All Righty Then.

 Being Right in a Contentious World

The following blog is an excerpt from a much longer chapter by Meredith Resce. To read more, see the appendix below.

I've posted it today in response to feedback I received concerning one of my recent characters. She is a normal 21st Century young woman who is overly opinionated about equality. The novel examines her ideas, and she clashes with others who are more conservative. The feedback I received asked whether some readers may close the book before allowing my character to go on her journey, simply because her outlook on life does not fit the usual conservative mold. A reader who bails early will not experience her development and understanding as it emerges. But is this a reason for me to change this character and her journey of understanding? After you've read the blog below, I'd be interested to read what you think?

 

    I like to be right. In fact it would be fair to say, I’m obsessed with being right. I certainly don’t like to be wrong, and just quietly, I have worked hard to make sure I don’t find myself in that place where I might appear to be without all the answers. And that is all well and good until some bright spark pops up with a truly deep and disturbing question, the answer to which I have not a clue.

Are you like that?    

When I do come to the awareness that I might be wrong, I like to be the one who comes up with the apology, as if it was my idea in the first place.

Are you like this?

It is at this point I realise I really need to look at my motivation.

Do I do what is right because I love God? Is it because I love other people, and want the best for them? Or is it more a case of I don’t want to look bad? Well, to be perfectly honest, I don’t want to look bad. Does anybody like looking bad? This often leads me to the place where I become addicted to being right all the time.

The older I get, the more I realise there are things I do not know. What person on this earth can possibly be right all the time? How can any one of us know all there is to know about everything—from the outer reaches of the universe to the inner worlds of macro biology, no one can know it all. And that doesn’t even take into account all the philosophical, emotional and spiritual questions that could be asked.

So these questions exist and they beg to be answered: What is right? What is truth?

I do not have a corner on truth and righteousness. Just because I want to do what is right does not always make me right.

[When I first wrote this paper] I was well aware of a number of contentious issues being highlighted in media and social media arguments. I wanted to know the RIGHT answers, and wished I could contribute from a place of some authority.  But I am not an authority on everything that needs to be examined—theology, psychology, philosophy, scientific research etc. I know stuff, but not everything there is to know.

I took out my notebook and began a list of contentious issues that are bound to raise hackles, if not passions. Twenty-two issues were written down. Over half of them were social issues represented by social justice groups. Now despite the fact that you might wish me to publish this list of contentious issues, I do not intend to, and this is the reason why:

Religious groups often feel they must take a firm and clear ‘position’ on these issues, which often throws fuel on the fire, and manages to end up burning not only the members of the religious groups, but also the folks affected by the issues. 

Let me draw a picture so we can have a look at what is happening in our current western society.

 

For the sake of the exercise, I am going to label the corners as follows:

·        Right winged, conservative, fundamentalist

·        Left winged, secular, liberalist

·        ‘I want to do what is right, but with so many arguments I’m not sure’ (uncertain)

·        The footy is on. Have you ordered the pizza? (indifferent)

From my observation of social media and some news reports, most of the issues I have written on my list are not only contentious, they are polarised. That is to say, extreme groups quickly form in opposite corners and are often angry, aggressive and sometimes violent. Including right-winged conservative Christians, who can sometimes use violent words. Folks in the uncertain group seem to stand on the edges, anxiously wringing their hands, wanting to make things right, not knowing how, thinking at best, they might avoid a fight. Folks in the indifferent corner get busy with whatever they have at hand to distract them.

That place in the middle is a war zone. This is a place where folks should be able to come to discuss and reason, but alas, you enter at your own risk. Some responses to blog posts and media reports that I have read have been ugly and vicious, and certainly make me think twice before offering an opinion.  I have observed that when an action or comment has been judged as offensive or insensitive by one group, the other group rises up in anger—lighted torches and pitch forks in hand to kill the beast.  The various news media groups replay certain words, pictures and footage over and over again, not to soothe the savage beast, but to infuriate and stir the issue. It sells papers and gets ratings—and it fairly burns in cyber world as the passions of social media users boil over and spew acid and venom.

Here is another little secret, I not only like to be right, I like being liked. I have opinions and ideas about various matters, but that place in the middle is not a stable or safe place to talk. People lose perspective quickly, and words are often said that become attacks on character. Sometimes I think it is safer to just watch the footy and eat pizza.

Self-righteousness is not a Christian problem.

