Those unexpected writerly benefits

 

Apart from any innate, God-given literary talent we might possess, there are certain qualities that are helpful to have or develop, I believe, if we are going to last the distance as writers – things such as patience, self-discipline, perseverance and humility, for a start. But I wonder if you have ever considered how, as we hopefully grow in these areas via our writing journeys, these can also benefit us in other endeavours we might undertake in life.

Take perseverance, for example. Recently, I started learning the violin, an instrument I have always wanted to play. As I practise, I am thankful for all the perseverance God has taught me in my writing journey of over twenty years now. Without that determination to keep writing, even when deeply discouraged, I suspect I would not keep trying again each day now to play a recognisable tune on my violin. Instead, I would have given up weeks ago, after yet another practice session filled with false starts, scratchy sounds and plain wrong notes!

 In the time I have been playing, I have also needed to walk the humble path of being a complete rookie yet again and of making copious mistakes, especially when trying to play for someone else. Eek! But I still remember my early attempts at novel writing and how humbling it was to receive honest feedback from critique partners and editors and am grateful for the lessons learnt then. I remember too discovering such concepts as handling point of view well in fiction and of finding my own writer’s voice – concepts I had never heard of when I first started writing. The need to be willing to learn back then and to continue to do so is definitely paying off for me now, I believe, as I struggle with figuring out how to use my bow well and exactly where to put my fingers so that those notes do not sound flat and scratchy.

Then there is the whole area of attention to detail needed as I practise each day. Whenever I make a mistake, rather than forging on, I try to discipline myself to go back over the particular phrase until I get it right. Those little errors matter – just as our little errors in grammar and punctuation matter in our writing, if we are not to put readers off or confuse them. So I am thankful for the many times I needed to be meticulous about such things in my writing. My hope is that, just as those grammar and punctuation rules have now become second nature to me, so those things that make for good violin technique will also become second nature – one day!

God has more beautiful music ahead for each of us to make, not only through our words, but in life in general, whether we are musicians or not. So in those moments when we may wonder if all the effort involved in writing is worth it, may we all remember how God sees the bigger picture of our lives, knows what we need and is shaping and blessing us in ways and for purposes we may never expect.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Jo-Anne Berthelsen is a Sydney-based author of seven novels and four non-fiction works. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked in teaching, editing and local church ministry. Jo-Anne loves encouraging others through both the written and spoken word and is a keen blogger. Jo-Anne’s latest book, God Moments, is available via her website, Koorong Books and Amazon

Easter Perspectives

 

Jesus is the main protagonist in the Easter story, and we should be filled with awe every time we hear how he died for our sins and rose again. However, it’s easy to  become complacent. We’ve heard it all before. Another Easter, another sermon. We know how the story goes.

Changing Perspectives

But what if we changed perspective? Jesus is the star of the show, but there’s a large supporting cast. Peter, John, Judas, Caiaphas the high priest, Pontius Pilate the Roman governor, Joseph of Arimathea, Simon of Cyrene, Barabbas, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Salome, the Roman soldiers, the Jewish mob, the two prisoners crucified with Jesus, the Pharisees and Sadducees, and more. What part did they play? How did they respond to the events around them? By considering their motivations and reactions, we’re not taking anything away from what Jesus has done. Instead, we’re gaining a fuller and perhaps deeper appreciation of the meaning of Easter.

Writing From a Different POV

As writers and readers, we’re used to looking at different points of view. So why not do that with the Easter story? After all, the four gospels record the events of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection from slightly different perspectives. I've written a piece of flash fiction in which a young woman travels back in time to the day of the crucifixion. She sets out wanting to find an artefact that will win her a competition, but ends up meeting Salome, one of the women who followed Jesus. You can read the story here.

I’ve also had a poem published that looks at events from the point of view of Barabbas. The Bible doesn’t say much about him, but I tried to imagine what he may have felt when he was released instead of Jesus. You can read the poem and a bit of the background here.

I’ve also tried to imagine how Simon of Cyrene may have felt when the Roman soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. You can read that poem below.

Try It

Why not try writing a poem, short story, devotion or piece of creative non-fiction from the perspective of one of the secondary players in the Easter story. God might give you and your readers a fresh insight into something you hadn’t thought of before. And I pray the grace and peace of Christ will envelop you this Easter as you meditate on all that Christ has done for you.

