A Step in the Write Direction
September 9,
2014
Update: Two pieces of good news
this week. First, I received my copy of The
Little Book of Big Laughs, a 105-page joke book, with several jokes on
each page. This will make a great gift for anyone you know with a sense of
humor. Just $5 ($1 s&h for first book, 50 cents for each additional one.
Think birthday or Christmas gifts!). … Also we found out that our daughter and family will be moving
back to Arizona from Oklahoma. Happy for us, but sad for the people of their
church our son-in-law is pastoring as they really love him. Don’t know yet where
they’ll be serving here…. I sent a book proposal to a publisher for the caregiver book. Once I get a publisher,
then I’ll send out a call for submissions for prayers, devotions, and practical
hints—so if you’re now—or have been—a caregiver, be thinking about something you
can send.
Thought for the Day: First you
have the writer who can write but can’t spell, then you have the editor who can
spell but can’t write. Finally you have the publisher who can neither spell nor
write, and he makes all the money (Family
Variety Puzzles & Games, October 2014, p. 94).
Song for the Day:
Forbid it, Lord, that I
should boast,
Save in the death of
Christ, my God.
All the vain things that
charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His
blood.
“When I Survey,” Isaac
Watts
Laugh for the Day: Some think it would help juvenile delinquents by
getting them interested in bowling. But
all that would do is get them off the streets and into the
alleys.
Writer’s Tips: (from unpublished
Writers’ Devotional Book)
The Message of the Cross
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the
gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the
cross of Christ be emptied of its power (1 Corinthians 1:17).
My
nephew was holding a songwriting seminar in a Michigan church. On an earlier visit to this
church he had noticed a beautiful cross carved into the ceiling where two peaks
came together. This time when he came, he noticed they had installed a new air
conditioner. The only way you could see the cross now was to step over to the
side. It could no longer be seen by the congregation while they worshiped.
During
the workshop, while talking about structure, someone asked my nephew how he kept
his focus while writing songs. He told them to look up at the ceiling and tell
him what they saw. Most of them saw the air conditioner. Then he told them to
walk to the side of the church and tell him what they saw. Now they saw the
cross.
He
said, “If you don’t remember anything else I tell you today, remember this:
Never let the structure get in the way of the cross.”
As
Christian writers, we have many opportunities today to improve our skills:
college and night-school classes, writers’ conferences, hundreds of books on
various aspects of writing, writers’ magazines—all telling us how to craft our
manuscripts. We’re shown how to write effective and reader-grabbing leads, how
to develop plots, how to leave the reader with a “takeaway.” Articles in
writers’ magazines point out the latest “hot markets.” Instructors at
conferences tell us what editors will be looking for in the months to come.
This
is good information! But sometimes we can become so caught up in the
mechanics—or the structure—of our writing, we forget the message the reader
needs to hear. Yes, our writing should be of the highest quality. And yes, we
should use correct grammar and spelling. But let’s be just as concerned about
the message of our article, story, or novel.
Remember,
we don’t always have to offer readers solutions to their problems. But we
can point them to the One who does have the answer. We can point them to
the cross.
Are
you working on a project today that can help point someone to Christ?
Have a good
week spreading the
gospel through
the printed page.
Donna Clark
Goodrich
dgood648@aol.com
www.thewritersfriend.net
http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com
A Step in the Write Direction
September 9,
2014
Update: Two pieces of good news
this week. First, I received my copy of The
Little Book of Big Laughs, a 105-page joke book, with several jokes on
each page. This will make a great gift for anyone you know with a sense of
humor. Just $5 ($1 s&h for first book, 50 cents for each additional one.
Think birthday or Christmas gifts!). … Also we found out that our daughter and family will be moving
back to Arizona from Oklahoma. Happy for us, but sad for the people of their
church our son-in-law is pastoring as they really love him. Don’t know yet where
they’ll be serving here…. I sent a book proposal to a publisher for the caregiver book. Once I get a publisher,
then I’ll send out a call for submissions for prayers, devotions, and practical
hints—so if you’re now—or have been—a caregiver, be thinking about something you
can send.
Thought for the Day: First you
have the writer who can write but can’t spell, then you have the editor who can
spell but can’t write. Finally you have the publisher who can neither spell nor
write, and he makes all the money (Family
Variety Puzzles & Games, October 2014, p. 94).
Song for the Day:
Forbid it, Lord, that I
should boast,
Save in the death of
Christ, my God.
All the vain things that
charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His
blood.
“When I Survey,” Isaac
Watts
Laugh for the Day: Some think it would help juvenile delinquents by
getting them interested in bowling. But
all that would do is get them off the streets and into the
alleys.
Writer’s Tips: (from unpublished
Writers’ Devotional Book)
The Message of the Cross
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the
gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the
cross of Christ be emptied of its power (1 Corinthians 1:17).