Interestingly, over the years I have heard accusations against Christians that they are self-righteous, and I won’t contend with that accusation.  The point I would like to highlight here is that self-righteousness is not a Christian problem. It is a human problem. Self-righteousness seems to be a by-product of passion and commitment to a good cause. What a circus? Of course we need passion and commitment to good causes (and Christ is as good a cause as any other), but when, by default, we find ourselves sitting on our moral high-horse, looking down on those who have failed to meet the challenge, we have defeated the purpose of all that is good and right. This is what it is to be human. A vicious cycle of doing what is right, and finding out that righteousness doesn’t come that way. Righteousness only comes as a gift of Grace from God.

To read the full blog, see appendix below 

Meredith Resce - Author of the 'Luella Linley - License to Meddle' series

Meredith Resce has had work published in the Christian market since 1997, including the popular 'Heart of Green Valley' series, and many other titles. For more information go to her website.

 

Appendix (Continued) 

Come, let us reason together

I am traditionally conservative, but I have been hearing what some of the social justice activists have been saying (particularly if they use a reasonable tone). To stand in the uncertain corner, wringing my hands, seems like a cop out when the issues are often real and they need attention, action and resolution. So what can be done when many ideas and proposed actions are met with aggressive resistance?

When listening to Bible teacher, Shane Willard, I was impressed by the teaching he gave concerning Biblical Hebrew culture. The Scriptures were studied thoroughly, meditated upon, examined. Interpretations were debated and God’s thoughts on the matter were sought. The Hebrew elders would meet at the gate to discuss, but a hallmark of how they went about their discussion was that a debate should always involve loads of questions, and that it should challenge. They believed God spoke through Scripture, but that there were thousands of ways He might speak through one Scripture. It was considered good form to ask intelligent questions.   Author, Lois Tverberg, says in her book: ‘...debate was a central aspect of study—the rabbis believed that a mark of an excellent student was his ability to argue well.’[1]  Further, she adds: ‘...we are not called to...unquestioningly repeat whatever we learn from a favorite teacher...we are to exercise wisdom and discernment, continually asking questions, weighing answers, seeking understanding and grounding our beliefs within the context of God’s Word...’ This culture is the culture that Jesus was immersed in, and in which he operated. This was a culture that represented a meeting of the minds to determine what God’s mind was on a matter.

Somewhere in the dark ages, following the conversion of the Emperor Constantine to Christianity, the idea of asking questions and debating an issue got lost. It was the will of the Emperor or it was death. The known world of the time was established by brute force, and the Christianity that emerged from the 4^th Century on was highly ordered, controlling and used fear of death to keep everyone in line. This did not foster a culture of debating an issue, and finding God’s mind. This fostered fear of being found a heretic and being tortured and/or burned at the stake. Dogma that emerged was inflexible, and Scripture was deemed to have one meaning, and that meaning was dispensed at the will of the clergy. Truth as decided by the clerical authorities was clearly written and proclaimed into the emerging Christian culture, and it was set in stone. This state of affairs continued for a thousand years before the period of enlightenment – the Renaissance and the Reformation.[2]

Hebrew culture was about asking questions. They seemed to be inspired by questions, not afraid of them.

Our western Christian culture, though having emerged from the time of witch-hunts and burning heretics at the stake, still at times seems to be afraid of questions. A curious mind is still somehow regarded with suspicion, and yet history has told us that if the many researchers and scientists (who were often men and women of faith) hadn’t been curious and asked questions, then new understanding would not have been gained, and we would still live in the dark ages. There seems to be a residual fear that if we don’t hold to a traditional position, we are somehow a heretic. Almost as if all that is to be known is now known, and there is nothing more to be gained by further investigation. With it comes this idea that I need to have a position, and I need to be right—I have to know the truth or that won’t look good for the Gospel.

Remember, the gospel of Christ is not a political campaign, where we canvas for votes, so that people will vote for Jesus, based on what our policies are.

Is this how Christ asked us to win the lost?

We are afraid of questions, but why? Why are we afraid of not knowing it all—of not having all the answers? After all, it is not possible for anyone to know it all. Not the most studied scientist or philosopher, not the man they say is the smartest man who ever lived, not the most educated theological professor. Not you, not me. No one can possibly know it all.

Once you come to a place where you can accept that you don’t know everything, and that you will never know everything, and that is OK, then you can relax. We can all relax and not be so quick to defend an idea, a position, or tradition.

