The Ministry of Writing Humour (by Susan J Bruce)

I was striding along a path on my lunch break from work. It was a sunny afternoon, the breeze was gentle, and the footpath I was on was lined with leafy trees. It should have been a relaxing time, but I was perplexed. I had this strong desire to write fiction but I didn’t know how that could ever be ministry.

I’d felt called to full-time ministry not long after I came to faith, and I tried to follow God’s way. That path took me to theological college, ordination as a pastor, and eventually, burnout and clinical depression.

I remember marching along the road thinking that true ministry meant feeding the poor in Bangladesh, leading prayer teams, or encouraging a congregation through preaching God’s Word. 

Writing Christian nonfiction, maybe—not fiction.

I was pretty serious back then. 

Too serious.

But it turns out that God has a sense of humour.

Fast forward many years and I’m writing fiction.

Not devotionals (although my dog will probably write one soon—she’s talented). Not theology. Not Christian self-help, or even faith-based historical sagas (although I have read all of these). I don’t even write for Christians. 

I write light-hearted mysteries with suspense and romance. With banter. And an eavesdropping cockatoo in my WIP, intent on sabotaging my MC’s personal life. 

The stakes are real—someone’s usually dead in a murder mystery—but there’s also chocolate cake, slow-burn romance, and the kind of dialogue I hope makes readers smile into their hot chocolate. 

Actually, that’s not true. I want them to laugh so hard they snort their drink out their nose.

Every girl has a dream…

I want to write the kinds of books that pull up a chair beside the reader and say, “You’re safe here. Let’s breathe. Let’s laugh. Let’s solve a murder while we’re at it. Let’s share in a world where in the end, the good guy always wins.”

And I’ve come to believe that kind of writing—joyful, hopeful, and a little snarky—isn’t just entertainment.

It’s ministry.

The Sacredness of Small Joys

There’s a verse I come back to when I’m deep in edits and wondering if it all matters.
“A cheerful heart is good medicine…”  Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

Medicine. Not fluff. Not filler. Not distraction. Medicine.

In a world where headlines are heavy and inboxes overflow, light-hearted fiction might be the only breath someone gets that day. It might be the only hope a reader gets all week. A cheerful heart—whether it comes through a romcom, a cat with too much personality, a toe-curling kiss, or a murder mystery full of friendship and food—is good medicine.

I used to think joy was an optional extra. Something to save for when the serious work was done.

Now I think it’s one of the serious things.

My stories have heart and I do go deep sometimes. I don't write on the cutesy side of cozy mystery. But if I’m doing my job, then the deep will meet hope, and hope will meet the absurd. And that snort will happen just when you don’t expect it. 

Writing humour as a Christian

There can be a pressure to be “deep” or “worthy” in Christian creative circles. But what if bringing joy is deeply worthy? What if helping someone laugh—or feel better about life—is a reflection of God’s own character?

Jesus wept—but he also ate with friends, told stories, and turned water into wine at a wedding to keep the party going.

Humour, used well, can heal. It disarms. It creates space for harder truths. It helps us carry the weight of the world without being crushed by it.

So, if you’re a Christian writer who leans toward whimsy, wit, or warmth—if your stories bring peace, hope, or delight...

Keep going. You’re doing holy work, even if it doesn’t always feel like it.

Speaking of joy (and murder)

My new book is coming out soon—Mostly Dead, the second in my Ruthless-the-Killer Mystery series. It’s got Easter mayhem, loyal friendships, a slow-burn romance, and the above-mentioned cockatoo with no filter. All set in coastal South Australia.

If you haven’t read book one Dead Ahead yet, the good news is it’s FREE today (24 July) as part of the Cozy Mystery Book Blast. 

The free price should go live Pacific time in the US (after 4.30pm Australian time), so check back later if it’s still at the regular price.

There are over a hundred full-length cozy mysteries available from all around the world.

👉 Click here to grab Dead Ahead and other Book Blast titles for free

And if it makes you smile—or snort—let me know. You’ll make my day.

