Lapping the Couch by Guest Blogger Cindy Ervin Huff

I want to introduce you to Cindy and hope you find her post as inspiring as I have. Be sure to watch for her debut novel Secrets and Charades coming out March, 2017. We're planning to have her visit with an interview closer to her book release date!
Enjoy!


Lapping the Couch to Meet Writing Goals

By Cindy Ervin Huff  ”

"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everyone sitting on the couch."
--Diane Flegal, Hartline Literary Agent

I found this quote in a recent blog post by Diane Flegal. It resonates with me. I am often comparing myself to

those who publish gobs of stuff throughout the year and those who are making the big bucks for their novels. I sit on my couch and vegetate, setting my mental goals to reach their awesome writing heights. Then I whine and complain when I’m still miles from that goal with each passing year.

Turn around and see how far you’ve come.
But when I turn around I see I’ve come miles from where I was ten years ago. Even with bumps and potholes that have derailed me for seasons of time, I am still on the path to the finish line of being a multi-published author.

Each year I grow my blog, publish a few more articles or short stories. And I write more than I ever bother to submit. Last year I wrote my second novel. This year my debut novel is heading toward publication. Look for my historical Secrets and Charades in March 2017. This year I am writing a sequel amid meeting publisher’s deadlines for marketing prep for S & C and editing my contemporary novel. I still have high goals. My to-do-list gets way too long and life events take precedence over some of those writing goals. And I still beat myself up for not doing more.

Miles ahead of the moaners
Over the years I’ve met people who want to write a book. They moan about the if-onlys and the some-days. And you know what? I am miles ahead of them. Rather than complain about the moments I don’t have, I grab the ones I do to write. I am on course even if the wind dies down and I am dead in the water due to unavoidable life dramas. And with aging parents there is a lot of drama. Makes couch sitting more inviting.
However, I’m in the water heading toward the island of multi-published authors. Who knows, if I keep pressing forward I might become a best-selling author or even an author who is being read hundreds of years after my death. (sweet!)

Look at your own files. It matters not if they are published pieces. How is your journey? Are you lapping the couch in your writing goals? What projects could you finish staying away from naysayers? How about not comparing yourself to others? Are you grabbing moments to write? Is the path to your computer worn more than the path to your couch?

As for me and my writing
If I sit down with the moaners and naysayers who quit when stuff gets hard, I’ll never get one fraction of an inch closer to the finish line than I am today. I battle my urges to be a couch potato when it comes to achieving my writing goals, sometimes the couch wins out and I binge watch something on TV. Then I rally and grab my PC. I will not watch others pass me and wallow in jealousy. No, I’m lapping the couch and it feels pretty good.

ABOUT CINDY:
Cindy Huff is a multi-published freelance writer and president of the Aurora Illinois chapter of Word Weavers who loves to bring her imaginary characters to life. Her debut novel, Secrets and Charades will be available March 2017. When she is not writing articles, editing posts or talking with her imaginary friends, she cares for her aging parents, helps with her grandchildren and binge reads.  Her main goal and passion is to encourage other writers in their journey and believers as they grow in faith. Check out her blog Writer's Patchwork at https://jubileewriter.wordpress.com/author/jubileewriter/


Connect with her:
www.facebook.com/cindyehuff
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CindyErvinHuff
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8029703-cindy-huff


Contact her for guest blogs or speaking engagements at
cindyshuff@comcast.net


Thanks for joining us, Cindy.
Blessings, Readers!

The First American Missionaries: Guest Post by Tamera Kraft

It's my pleasure to welcome Tamera Kraft to my blog today. She's talking a little about Moravian Missionaries, the background of her Christmas novel. Read on . . .

Most people don’t know about some of the first American missionaries, the Moravians. I wrote a Christmas novella about Moravian Missionaries in the 1770s called A Christmas Promise. Their dedication to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the 1700s amazed me. The Moravian Church was started in Bohemia in the 14oos and suffered great persecution for the first 300 years of its existence.