When it comes down to it, in life we all have opinions and positions, and sometimes we do hotly defend those positions. It is called being dogmatic. But did God ever ask us to make sure we knew everything, and to make sure that we were always right?

Or did He just ask us to seek Him?

Psalm 105:3-4 ‘...let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.’

Remember, when it comes to seeking truth, truth is not a what. Truth is a who. Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life...’ John 14:6 (NIV)

I am forever grateful that while I speak and write and hope to encourage, that God is gracious. He doesn’t sit up in heaven and fume about all the things I don’t have right, or the things I’ve said that I have not understood correctly. He is pleased when we seek Him and love Him.  Just as when a small child draws a stick picture of mummy and daddy, and writes in messy writing, ‘I love you’, the parent doesn’t punish the child because the drawing doesn’t look as it should if a master painter were to have done the portrait. The parent just loves being loved, even if the picture looks ridiculous. This is what God’s love, grace and mercy is about.

 

How hard is it to give up being right?

John 13:35 does not say, they will know we are His disciples by what we approve of and what we disapprove of.

It does however, say:  “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (NIV)

 

God didn’t call us to be right. He called us to be kind.[3]

Colossians 3:12-15 (NLT)

^” Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace... ”

 

---

[1] Spangler, A., Tverberg, L., (2009) Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith, Zondervan, USA

[2] I have spoken of history in broad brush-strokes, coming from my own studies in history. I encourage you to look closer at the history represented here, and do your own research.

[3] This quote taken from Shane Willard during an audio recording of his teaching session.

 

 

www.meredithresce.com

 

 

Omega Writers | Making a Plan for 2021

By Iola Goulton

It’s a new year, and for many of us that means New Year’s Resolutions and planning for the upcoming year.

I recently listened to an episode of the Novel Marketing Podcast, where host Thomas Umstattd Jr and guest James L Rubart were talking about planning in a military context. If an operation is executed as planned, why have a plan in the first place? 

 Because having a plan is evidence that you had an objective and worked towards that objective, whether you succeeded or not. 

In a military context, having a plan shows you thought about your campaign objective, of how many troops would be required, how you would get those troops to where they needed to be, how you would feed and house them, and what they would need to do when they got there.

The military execute their plan, then review that execution against plan.

• What went as planned?
• What didn’t?
• Why or why not?
• How can they improve the plan to improve execution?

We can do the same for our plans aka New Years’ resolutions. Okay, so a lot of our plans for 2020 didn’t happen at all for reasons outside our control (Exhibit A: the 2020 Omega Writers Conference). Some of our plans had to change (Exhibit B: the 2020 Omega Writers CALEB Awards). But there were several other plans I had which didn’t come to fruition either (Exhibit C: write a novel and lose ten kilos).

That’s normal for New Year’s resolutions, right?

Why do we continue to make New Year’s resolutions when we don’t truly believe we’re going to achieve those goals? Why do we set ourselves up to fail? 

 Perhaps the answer comes back to the military example. The point of the plan isn’t to achieve the plan. The point of the plan was to show not just that we had a mission or a goal, but that we also had a plan, a considered step-by-step approach to follow that would move us closer to achieving that goal. 

Perhaps the point of the plan isn’t whether or not we meet our goals, but the process of thoughtfully and prayerfully considering what we believe God is calling us towards and how we’re going to achieve that. 

• What steps is God asking us to take this year?
• What do we want to achieve this year?
• How can we translate the goal or achievement into a practical and doable plan?
• What might we have to do differently to work the plan?

For example, I buy a new diary every year. I choose a diary that has three views:

• A week-to-view for organising my day-to-day work and home life.
• A month-to-view page where I plan my blogging schedule.
• A year-at a glance where I (in theory) record big picture things like daily word count goals.

My 2021 planner is a little different.

As well as the usual three views, it has eight pages for planning goals for the year, and another twelve pages for monthly goals. Each annual goal has space to plan specific tasks that will move me closer to achieving the goal. These tasks can then be copied to the monthly and weekly planning ages to help get things done. 

For example, I can show you my goal statement from three or four years ago where I met exactly zero of my goals. I think the reason was there were goals with no plan, no list of step-by-step tasks that would result in me achieving an overall goal.

Let’s take weight loss as an example.

There is no way anyone can lose ten kilos in a week short of having a limb amputated. Instead, we lose weight a bit over time—losing a quarter of a kilo a week will get us to that ten-kilo goal with a couple of months to spare. But even that quarter of a kilo isn’t going to happen unless we plan how we’re going to lose that weight.