Happy writing—and reading!

PS: Do you write on the lighter side of life? Let me know what inspires you in the comments below.

Such a Time as This

by Jeanette O'Hagan and the Admin Team


“Frodo: I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

(Here's the excerpt)

This is not the first time the world has been in turmoil (the spread of the Bubonic plague, the invasions of Genghis Khan, two World Wars, the Great Depression, the Spanish Flu, the year without a summer, the Cuban Missile crisis and so on). And it probably won't be the last either. Even so, I'm sure I'm not the only one who feeling we've accidentally wandered onto an apocalyptic movie set. It's like we entering a long dark tunnel - we don't know what the world will be like at the other end or who may be left behind or even how long it might last. It's a scary, surreal feeling. Yet we are not alone. There is light and hope and a future.

In view of the uncertainties we are all facing, the  CWD admin team have banded together to offer a few thoughts and reflections on the current crisis.

Sue says:

Fear is one of the most common emotions we experience when times are difficult. It affects people in all kinds of ways. From mild anxiety, to insomnia, to doing crazy, crazy things, fear is a wildcard that can make a difficult situation worse. I mean who would have thought the first shortage in a respiratory virus epidemic would be toilet paper? Or that people would fight – even stab – each other in Australian supermarkets over groceries. Bonkers. I certainly didn’t think that when I went to church last weekend, someone would deliberately cough all over me and my husband. I’m sure that was fear-induced denial on the part of that fellow but that doesn’t help my newly developed sore throat. So how do we deal with fear – be it from a pandemic or a job layoff or any other event that threatens the security of ourselves or those we love?

I believe the key is staying close to God and others. I think we need to be open with God about how we are feeling. Lift our hearts to him aka Philippians 4:6-7, saying I am anxious, help! The other thing we can do is remember. Write down all the times God has broken through in our lives. Like when he gave you that job at the 11th hour or when someone invited you to dinner when you had no food in the house. Don’t just think it – feel it and thank him for it. 

But it’s not just about Jesus – we also need to stay connected with others. Imagine how isolating social distancing would be if we didn’t have forums like this where we can come together and encourage one another. Stay in fellowship even if it’s a group like this or via skype or Messenger audio. Don’t just look to your own interests but be kind to others. Find new ways to communicate. I pray each week with a friend who lives in Malaysia using Messenger audio. How amazing is technology? We’ve been praying like this for a year now. There’s an old saying – necessity is the mother of invention. Difficult times often birth amazing solutions. Be wise, keep walking and keep trusting. God is with us and we are not alone.

From Mazzy:

Last Saturday’s Omega Writers Fair in Brisbane: To go or not to go, that was the question. Normally a no-brainer, but this time, the hype and legitimate concerns regarding Coronavirus required wise, reasoned consideration. With no clear reason to stay away, the Lord resolved the matter in my heart with the second part of verse 16 from Psalm 139 which immediately tested—and settled—my anxious thoughts.

“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (NIV)*

Did I truly believe that? If so, what fear is there for me if I am living and acting in obedience to God and to those to whom he has given authority? Neither of these, nor wisdom and reasoned consideration, forbade my attendance, though I took care to practise responsible ‘social distancing’. I’m so glad I went, because much blessing ensued, and I now have a terrific new stash of reading matter for which I’m grateful. Christian Writers rock!

According to The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume 1, we have cause to be very thankful for Christian poet and translator, Mary (Sidney) Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, for “contributing the larger number (107) of the verse translations of the 150 biblical psalms … Her free renderings re-create the psalms as English poems …” with some “… strikingly effective images … this influential collection was an important bridge between the many metrical paraphrases of psalms in this period” (Greenblatt, S, Gen Ed. p994). Her poetic rendering of Psalm 139 (circa 1595) is a particular favourite of mine. Her beautifully rhymed and metered rendering of verses 13-16 says:

Each inmost piece in me is thine:

  While yet I in my mother dwelt,

    All that me clad

    From thee I had.

