A
Step in the Write
Direction
November
23, 2015
Update:
Installed our new pastor and wife yesterday. I really like them and am looking
forward to good days ahead for our church….Have a decision to make on my little
doggie I got from the pound. X-rays showed “hip dysplasia” and the vet said a
surgery would cost between $7-8,000 (which isn’t in my budget!). However, a
friend shared that she took her dog to a “dog chiropractor.” He gave him 3
massages at $50 each, then showed her how to do it and her dog is better. So I
have a name to contact in this area. Praying that it works as I don’t want to
take him back to the pound….Getting ready today for a colonoscopy tomorrow. I
have one every five years as my mother and dad both died of cancer of the
colon….HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF YOU!! The hospital where our two children
work put on a big spread for visitors, staff, and families of staff so will
probably go there for dinner. MY THANKS TODAY is that our daughter and family
are moving back here from Texas on December 6th. Praying that our
pastor son-in-law can find a church in the area.
Thought
for the Day:
Don’t expect to make a lot of money at your writing. The difference between a
writer and a park bench is that a park bench will support a family of three (Reg
A. Forder, publisher, The Christian
Communicator, October 2015, p. 9).
Song
for the Day:
Jesus,
Jesus, how I trust Him!
How
I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er!
Jesus,
Jesus, precious Jesus!
O
for grace to trust Him more!
‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus,”
Louisa M.R. Stead (italics added)
Laugh
for the Day:
Fresh
out of business school, a young man answered a want ad for an accountant and was
interviewed by a businessman who ran a small business that he had started
himself. "I need someone with an accounting degree," the businessman said. "But
mainly, I'm looking for someone to do my worrying for me. I worry about a lot of
things," he said, "but I don't want to have to worry about money. Your job will
be to take all the money worries off my back." "I see," the accountant said.
"And how much does the job pay?" "I'll start you at eighty thousand," said the
businessman. "Eighty thousand dollars!" the accountant exclaimed. "How can such
a small business afford a sum like that?" "That," the businessman said, "is your
first worry." (sermons@clergy.net, 11/18/15)
Writer’s
Tips:
More
Editing Hints, and Using Sidebars
Don't
Say the Same Thing Twice
It’s
often possible to cut large chunks of material from your article or book because
you've repeated the same thought in several paragraphs. Combine these into one
strong paragraph. Repeating the same thought over and over says to your reader,
"If you didn’t get it that way, maybe you’ll get it this way.” We once had a
pastor who said, “I only said this to say that,” and I thought, “Why didn’t you
say ‘that’ the first time?” If you’re working on a book or article now, reread
it and see if you’ve repeated thoughts that could be reworded and combined into
one paragraph.
Use
Subheads, Lists, and Sidebars
Break
up your chapters and articles by inserting subheads at appropriate places. Or
place facts in a bulleted list instead of in a long paragraph. This will make it
easier for your reader to remember what you have written. You can also use
sidebars; for example, “10 Ways to Break the Plastic Habit.” Sometimes if an
editor can’t use the entire article, he or she may purchase the sidebars. Are
there places in your manuscript where you could insert a subhead or put some of
your points in a bulleted list to make them stand out?
Now
is the time to order Preparing Your Heart
for Christmas, an Advent book with 31 devotions leading up to Christmas.
Just $5, $2.62 s&h. Makes a nice gift too!
Also,
The Little Book of Big Laughs makes a
great gift for speakers, pastors, and even teens in your family. $5, can order
up to 4 for the same $2.62 s&h.
And
for your writer friend, the revised A
Step in the Write Direction, $19.95, $3.22
s&h.
The
cooks in your family or circle of friends will like the Michigan or Ohio
cookbooks, half price, at
$5.
HAPPY
THANKSGIVING!
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