• Are we going to eat less/better, exercise more, or both?
• How are we going to change our eating and shopping habits to eat less or eat better?
• How are we going to change our daily or weekly schedule to exercise more?

The same goes for goals like writing a book or creating a website or building a social media following. We don’t write a book or build thousands of social media followers in a day. Our goals should reflect that.

Instead of saying we’re going to write a book, we should say we’re going to write 500 words a day or edit for half an hour a day, and plan how we’re going to fit that into our schedule.

Penny Reeve, President of Omega Writers, touched on this in her last author newsletter. She asked five questions to consider in planning our writing for 2021. The one that hit home to me was this:

What has held me back this year?

This one's a little more reflective. It requires us to be honest - really honest. It's too easy to poke the finger and blame circumstance (or COVID, or...) but what has really stopped you writing? Once you identify what it is, spend some time with your planner/diary for the new year and consider how you may be able to address these road blocks practically and realistically. And then put these plans in place.

So today I leave you with Penny’s challenge:

Spend some time with God and your 2021 diary. Prayerfully and practically plan* how you can address roadblocks and achieve the small daily or weekly steps that will move you closer to meeting your goal.

(And don't forget to plan for entering and/or judging the 2021 CALEB Award, and attending the 2021 Omega Writers conference.)

CWD Member Interview – TP Hogan

Each Thursday we will be interviewing one of the members of Christian Writers Downunder – to find out a little bit more about them and their writing/editing goals.

Today interview TP Hogan

Question 1: Tells us three things about who you are and where you come from. 

1. I’m Australian born and bred and have lived all of my life up and down the eastern states of the country. Most recently I’ve moved the to beautiful Atherton Tablelands near Cairns.
   
2. I never thought I’d be an author. My year 11 teacher did. At the end of that year, she asked for my signature on one of my assignments because she wanted my first ever autograph. It was still, even years after that, when I started writing in earnest, and considering I might actually have what it takes to be an author.
   
3. I’m the eldest of a set of twins. Fraternal. No swap-me-for-you shenanigans in our childhood…unfortunately. There were a few of my maths classes, I’m sure I would have loved her taking for me. (Fair is fair. I would have offered to take her English classes. Honest.)

Question 2: Tell us about your writing (or editing/illustrating etc).  What do you write and why?

Why do I write? To stop the voices in my head, mostly.

What do I write? I write Speculative Fiction. That’s an umbrella term which covers Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Steampunk, Science Fiction and Horror. I have a Paranormal Romance (Shattered), an Urban Fantasy series (Nephilim Code), and the start of another Urban Fantasy series (Therianthrope Series) published. Currently I’m working on book two of the Therianthrope Series and an Anthology of Fractured Fairy Tales.

Why do I write what I write? When I first started writing, I thought I wanted to write Romance. I had contact / networks with other romance writers, and they were fantastic mentors, but I didn’t want to write a romance where the characters were great in the bedroom, but nothing else was strong about their relationship. So, I wrote Shattered. How do you ensure your characters can’t jump into the physical side of the relationship straight away? Curse him into a mirror.

After Shattered was published, I stared at a blank page and realised I didn’t want to write romance, at least not the romance my author friends were writing. I sat down and had a good hard think about what I liked to read and watch on TV. Without realising it at the time, I had written it into Shattered. I love things where there is a ‘hidden world’. Where the way things appear on the surface is not the reality of what is going on. That’s when I found Speculative Fiction was a thing, and I haven’t looked back.

This is also why the slogan for my stories is – Escape…and explore hidden worlds. 

Question 3: Who has read your work? Who would you like to read it?

I’d love for everyone to read my work. Doesn’t every author? 

I’ve had feedback emails from thirteen-year olds through to retirees who have read and enjoyed my stories. While they are classified as Young Adult, they seem they appeal to a wide audience. They wouldn’t appeal to anyone who enjoys gritty, hard-hitting, in your face stories, but I’ve been told they are great, easy-to-read stories, to wile away a Sunday afternoon. 

Question 4: Tell us something about your process. What challenges do you face? What helps you the most?

My writing process has changed over the last few months. I’ve actually outlined my next story. 