In the 1700s, the Moravian Church experienced a renewal that led to evangelism all over the world. The renewal started when Count Zinzendorf started a village for refuges from the struggling church in Hernhutt, Germany. The members of the church started praying 24 hours a day in a prayer meeting that would last for over 100 years. 30 more villages were established, and missionaries were sent out all over the world, including North America. This was the first large scale missionary movement by a Protestant church.

The Moravians’ battle cry was “May the Lamb receive the reward of His suffering.” Two missionaries sold themselves as slaves to become missionaries to the slaves on the island of Saint Thomas. Some missionaries settled in Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania to preach the Gospel to Native Americans.

A group of missionaries in Pennsylvania moved to Ohio and set up two villages, Schoenbrunn and Gnadenhutton, to preach the Lenape Indians. They printed the Bible in the Lenape language, and many Lenape, also known as Delaware, joined the villages. These were the first “white” settlements in Ohio.
Moravians brought something else to America besides their missionary zeal. They loved to celebrate Christmas, and many of our Christmas traditions come from the Moravians. My Christmas novella, A Christmas Promise, is about a married couple who lives in Schoenbrunn in 1773.

A Christmas Promise

By Tamera Lynn Kraft

A Moravian Holiday Story, Circa 1773
During colonial times, John and Anna settle in an Ohio village to become Moravian missionaries to the Lenape. When John is called away to help at another settlement two days before Christmas, he promises he’ll be back by Christmas Day.

When he doesn’t show up, Anna works hard to not fear the worst while she provides her children with a traditional Moravian Christmas.

Through it all, she discovers a Christmas promise that will give her the peace she craves.



You can find "A Christmas Promise" at the following stores:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Christianbook.com


Bio:

TAMERA LYNN KRAFT has always loved adventures and writes Christian historical fiction set in America because there are so many adventures in American history. She is married to the love of her life, has two grown children, and lives in Akron, Ohio.

Tamera is the leader of a ministry called Revival Fire For Kids where she mentors other children’s leaders, teaches workshops, and is a children’s ministry consultant and children’s evangelist. She has curriculum published and is a recipient of the 2007 National Children’s Leaders Association Shepherd’s Cup for lifetime achievement in children’s ministry.

You can contact Tamera online at these sites.
Website: http://tameralynnkraft.net
Word Sharpeners Blog: http://tameralynnkraft.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/tameralynnkraft
Twitter: @tamerakraft


Thanks, Tamera, for stopping by. Interesting article!

I'm Excited to Have My Favorite Traveling Writer With Me on My Blog Today!

Please make sure to check out her blog here:
http://karenrobbins.blogspot.com
And look for her interview on November 23, right here!

Welcome, Karen . . .

The Wandering Writer

If I were to brand myself, it would be The Wandering Writer. My husband and I have been blessed to be able to travel the world. It started out as business trips but it wasn’t long before we were hooked—addicted to be precise. We have been able to set foot on all seven continents. Yes, even Antarctica! And we have almost completely circumnavigated the globe.


Along the way, God has given me much to write about. We have met people who have inspired us and been to places where God has seen fit to bring to light lessons that have drawn me closer to Him. I thought I might take this opportunity as Carole’s guest blogger to share a couple of those with you.

A few years ago, we were in a beautiful place called Cinque Terre on Italy’s west coast. The area has five little towns built along Italy’s rugged coastline, each nestled into or on top of the cliffs. Along the narrow path in one of the towns, we were able to see the base of a few homes built on the cliff’s edge. The solid rock cliff met with the base of the house and was secured with mortar. There was no digging into the earth. The base of the home sat on a rock-solid foundation.

Later, we visited Pisa and of course, the famous leaning bell tower. The foundations of the building there are somewhat precarious and the tower is not the only building that leans. It is just much more dramatic because its base is not as large and therefore the weight is not distributed as evenly as other buildings. Sighting down the exterior wall of the cathedral there you can see where a part of it also has sagged. The reason: a mushy clay base beneath it. Not necessarily a sandy foundation but one just as unstable.

