-back rejections can drive us into foetal positions, vows to give up writing. To use our time with real jobs like accountancy. 

 

Or we learn to handle rejection, and learn from it.

 

For those who still hope to hook a publisher, take heart. Big name authors were rejected many times by publishers, who now regret that.


Mega author, J. K. Rowling has hooked youngsters to read doorstop-size books. Harry Potter featured large at recent Book Week parades. A dozen publishers, including Penguin and HarperCollins, rejected her. (Now the woke lobby reject her. If anyone deserves the right to speak out, Rowling does. Yet because she resists the trans agenda, she is de-personed and a target for death threats.)


• C.S. Lewis is said to have received around 800 rejections before he sold a single piece of his writing.

• Orwell’s Animal Farm copped “It’s impossible to sell animal stories in the USA.”

• The Diary of Anne Frank: “This girl doesn’t, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the curiosity level.”


Polish that manuscript. When it gleams, submit. Hold breath rather longer than wise (Pray. Sigh.) 


Review. Reflect. Or React– self-publish

Many of us choose to self-publish. With experience and out-sourcing aspects outside our skill-set, we can produce a book in hand in a fraction of time that big houses take. Along the journey, we encounter many steps of the process.

(Enjoy Playing the Clarinet was published by Oxford University Press. The others were indie published by Words and Music.)

We can apply the lessons learned from personal rejections in life. My past year was constricted by abuse on various fronts–and backs. Doors slammed in my face. I'm grateful for Anne Hamilton's support and wisdom, especially in her book Dealing with Azazel: Spirit of Rejection. Her recent book Dealing with Beliel: Spirit of Armies and Abuse is on my bedside table. Anne challenged me to confront and to call out bullies–and also those complicit in it. 

Dealing With Azazel: Spirit of Rejection (Anne Hamilton) PAPERBACK


Review. Reflect. React. 

Anger turned inward equals depression. Thanks to Anne's insights, I feel energised and invigorated to call out abuse. 

Which led me to a 70-year break-through to RECONCILIATION 

Long story short. Aggro and jealousy since I was born led someone to de-person me. Triggers blocked my ability to create, my very being. 

Over the decades, I attempted to reconcile. But it takes two to tango. 

REPENT

I faced and acknowledged my own knee-jerk missteps on tender toes, times I had retaliated. Confront, call out. A brother's funeral led me to articulate a radical step:

A brother's funeral led me to articulate a radical step:

"Unless X attempts some reconciliation, that person is not welcome at my funeral." (Whenever...) 

We broke ice with superficial, tentative communication. Next steps warmer and more genuine. 

RECONCILE! Drumroll 

This antagonist of a whole lifetime will next week host an afternoon tea with cake and bubbles for my birthday. 

Hallelujah!

In this blog thought to venture into the reactive F-words like:

  • FLIGHT
  • FIGHT
  • FREEZE
  • FORGET
  • FORESTALL

But Anne Hamilton covers these better than I can.  Do check out her books!

Once converted to become an indie publisher, RUTH BONETTI has produced books for those who perform Words and Music. Her Speak Out–Don't Freak Out is now available on audio book. 

Which led Ruth to a new project; narrating her award winning Trilogy Midnight Sun to Southern Cross while she awaits prompts for fresh writing. Listen to an introduction and Chapter 1 of Burn My Letters here. She offers her new expertise to narrate other authors’ books. 

Order autographed copies of Ruth's books.