When I first wrote, I had no idea ‘outlining’ was a thing. I simply wrote as the story came into my head, and jotted bullet points for the story threads I wanted to follow. That was easy for Shattered. Not quite so easy for Nephilim Code. Zeph (book #3 Nephilim Code) needed nearly a complete re-write because nothing was plotted. I determined I didn’t want to do that again, so looked for ways to help not re-write so much…and came across outlining. I researched and attempted so many outlining methods. Oh, my gosh that was a struggle. Nothing seemed to get me knowing the next scene. I knew it had to be a better way, but I simply couldn’t get my head around it. It nearly took the joy out of writing. 

Then I came across Sarra Cannon. She has a Youtube channel called Heart Breathings where she has an outlining series of videos (not sponsored by her, just happy to recommend the outlining series) where she goes through her outlining process. For some reason, maybe the way she explained it, her method clicked with me. Using that, I’ve actually outlined book two of the Therianthrope Series and feeling confident about it. 

That’s the process and challenges answered, as for what helps the most? I’d say community. Having people you can talk to about writing – the craft and the motivation needed to get words on a page; talking about characters, about story threads, plot lines, backgrounds, the whole kit-and-kaboodle. 

When it is just you with a blank page, writing can seem to be a lonely and daunting challenge. Finding a community of like-minded people is perhaps the most helpful thing a writer can do.

Question 5: What is your favourite Writing Craft Book and why? 

It’s a series of Writing Craft books by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. I call them the ‘Writing Thesauruses’. I’m not sure if the series actually has a ‘series’ name. It is a collection of writing guides teaching show-don’t-tell description within various situations. 

The Occupation Thesaurus

The Character Trait Thesaurus

The Emotion Thesaurus

The Emotional Wound Thesaurus

The Positive Trait Thesaurus

The Negative Trait Thesaurus

I’m sure there’s more but they are the ones I can remember. And no, I don’t own them all…but I want to.

Question 6: If you were to give a shout-out to a CWD author, writer, editor or illustrator – who would they be?

Adele Jones. 

I first met Adele at an author event in 2014 (2015?) where I had attended as a ‘reader’ even though I had a book published and met the criteria of attending as an Author. Truth was, I was so lacking in confidence as an author, I didn’t think I was good enough to attend a – gasp – actual author event. 

I was wondering around looking at tables and taking notes of the things I’d need if I were to attend as an author (Stands, signage etc.) and attempting to ask authors questions about attend author events. Most of the authors there, when I spoke to them, told me…’sure, you’ll love attending as an author, go for it’, but were more interested in ‘spruiking’ their books.

 

When I walked up to her table, Adele seemed to instinctually know (or maybe it was simply her generous nature) I needed more than casual assurances. She spoke to me about her process, why she was attending as an author, what benefits she was experiencing, some of the ‘could-be-improved’ situations, what she’d do the same next time, and what she’d change. Also, in a sea of Erotic Romance Authors, she was an unabashedly Christian author who wrote Young Adult Science Fiction. And she didn’t ‘spruik’ her books once in the entire conversation.

About six months before the next Author Event was due, she contacted me to encouraged me to attend as an author. A few months later, she contacted me to see how my preparations for the author event was going. When I got there, she made sure to come over to my table to say ‘hi’, and that she was proud of me. Then when things got stressful (my assistant got food poisoning and I was at my table on my own – for my first event) she made sure I was okay, and met up for lunch with me to check in.

Since then we’ve kept a friendship. We live in different towns, and possibly don’t catch up as often as either one of us would like, but when we do…it’s like it’s only been a few days since we’ve met.  

(By the way, I have since purchased and read her Blaine Colton series, and I’m happy to ‘spruik’ them for her. You should go and check them out.)

Question 7: What are your writing goals for 2021? How will you achieve them?

I am currently writing the fifth story of a five book Fractured Fairy-tale Short Story Anthology. These stories will be published at the second half of 2021. (Yes, five books in one year – after a nearly two-year writing hiatus, let’s do this). I also have it scheduled to finish writing the second book of the Therianthrope Series, this year, for release early 2022.

Therianthorpe Series: Book 1

Question 8: How does your faith impact and shape your writing?

Without God, I wouldn’t be writing. It’s as simple as that. 

I don’t write overtly Christian stories (though some of my characters have a Christian faith or influences in their lives), but each of my stories has at least one ‘biblical truth’ as one of its themes. Some have more than one. To me, those themes are ‘seeds’ within the story. Some people may read the story, and not notice them. Some may read and notice, but take no further action. Some may read, notice, and be responsive. God is in charge of that. Not me. I don’t need to see ‘growth’ or a ‘harvest’ as a result of my stories. All I need to do is ensure I sow the seeds. He’ll take care of the rest. 