  Thou in my frame hast strangely dealt:

Needs in my praise thy works must shine,

  So inly them my thoughts have felt.

Thou, how my back was beam-wise laid,

  And raft’ring of my ribs, dost know;

    Know’st every point

    Of bone and joint,

  How to this whole these parts did grow,

In brave embroid’ry fair arrayed,

  Though wrought in shop both dark and low.

Nay fashionless, ere form I took,

  Thy all and more beholding eye

    My shapeless shape

    Could not escape:

  All these, with time appointed by,

Ere one had being, in the book

  Of thy foresight enrolled did lie.  (Greenblatt, p996)  

The parts in italics are my emphasis—God knows our bodies, and their vulnerabilities, through and through. He knows each moment that marks our lives. He knows our every anxious thought. As Herbert puts the psalmist’s plea:

Search me, my God, and prove my heart,

  Examine me, and try my thought;

    And mark in me

    If ought there be

  That hath with cause their anger wrought.

If not (as not) my life’s each part,

  Lord, safely guide from danger brought. (ibid)

Kirsten shares her favourite quotes:

It’s better to walk alone, than with a crowd going in the wrong direction.

Diane Grant

Don’t be afraid to do you, but always remember to be considerate of others.

When you can’t control what’s happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what’s happening.

Unknown

Don’t let stress or fear control how you handle a situation. You’re able to see things a lot clearer when you’re calm and in control.

Looking at life from a different perspective makes you realise that it’s not the deer that is crossing the road, rather it’s the road that is crossing the forest.

Mohammad Ali

Try to look at it in a different light. Find something positive out of every situation, even if it’s only small.

Breathe, darling. This is just a chapter, not your whole story.

S.C. Lourie

Yoga is an amazing tool to reduce stress and anxiety. I have been doing this for over a year. I Yoga with Ariene. She fairly down to earth for a yogi and great for beginners too.

And from me:

Some years ago, I was sorting books with my mum. We came across one that had belonged to my Nanna with a handwritten quote inserted inside it. My mum told how, in 1939 on the eve of the second world war and the dark days of the battle of Britain, King George VI had given a speech, quoting from a poem which had profoundly moved his wife, Elizabeth, and presumably him as well. In turn, the poem, broadcasted across the waves to faraway Bowen in Northern Queensland, had greatly moved my Nanna and had given her the courage to face the days ahead, as a mother of four young girls, as a teacher, as wife and as a citizen. 

Here are the words she heard - and which some of you may remember - and which, I think, are as relevant today as they were then. 

"And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East."

“God Knows” (aka “The Gate of the Year”) by Minnie Louise Haskins

(You can read the full poem here.)

When the storm comes, do we like Peter look at the strength of the wind (Mat 14:29-31), or do we look to the Creator, our Lord and Saviour, who made the cosmos, who is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega, the one who controls the tempests?

Jeanette O'Hagan

*Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Fifteen Great Picks from 2018

Each week on Mondays and Thursdays, someone from our faithful CWD blog team uploads a blogpost - sometimes it's inspirational, sometimes a story of writerly struggles or triumphs; sometimes it's funny, other times it's serious or both; sometimes the post reminds us why we write and for who, other times it gives practical tips - on writing, marketing or getting published. And sometimes, it's a member interview or a cross-post with ACE exploring genre. Always, it's the result of thought, research, experience, passion, creativity.

The CWD Admin team would like to give our blogteam a huge thank you for your contributions throughout 2018 (and over the years) and to all our readers who have taken the time to comment and interact with our bloggers.

As we start the new year, we thought we'd honour our bloggers' contributions with a pick of 15 blogposts that have inspired us in 2018. Out of over 100 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.

We hope you enjoy this selection from a rich smorgasbord of offerings.

1. Clutterbust into the New Year by Ruth Bonetti

Do you embrace or resist making resolutions as you pass that annual threshold? My goal is to declutter. Not just the old year, but past decades.