Within a few days, we had two great examples of what it says in the Bible about a man who builds upon rock versus one who builds upon sand. The rock foundation stands through centuries. The other leans and threatens to collapse without continual reconstruction. While the less than solid based foundation may boost the tourist industry, it’s not a good philosophy of life.

The next year, we toured a large part of Australia. The Red Center of Australia is a desert area similar to our Southwest in landscape. It usually receives a bare minimum of rainfall as you can imagine but the days preceding our visit and during our time there, rain poured down. The area experienced horrible flooding and roads were blocked with red mud.

We were unable to get to the resort we were to stay at along the way between Ayers Rock and Alice Springs. The resort was about 3 ½ hours from either place and when we were finally turned away with no hope of the road being cleared enough for us to get through, we did the only thing we could we drove on to our next stop, Alice Springs.

Picture miles and miles of nothing, the sun quickly setting behind us, no lights on the two lane highway, and no moonlight. All we could see was what our headlights picked up in front of us.

I heard Bob say, “I wonder how dark it is?” And in the next instant, I was plunged into total darkness. HE’D TURNED OFF THE HEADLIGHTS!

We’re tooling along at 120 kilometers/hour (about 65 mph) and he turns off the lights! It was only for a second but it seemed an eternity. I’m not a screamer but I screamed. It was the blackest black I have ever experienced. I’ve worked in a darkroom developing pictures but that was not even as dark as this. I could literally not see my hands in front of my face. It was as though I had no body and there was just this consciousness of me.

When the lights came on, my heart was pounding. I tried to shake off the sensation of being in total darkness.

Separation from God is said to be total darkness—an eternity if you have never accepted Jesus as Savior. I can certainly see now why Jesus’ words were so important: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

God enriches my life with each new travel adventure, each new personality met along the way, each new wonder revealed. Wandering the path He has set before me keeps me writing.

***

Karen writes of her travel adventures at the Wandering Writer (http://karenrobbins.blogspot.com/). She is the coauthor of A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts (Leafwood, 2008) and A Scrapbook of Motherhood Firsts (available April, 2012). Murder Among The Orchids is her first ebook novel and is available for download at http://smashwords.com/.

Guest Blog from my dear friend, Linore Rose Burkard

Naming Your Fictional Character


by Linore Rose Burkard

Do you struggle to find the right name for a character when writing? Is there such a thing as a "right" name? And if there is, how do you know when you've found it?

Here's my personal take on these questions, as well as some of my favorite ways to find names when I need them.

First of all, I think most writers do struggle at times with naming one or more characters. If you've never struggled with this, be grateful. If you have, it probably means that you had a good idea about the sort of character you were naming, and you were smart enough to recognize that not just any ol' name would do.

When I am in need of just the 'right' name for a character, I usually use a stand-in or temporary name until I find the right one. (The temporary name isn't important, so use whatever you like, but I would avoid going with "Character A" and "Character B"--these are cardboard-flat names and won't help you envision your character at all.) If you get really stuck on what the "right" name should be, it may help you to do some further brainstorming about that character. The better you get to know this person, the easier it will be to settle upon a name that feels right.

One of my tricks is to search catalogs with lots of models (both male and female) until I find a face that really matches my idea for a person. Once I have a face, I can usually decide upon a name. Some writers use baby name books, but I don't find these helpful until I have a face in mind, first. I also find that movie credits sometimes contain wonderful names. I never borrow anyone's full name, but I find both a first name and a surname that I like, and combine them to get that "just right" name for my character.

Each writer really needs to find what works for them.

Secondly, is there such a thing as a right or wrong name? Again, this is partly subjective, but in some cases, such as with historical novels, it is more a matter of being period-correct.