Keeping the Joy in the Call

I was pleasantly surprised to be one of the finalists of the Caleb Awards last year, in the fiction category. Before I continue, I must take this moment to thank the judges and organisers, and to congratulate all the participants and winners. What a great highlight from such a crazy year!

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.”

There it was. There was the problem. I had stopped writing for the love of it, and had exchanged the joy for the pressure, for the need to be perfect and score highly, rather than because God had asked me to write the novel, and because I loved the characters and the storylines and the very process of writing.

I truly believe that God calls us to do what brings us great joy. I remember the day in September 2019 when God told me to write again, having been running a photography business for four years, I was so excited; as I twirled the pen I was journaling with in my fingers, I noticed with surprise and gladness the words written along the barrel: Ink Joy. Sitting in McDonalds, sipping my half strength extra hot cappuccino, I beamed so brightly that day.

I never want to lose that joy of writing for God, whatever the content might be; a novel, a journal entry, an Instagram or Facebook post, a message to a friend, or a blog post for fellow Christian authors to read. And I always want to be thankful that I have the opportunity to write in places that bring me joy, such as the beach in the image above, usually with a coffee in hand; I am a 'regular' in many cafes nowadays!

And so, dear friends, I would ask each of you, are you writing with joy? Or have you become bogged down in the process, the need to dot your I’s and cross your Ts, the need for perfectly polished prose or the best possible concepts and ideas? Have you lost the joy of the calling to write? If not, then I celebrate with you and look forward to perhaps reading your words in the not-so-distant future. But if you can honestly say that no, you do not feel the spark of joy anymore, then my prayer for you is that you would return to God, as I needed to, and ask him for a fresh blessing on your writing and creativity.  He is such a loving God, and he wants to bless us in so many ways; I know that when we come to him in humility, he is quick to embrace us and bless us beyond what we could possibly ask or imagine.

Colossians 3:17  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

 

Happy New Year! Or Is It?

 As we venture into 2021, what is our posture? Are we excitedly entering a new season, anticipating a great year? Or are we hesitantly creeping in, carefully edging our way forward, wary after the unexpected challenges that unfolded during 2020? I must admit that I was approaching the new year tentatively, rather than expectantly. I was challenged about my attitude, my lack of enthusiasm for the coming year and knew I needed to change my outlook.  

At the beginning of the Covid pandemic I struggled with anxiety, and I missed people, the freedoms we took for granted, and my regular activities (aqua aerobics, Playgroup, craft). But life slowed down. I spent more time walking around our farm, taught myself to crochet, spent more time reading and my garden has never looked better. And best of all, I signed a contract to have my first book published. As I pondered this, I was reminded of how important it is to look for the silver lining and to remember that God is with us, regardless of where we are and what is happening.

Maybe like me, you struggled to write during 2020. Can I be honest? I didn’t want to write this blog. My mind was filled with doubts and fears. And that is exactly why I committed to doing it. I knew I needed to back myself into a corner where I had no option but to write. I needed to be bold and step out of my comfort zone and continue to pursue my dream. If you too have been struggling to write, may I encourage you not to lose heart. 2021 holds 365 (well 358 from today) opportunities for you to begin again. Let’s check our posture and our attitude. Let’s determine to forge ahead in this new year, to pursue our goals, dreams and God-given destiny and continue to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).

 

Janelle Moore lives with her husband and family on a farm on the outskirts of Toowoomba, Queensland. She has had devotions and short articles published in various magazines and books and her first book, a devotional for Mums, is due for release this year. She is blessed to be part of the infamous Quirky Quills. 

 

 

 

 

New Year Reset

 Who else was keen to see in the new year? So much happened in 2020, it seemed like a whirlwind, but I’m not sure if it went quickly or far too slowly. 

Originally the new year was celebrated around the vernal equinox, in mid-March. The early Romans calendar designated March 1st as the start of the new year. It wasn’t until 46 BC when Julius Caesar’s new solar-based calendar decreed January 1st to be the new year.

Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash

I saw a meme on Facebook a few days ago. about being concerned that this new year is in fact 2020 won … it does not bode well for this coming year, or people are really starting to have very low expectations. I wonder how many people are actually going to set new year resolutions or goals.