The Load

A father harbours dreams
for his sons;
the aching so potent
I even journeyed from Cyrene
to secure their futures.
But dreams can take different forms
and confront your senses
in unexpected ways.

The realisation assaulted me that day,
penetrating the boundaries of my world
and orienting me to
rabble shouts and wails,
the chaotic backdrop of a drama
being played out near Jerusalem’s walls.
I drew closer,
shoved my way through the mob

and then I saw him

buckling under his load,
stumbling with the weight of it.
I reached out
and they seized me,
thrust the rough-hewn cross on my back.
Pain scorched my shoulder blades,
splinters jammed into skin,
tyrants forcing a foreigner
to carry another man’s sins.

But he held my gaze,
compassion in suffering,
resolution in despair,
and I knew I could do this for him
my sacrifice nothing
compared to his.

Vertebrae grating beneath flesh,
ragged steps forging ruts
in blood-stained soil,
my children’s futures nailed to his
at the place where ‘It is finished’

and begins.

Sources

The Load was previously published in Hope Whispers, Poetica Christi Press, 2017, pp.102-103.

Featured photo by Emmanuel Mendez on Pixabay.

Author Bio

Nola Lorraine has a passion for faith and social justice issues, and loves weaving words that inspire others with courage and hope. Her inspirational historical novel Scattered was published in 2020, and was one of three finalists in the 2021 CALEB Awards. She has also co-edited the Christian charity anthology Glimpses of Light with Jeanette O’Hagan. She has more than 150 short publications, including fiction, poetry, devotions, true stories, magazine articles and academic papers. She and her husband Tim also run a freelance writing and editing business, The Write Flourish. She’d love to connect with you through her website: www.nolalorraine.com.au

Taking that leap of faith

I remember the day our older daughter began pre-school. I can see her now, eyes wide as she walked in that gate, so excited to be fulfilling at last that dream of hers to get inside those grounds and that building that looked so enticing. I am remembering it because that’s how I feel right now. You see, I’ve just finished editing my next novel and am on the brink of beginning another writing project—and oh, how enticing the prospects ahead are!

Perhaps you’re about to embark on writing your first full length work or perhaps you’ve been in this place before. Whichever it is, I have found the feeling is the same. It’s that mind-blowing moment when your brain almost explodes with possibilities, when this or that story races through your head, when one delicious scenario after another pops into your brain in full technicolour—or perhaps even 3D with surround sound or whatever it is these days! It’s that exciting stage when your characters start to take shape and you begin to fall in love with them, treating them as real people—which of course any author knows they are! It’s that instant when you sense yourself almost bodily being drawn into that vortex of plot and character development and point of view and setting until you begin to lose touch with reality—at least for a few delicious moments.

All that presupposes the particular project at hand is a novel. Yet I found the same thing with my non-fiction book Soul Friend, released last year. I can still feel the excitement as those chapters unfolded and I saw how I could move ahead with the whole idea. I began to envisage how I could perhaps encourage others to find a soul friend or spiritual mentor of their own or to be that person for someone else. I felt almost overwhelmed with the thought that God could possibly use my own journey with my spiritual mentor to speak into someone else’s life. What a joy and privilege!

And yet ... and yet it can all be just a wee bit daunting too at this point. It’s now that I begin to wonder what I am even thinking of, committing myself yet again to months and months—perhaps even years—of hard slog to bring that next book to fruition! With fiction writing, it’s a wonderful experience to be able to breathe life into those characters that, prior to this, have existed only in my imagination. But there’s a lot of hard work involved too. On some days, the words will come only with great difficulty and I will grope for how to move my characters from Point A to Point B. On other days, whether writing fiction or non-fiction, my fingers will hardly be able to keep up with my brain as they fly across the keyboard, spilling those words onto the screen.

All up, this writing journey is a big leap of faith, isn’t it? As Christian authors, we may know it’s what God wants us to do, but it still requires that leap from us. Yet when we take that leap, we know we will land in the hands of our awesome God who has promised to be with us through it all.

And that makes all the difference, don’t you think?

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher and editor, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of five published novels – Heléna, All the Days of My Life, Laura, Jenna and Heléna’s Legacy—and one non-fiction work, Soul Friend: the story of a shared spiritual journey. Her sixth novel, The Inheritance, will be released in September. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and three grandchildren. For more information, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com or www.soulfriend.com.au.