It's not easy. Mess with closets and mere muddles inflate into chaos.
Breathe. Do it. Breathe.
Believe that beyond the pain threshold lies freedom, lightness of being. 

Read more here. 

2. How to Write Awesome Dialogue for Your Film by Charis Joy Jackson 

Today, I thought it might be fun to give all our CWD followers a bit of advice on how to write for film.


When it comes to knowing how to make movies, screenwriters should pay special attention to the dialogue they use for their characters. When it’s good, people don’t notice, but when it’s bad even your gran can tell.


You don’t want this.


I don’t want this.



So how do we write awesome dialogue?


There’s no magical formula -- creativity needs to breathe -- but I do think there are a few tools that can help you. Here are a few things I’ve found in creating awesome and strong dialogue.

Read more here.

3. Total Wipeout or Total Write it Out by Mazzy Adams  

About a decade ago, the first Wipeout game show aired in the USA. Contestants threw and bounced themselves into, around, across, over and through an absurd array of obstacles, mud, more obstacles, mud, creative obstacles, water, (washing off the mud), challenging obstacles, watery downpours … anyway, you get the picture. Total Wipeout, the British (BBC) version, followed hot on its heels, eventually airing in Australia (and currently repeating on ABC ME).

 ... 

 Over the last twelve months, I’ve been whacked and dumped and drowned by a plethora of challenges and disappointments that have seriously undermined my writing progress. I’m sure I’m not the only one. But a couple of weeks ago, the Holy Spirit challenged me with this thought:

Read more here.

4. Story Telling in 3 D by Debbie Roome 

Those who know me well will be familiar with my love of travel. This dates back a few decades but recently has become a way of life. I’ll never forget the day that travelling changed from a postcard view to something more tangible. And no, it wasn’t the day I first climbed into an aeroplane or travelled to a foreign land. I had seen many glossy brochures of London and Europe and could recognise Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but it was a flat and one- dimensional view.

Read more here.

5. I Need a Personal Bubble for my Writing Space by K A Hart 

A distraction-free writing space. Does anyone have one? I have lived in this house for four years and I still haven’t found the right spot.


Somewhere that’s comfortable, but not too comfortable. A place with a view or inspirational pictures and famous quotes. Coffee, tea, a few snacks. Music. No music. A clean space, clutter-free. That’s what most writers suggest.


So. Writing space. Where have I made my writing space? Where have I not?!

Read more here.  

6. Confessions of a Genre Butterfly by Susan J Bruce  

The author platform. Do these words fill you with confidence? Do you say ‘I know who I am as an author and I know who I want to reach? I know what my brand is?'


Or do you think, ‘Eerk!’


Earlier this year I realised that as I belonged to the second category, I really should do something about it.

Read more here.

7. Legacy and Eternity by Elaine Fraser  

Through the mere act of creating something—anything—you might inadvertently produce work that is magnificent, eternal, or important. Elizabeth Gilbert

We don’t always set out to create something as a legacy or for eternal meaning. Creating comes out of who we are on a daily basis, even when we’re not aware of it. When we create, make or design something and release it to the world (or maybe just to our family), when it’s released, the effect it has on others is out of our control. We’ve let it go.

Read more here.

8. Finding Direction by Josephine-Anne Griffiths  

‘Sometimes to move forward in life we need to turn around.
It does not mean we wasted our time –
We just didn’t know then what we know now.’

I’ve talked about the busyness of life before, but what if we are busy accomplishing nothing? That is how I have felt the past twelve to eighteen months.

Read more here.

9. Rights and Responsibilities of a Christian Writer by Melinda Jensen 

Being a Christian writer is clearly not for the fainthearted. We have the right, of course, as human beings, to churn out whatever inspiration comes our way. That’s what so many writers are all about, after all, isn’t it? Freedom of speech? Freedom of the press? Creative license?


As Christians though, our rights are coupled with a weighty responsibility. We are to be ‘in’ this world but not ‘of’ it.

Read more here.