My
nephew was holding a songwriting seminar in a Michigan church. On an earlier visit to this
church he had noticed a beautiful cross carved into the ceiling where two peaks
came together. This time when he came, he noticed they had installed a new air
conditioner. The only way you could see the cross now was to step over to the
side. It could no longer be seen by the congregation while they worshiped.
During
the workshop, while talking about structure, someone asked my nephew how he kept
his focus while writing songs. He told them to look up at the ceiling and tell
him what they saw. Most of them saw the air conditioner. Then he told them to
walk to the side of the church and tell him what they saw. Now they saw the
cross.
He
said, “If you don’t remember anything else I tell you today, remember this:
Never let the structure get in the way of the cross.”
As
Christian writers, we have many opportunities today to improve our skills:
college and night-school classes, writers’ conferences, hundreds of books on
various aspects of writing, writers’ magazines—all telling us how to craft our
manuscripts. We’re shown how to write effective and reader-grabbing leads, how
to develop plots, how to leave the reader with a “takeaway.” Articles in
writers’ magazines point out the latest “hot markets.” Instructors at
conferences tell us what editors will be looking for in the months to come.
This
is good information! But sometimes we can become so caught up in the
mechanics—or the structure—of our writing, we forget the message the reader
needs to hear. Yes, our writing should be of the highest quality. And yes, we
should use correct grammar and spelling. But let’s be just as concerned about
the message of our article, story, or novel.
Remember,
we don’t always have to offer readers solutions to their problems. But we
can point them to the One who does have the answer. We can point them to
the cross.
Are
you working on a project today that can help point someone to Christ?
Have a good
week spreading the
gospel through
the printed page.
Donna Clark
Goodrich
dgood648@aol.com
www.thewritersfriend.net
http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com
A Step in the Write Direction
September 9,
2014
Update: Two pieces of good news
this week. First, I received my copy of The
Little Book of Big Laughs, a 105-page joke book, with several jokes on
each page. This will make a great gift for anyone you know with a sense of
humor. Just $5 ($1 s&h for first book, 50 cents for each additional one.
Think birthday or Christmas gifts!). … Also we found out that our daughter and family will be moving
back to Arizona from Oklahoma. Happy for us, but sad for the people of their
church our son-in-law is pastoring as they really love him. Don’t know yet where
they’ll be serving here…. I sent a book proposal to a publisher for the caregiver book. Once I get a publisher,
then I’ll send out a call for submissions for prayers, devotions, and practical
hints—so if you’re now—or have been—a caregiver, be thinking about something you
can send.
Thought for the Day: First you
have the writer who can write but can’t spell, then you have the editor who can
spell but can’t write. Finally you have the publisher who can neither spell nor
write, and he makes all the money (Family
Variety Puzzles & Games, October 2014, p. 94).
Song for the Day:
Forbid it, Lord, that I
should boast,
Save in the death of
Christ, my God.
All the vain things that
charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His
blood.
“When I Survey,” Isaac
Watts
Laugh for the Day: Some think it would help juvenile delinquents by
getting them interested in bowling. But
all that would do is get them off the streets and into the
alleys.
Writer’s Tips: (from unpublished
Writers’ Devotional Book)
The Message of the Cross
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the
gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the
cross of Christ be emptied of its power (1 Corinthians 1:17).
My
nephew was holding a songwriting seminar in a Michigan church. On an earlier visit to this
church he had noticed a beautiful cross carved into the ceiling where two peaks
came together. This time when he came, he noticed they had installed a new air
conditioner. The only way you could see the cross now was to step over to the
side. It could no longer be seen by the congregation while they worshiped.
During
the workshop, while talking about structure, someone asked my nephew how he kept
his focus while writing songs. He told them to look up at the ceiling and tell
him what they saw. Most of them saw the air conditioner. Then he told them to
walk to the side of the church and tell him what they saw. Now they saw the
cross.
He
said, “If you don’t remember anything else I tell you today, remember this:
Never let the structure get in the way of the cross.”
As
Christian writers, we have many opportunities today to improve our skills:
college and night-school classes, writers’ conferences, hundreds of books on
various aspects of writing, writers’ magazines—all telling us how to craft our
manuscripts. We’re shown how to write effective and reader-grabbing leads, how
to develop plots, how to leave the reader with a “takeaway.” Articles in
writers’ magazines point out the latest “hot markets.” Instructors at
conferences tell us what editors will be looking for in the months to come.
This
is good information! But sometimes we can become so caught up in the
mechanics—or the structure—of our writing, we forget the message the reader
needs to hear. Yes, our writing should be of the highest quality. And yes, we
should use correct grammar and spelling. But let’s be just as concerned about
the message of our article, story, or novel.
Remember,
we don’t always have to offer readers solutions to their problems. But we
can point them to the One who does have the answer. We can point them to
the cross.
Are
you working on a project today that can help point someone to Christ?
Have a good
week spreading the
gospel through
the printed page.
Donna Clark
Goodrich
dgood648@aol.com
www.thewritersfriend.net
http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com
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