Don’t Stay Tangled in Your Writing

A tangled ball of yarn. A wadded and knotted string of Christmas lights. A zipper that is missing just one tooth. These are a few of my least favorite things.

I had some trepidation at submitting something for a critiquing session recently. As with most of the writers I’ve known, our work is a very special thing. Like the child we gave birth to, each article can feel like another offspring. Allowing someone to dissect it seemed too much to bear.

And yet, attending our writers’ group over the last few months it was a relief to see how everyone handled each page with respect and dignity. I began to think, I can tolerate this dissection, even without anesthesia.

As each of us pursues our craft it seems we must be ever willing to submit to a gentle nudge or a well-spoken adjustment.

One of my goals is to eventually publish my first children’s book. It took months of observation and learning to get chapter one to a better place. It was a good chapter. I was happy with it. But as I learned and gleaned from my new circle of friends, I saw where chapter one could be better. Like a diamond that needed a jeweler’s touch or an expensive piece of silver that needed polish, this first chapter got polished again and again. Every time I came back to it, I could see another facet waiting to emerge.

Does anything we write every reach a level of perfection? Maybe not.

Should we give up because we can’t reach perfection? Certainly not.

Can we learn to be more skillful at what we do? Absolutely.

As for me, I’ve been putting words on paper since the 1970’s. Every time it seems I’ve got this writing thing down pat, along comes another insight.

Like the layers on an onion, there’s always more. (I’d really prefer the layers on a chocolate cake.)

I’ve heard that we should write something every day. I do not. That has never worked for me. Like drawing too much water from a well, it’s like hitting a dry bottom with nowhere to go.

If I’m not writing, I’m reading. I surround myself with people who encourage me in what I’m doing. I’m getting braver at handing my business cards to strangers. I ask them to leave feedback on the blog so I can monitor how my web site is working.

Learning to celebrate the victories of others always adds to my perfection. Rejoicing with someone else is like polish for my own silverware.

Let us always be an encourager. You never know who will be the one person to help with that ball of yarn or wadded Christmas lights.

Until another time...write on!

Janice Kennett has been putting words on paper since about the age of eight or nine. She's worked as reporter, online columnist and freelance journalist. Her blog is her latest journey into the realm of writing. She and her husband, Charles, have been married since 1979 and have two grown sons and three grandchildren. She insists that grandkids are God's reward for not choking your teenagers when you wanted to. She enjoys reading, needle tatting and learning to knit.   Follow her online: www.janicekennett.com

Rope photo courtesy: Crawford Jolly on Unsplash.com

DUSTY TRAILS

A host of good intentions and ideas…

Some days, they circle their wagons like friends that have traveled the same dusty, rutted paths I’ve journeyed. We make a campfire and break bread. They provide fellowship and comfort.

Devotions, articles, books, short stories and other collections of words parade through my thoughts at any moment, with total disregard for my pressing obligations. My day job, family, housework and other responsibilities are background noise to the commotion they stir.

At other times, they’re an angry mob, lunging, hissing angry shouts of abandonment and neglect--the long-term kind that pushes for revolt and looks at you with faces twisted in disgust at all you represent.

And they’re an emotional bunch, bipolar at times. They jump and yell “Pick me! Pick me!” one moment and “You’re a failure,” the next. They demand their release to the world then, set free, recoil in horror and fear of rejection.

How do I harness and redirect them to His glory? How can I call myself a writer? Who am I to claim I’ve been called to encourage others with my words?

I’ve not established a home for wayward words or wordsmiths. I have no bullet-list or secret recipe to share that will rescue us but hope you’re comforted by the realization that you’re not alone. I’m hoping to find that I’m not alone—that my words, as wild as they may be—are a reflection of your own struggles and longings.

As a new member of Word Weavers, I believe I’ve taken the next best step to sharpening and focusing my writing; that I’ll be a bit braver in releasing them. And I pray that they find their way into hearts and homes, stirring the dusty trails and refreshing their fellow travelers. After all, aren’t clouds of trail dust signs of forward movement and progression?
 

A self-proclaimed word nerd, Tina Neeley has long struggled with a divided heart, pushing for time to sit and linger at His feet and in His Word, while being pulled
like a wish bone by work as a real estate closing specialist and her family responsibilities.

She spends as much time as possible seeking to offer encouragement to stressed, striving women through devotions and inspirational writing at her Rainbows & Mustard Seeds found at www.tinaneeley.com.

Photo courtesy: Eric Muhr on Unsplash.com

HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Matthew 28 

1. Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.

                                                                         Matthew 28: 1-6 ESV

Your Word Weaver International Staff pray you have a blessed Resurrection Sunday.