10.  Waiting by Jeanette O'Hagan 

In my latest release, Stone of the Sea, one of the characters thinks, 

Waiting was all they seemed to do these days. Wait for food. Wait for to learn their fate. Wait for Baba to return and take back the realm.

Sometimes being a writer can feel like that - waiting to finish a novel, waiting for feedback, waiting to hear back from agents and publishers, waiting to be published, waiting for sales, waiting for reviews, waiting for traction in the market, waiting for... it doesn't seem to end.

Read more here.

11. Posing Questions by Adam David Collings 

Christian fiction has often been accused of being preachy. Sometimes justifiably so. We’ve all read books like that. These are the types of books that go out of their way to preach a message that pulls you out of the story. In fairness, it’s not just Christian fiction that suffers from this problem. One of the early chapters of the novel Ready Player One (which I loved) interrupted one of the early chapters for an extended tirade against religion, although the author balanced this by introducing a sympathetic minor character who was a Christian.

And yet, the best books are often those that delve into a topic or theme, and explore it. This gives a story depth. So how do you explore an important theme in a story without it feeling “preachy”?

Read more here.

12. Practice Makes Perfect by Nola Passmore 

I got my first guitar when I was seven, and I couldn’t wait to play like Keith and Bruce. Not Keith Richards and Bruce Springsteen. I’m talking about those spunk muffins of the sixties—Keith Potger and Bruce Woodley. Together with Judith Durham and Athol Guy, they formed the fab folkie foursome The Seekers. I was sure it would only take a few lessons and I’d be singing and playing along like my favourite group. It didn’t quite work out that way.


In the first lesson, my music teacher gave me a crash course in theory, taught me the notes on two strings, and sent me home with some exercises to practise.

Read more here.

  

13. Pillow Talk by Adele Jones

This is not the blog I was preparing for today. I was going to bring my vulnerability and talk to some of those doubts we writers can wrestle. Instead, as I was reflecting on the content of my post, the wise words of a friend came to me: “Get some sleep before you make a decision on that.”

(You would be surprised how closely related my decision and the content of my blog were.)

It occurred to me that my greatest challenge recently has not been self-doubt, but sleep deprivation. Given my constant nemesis doesn’t appear to be going away, I thought I’d share some advice frequently dispensed by my also wise husband. Maybe we can all learn a thing or two about sleep hygiene while we’re at it. Somehow, I don’t think I’ll be the only writer out there in need of some reminders!

Read more here.

14. Your Lights are On by Anusha Atukorala  

When I reached my car, my eyes opened wide in surprise. A lady walking past called out to me ‘Your Lights are On.’ What? How come? As a new driver, I had already done that. Twice. It had of course led to a dead battery each time and a call for roadside assistance. So ever since, I have had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder whenever I leave my car. I check if the lights are off not once but three or four times. I make certain all four doors are locked. I walk around my car ensuring all is well.


How had I left my lights on? Perhaps my rumbling stomach had a lot to answer for?

Read more here. 

15. Why Didn't God Book a Room for His Son? by Jo Wanmer 

Why didn’t the Father book a room for His son? He wasn’t taken by surprise the day Jesus entered the world. He could have organised somewhere…after all He is God.


‘No room in the inn’ seems a poor excuse. Jesus’ Father could have booked weeks earlier. God can orchestrate these things. A few years ago, we decided on Tuesday to go away for the weekend. It was Easter. So two days before we left, I searched for a quiet place to rest and recover. I found a lovely cottage–overlooking a river valley, less than two hours away. When we arrived it was the perfect place for us. We asked the hosts why it was still available. They shrugged, puzzled themselves. They’d been booked solid nearly all year - except Easter!


If God could organise a room for me, why didn’t He do the same, if not for his Son, then for Mary. A young girl still a virgin untouched and inexperienced in the realities of women’s struggles. She had to labour on the floor of a barn.

Read more here.

Thanks to our bloggers for taking the time to share their wisdom, experiences and inspiration with us. I'm looking forward to new blogs for 2019. Aren't you?

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Coming in March - Omega Writers Book Fair