Why do we set new year goals? I mean, we can set goals at any point in the year, so why do we get so hyped up about setting them? If you know the answer to this question, please let me know because the average person who decides to do something in the new year will usually abandon it two weeks later. If you’re someone like me who has writing plans this year, how do we prevent ourselves from stumbling into the life of the average person and have nothing to show for it come New Year’s Eve?

I know some people, including myself who reflect on the year gone before they go about looking at the new year ahead.

• What did you accomplish, no matter how small?

• What lessons did you learn?

• What skills or knowledge did you acquire?

• Your happiest moment?

• Your saddest moment?

Each year I’ve answered these questions and then set a whole bunch of goals for the new year. Sadly, I’m an average, new year, goal-setter. Most of the things I decide I’m going to do never pan out and by the end of the year I may be lucky enough to have completed one out of the dozen goals I set for myself (it’s usually the easiest one). This year, I’m going to try something different. I am going to set four goals for the year. A goal for my mind. A goal for my body. A goal for my spirit. And a goal for my writing.

They are simple.

• To take a moment for myself each day - read a book, watch the sunrise, paint my nails. Something just for me.

• To be more careful about what I eat - gluten free, dairy free.

• To dive deeper into the word of God - study a book or passages each month.

• To have fun writing - write for the pure pleasure of writing and not be bogged down with the pressures or stress of editing or publishing or that perfect sentence. To remember why I started writing.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

What about you? What are your goals for this year? If you’re like me, post your goals below in the comments or on the CWD Facebook page and we can all keep each other accountable for the year ahead.

K.A. Hart is a born and bred Territorian who moved to Queensland and had no choice but to stay after her assimilation into Toowoomba's infamous, collective known as Quirky Quills.

Since then, K.A. Hart has had two short stories published. Stone Bearer, appears in Glimpses of Light and Tedious Tresses, in the As Time Goes By Mixed Blessings anthology. She is currently working on a fantasy novel.

CWD Highlights - October to December 2020

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 October to December 2020

Awards

CALEB Awards

Congratulations to the the winners of the 2020 CALEB Awards for unpublished authors.

The award ceremony was held in October

Adult Nonfiction

Susan Barnes for 10 Blessings of God

Young Adult Fiction

Jean Saxby for The Craving

Adult Fiction

Mindy Graham for To Dance in the Shadows

New Releases & Cover Reveals

Elizabeth Klein

Elizabeth Klein published another book in early November.


Self-published Symphony of Star Songs: eBook 4th Nov; paperback 11th Nov. through Amazon.

Evil hunts brothers Dougray and Robbie as they seek the invisible Citadel of Gallenbreigh for the next crystal. Traps await them and time is slipping away.

As the brothers separately embark on their quest to rid the world of evil, increasing perils are sent to stop them. Morgran is growing more powerful and is releasing deadlier demons from the Abyss to overrun Galfane.

Will Belle and the brothers find the Citadel in time and escape the poisonous hunter tracking them? Find out as the story escalates and races toward its riveting climax.

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07ZBTVVX4

Besides having written many short stories, articles, plays and poems, Elizabeth Klein also authored 17 young adult and junior fiction books, as well as 4 educational books.

Reading Stones

Reading Stones released the 3rd part of the Homes of Healing series – The Writer’s Retreat by Olwyn Harris, back in August, It’s the story of how Tess, a romance writer, finds the story of Elizabeth and her family and God. 

 

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com.au/Writers-Retreat-3-Olwyn-Harris/dp/0648893820/

Helen Brown’s 2nd Edition of Reflections was released in September, this is a devotional, from the memories of her father.

Buy link:https://www.amazon.com.au/Reflections-Australian-Stories-Fathers-Past/dp/0648893847/

My Name was Called, An Autobiography, by Graham Redman will be released on the 30th December.

This autobiography by Graham Redman takes a long hard look at life in Australia from the 40s through to today. A man who was raised in the Christian faith, who fell and failed, and yet, God picked him up, time and again, and proved His faithfulness through all of life's ups and downs. Come on a journey with Graham as he shares his failures and his triumphs and throughout it all, the never-ending love of God.

Buy link:https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0648893863/

David Malcolm Bennett

In October, David Malcolm Bennett released his first volume of a biography of Catherine Booth

Catherine Booth: From Timidity to Boldness tells the story of Catherine Booth's dramatic early life, and how a timid young woman rose from a home damaged by alcohol to become a dynamic and popular preacher, campaigner for the rights of women and, with her husband, founder of The Salvation Army. Author David Malcolm Bennett has spent much of his life studying Catherine and William Booth and the early days of The Salvation Army. He makes significant and revealing use of the letters that Catherine and William Booth wrote to each other, the letters she wrote to her parents, and Catherine's diary and reminiscences. It is the first biography of Catherine Booth to make use of the complete transcribed editions of each of these works. In Catherine Booth: From Timidity to Boldness, Catherine is allowed to speak for herself and what she says is frequently dynamic and, at different times, insightful, deeply spiritual, and, occasionally, controversial.

David Malcolm Bennett has written over 20 Christian books, mainly biographies and church history. His book “From Ashes to Glory” was a joint winner in the CALEB AWARDS, biography section, and his “William Booth and his Salvation Army” was a finalist in CALEB. That book about William Booth has sold over 25,000 copies in its three editions, English, American and Australian. His book “Hudson Taylor and China” is a finalist in this year’s CALEB. His latest book Catherine Booth: From Timidity to Boldness was published in 2020.

Nola Lorraine

Nola Lorraine released her debut novel, Scattered in October. 

To lose her family was unthinkable ...
To find them will take a miracle.

While working in Europe, nineteen-year-old Maggie never dreamed that her family would be ripped apart and scattered across the sea, with her young brother and sister sent to Canada as part of the Home Children Migrant Scheme. Desperation sends Maggie on a search from England to Canada, with a harrowing shipwreck leaving her stranded on Sable Island. Eventually arriving in Halifax, Maggie is devastated to discover the trail to find her sister and brother has gone cold. An offer of help from industrialist Thaddeus Tharaday seems like an answer to prayer, but is the wealthy Tharaday her benefactor or nemesis? Set in Victorian-era Nova Scotia, Scattered weaves together elements of mystery, adventure, faith, and romance to take readers on a journey of hope and courage that will resonate with their hearts today.

Nola Lorraine (aka Nola Passmore) has had more than 150 short pieces published, including poetry, devotions, inspirational articles, true stories, short fiction and academic articles. Her debut novel Scattered was published by Breath of Fresh Air Press (https://www.breathoffreshairpress.com/)  on 20 October 2020. She also co-edited the Glimpses of Light charity anthology with Jeanette O’Hagan. When she’s not engrossed in her own writing, she’s helping other writers through The Write Flourish, a freelance editing business she runs with her husband Tim. She is passionate about faith and social justice issues, and loves weaving words of courage and hope.

Other News

Jeanette Grant-Thomson

Jeanette Grant-Thomson's true short story, 'That Wonderful Peace', was published in Stories of Life's 2020 anthology, The Swimmer, in November, 2020. It was also chosen to be read aloud ( by Jeanette with a croaky allergy-afflicted voice) for radio and online. It was published by Immortalise.

Jeanette says, 'The story is set in the beautiful Rabaul that used to be before the volcano buried it in ash in about 1994. I 'happened' to be holidaying there when my sister was flown in from another island as a medical emergency. God's peace preceded the news for me, to my amazement.'

Jeanette Grant-Thomson has been writing in various genres all her life and have had many works, long and short, published.

Elizabeth Klein

Elizabeth Klein's  Firelight of Heaven was picked up by Rambunctious Publishers for their Storymancers (fantasy books chosen for their UK readers) on 7th Nov and her short story: Carrot's Misadventurous Day was published by Storm Cloud Publishers in their Christmas Tales 5 Anthology on 1st Dec.

Stories of Life

Stories of Life anthology (Tabor) The Swimmers and Other Stories of Life was launched in November, including stories from a number of CWD members Anusha Atukorala, Rhonda Pooley, Lisa Birch, Jeanette Grant-Thomson, Jo-Anne Berthelsen, Julia Archer and Esther Cremona

CALEB Awards 2021

The 2021 CALEB Award will cover books published during 2019 and 2020 in the following categories:

• Picture Books
• Early Reader and Middle Grade*
• Young Adult Fiction
• Adult Fiction
• Biography and Memoir
• Other Nonfiction*

Note that the categories marked *will also allow entries from books published in 2018, to ensure every book has the opportunity to enter once.  Entries will be opened in late March 2021

Omega Writers Book Fair (Brisbane) 2021

Despite to the disruptions of Covid-19 , the Book Fair will be held next year (God willing) most likely in early June (rather than March) 2021.

Congratulations to all our members for your milestones and achievements