Some things to consider when choosing a name are:

1. Will it make the reader stumble each time they encounter it? Some historical novelists choose names that are period-correct but impossible to pronounce unless you "know" that period. Don't make reading your book a chore! Find a name that is both correct for the time and place of your novel, while also going easy on readers. If you must use an obscure name, or one that has an obscure spelling, use another character to let us know exactly how the name should be read.
2. Check that the name was in existence for the period you are writing in. Many authors check to see if the name was popular during a given period, but this is not necessary in many cases. The fact that it existed is technically all you need to know; however, when naming a Puritan, you wouldn't want to try something like "Crystal" when names such as Mary, Patience, and Charity were really the vogue. If you were trying to emphasize the singularity of a character, the difference between him and her and the average person of the world they live in, then a very different-sounding name might be just right, however.

So, the story-line plays a part in naming.

I'll never forget this lesson from T.S. Eliot: He wrote a heart-tugging poem called, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." Say that name aloud! It is anything but romantic, anything but what one would associate with a love song, and the poem indeed conveys Prufrock's utter inability to "sing" one, even when opportunity and desire are there. Eliot named this character carefully. The awkward name emphasizes the pathos of the character. Can you do this in your fiction?

It's not by accident that romance writers try to choose pretty or exotic or smooth-sounding names for their heroes and heroines. Give a girl a pretty name, and it's easier to see her as attractive. Give a hero a strong name, and it's easier to see him as strong. Even a hero, however, can have a "wrong" name and triumph anyway, when it's part of their appeal (such as in the Johnny Cash song, " A Boy Named Sue").

Interestingly, you might want to choose the name for your villain as carefully as for the hero or heroine. A villain often disguises him or herself as a hero or heroine, at least for some portion of a book, and until they are found out, a beautiful name will go far to fool the reader. Conversely, an uncertain name, one that is not particularly evocative or attractive (think: Clark Kent) can be used to de-emphasize the real hero or heroine until they are revealed for their true colors later in the book.

There's also the idea that evil can appear beautiful, and a lovely name for a villain can make for fun reading. In my book, The House in Grosvenor Square, the good-looking villain's name is Lord Wingate, or Julian. Neither sound ominous, but "Julian" has a sort of mysterious air to it, which I think supports the character's
persona.

You shouldn't need to obsess over naming a character, and only historical novels can objectively be accused of having a "wrong" name, anyway--either for their time or place.

Above all, have fun naming your characters! Find a method you like, whether it be an internet search, a baby-name book, movie credits, or any other source, and have at it. Experiment with different names for the same character if you're just not sure, and see what sits best with you. Eventually, you will find the "right" name for each character, and your book will be stronger for it.





BIO-LINORE ROSE BURKARD

Linore Rose Burkard creates Inspirational Romance for the Jane Austen Soul. Her characters take you back in time to experience life and love during the era of Regency England (circa 1800 - 1830). Fans of classic romances, such as Pride & Prejudice, Emma, and Sense & Sensibility, will enjoy meeting Ariana Forsythe, a feisty heroine who finds her heart and beliefs tested by high-society London.


Ms. Burkard's novels include Before the Seasons Ends, The House in Grosvenor Square, and The Country House Courtship. Her stories blend Christian faith and romance with well-researched details from the Regency period. Her books and monthly newsletter captivate readers with little-known facts, exciting stories, and historical insights. Experience a romantic age, where timeless lessons still apply to modern life. And, enjoy romance that reminds us happy endings are possible for everyone.


Publisher's Weekly affirms, "Ms. Burkard's command of period detail is impressive, evident in material details, but also in dialogue. Her novels even help non-Regencyphiles learn the difference between ladies' pelisses and spencers...On the whole, it's a tasty confection."

Ms. Burkard began writing when she couldn't find a Regency romance with an inspirational twist. "There were Christian books that approached the genre," she says, "But, they fell short of being a genuine Regency. I knew that many women like me want stories that are historically authentic and offer glimpses of God's involvement in our lives. So, I finally gave up looking and decided to write one myself."

Ms. Burkard was raised in New York, where she graduated magna cum laude from the City University of New York with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature. She lives with her husband and five children in a town full of antique stores and gift shops in southwestern Ohio. Her hobbies include working on four new Regency novels, family movie nights, swimming, and gardening.

Blessings, readers!

Guest Blog by my Friend, Kathryn Page Camp

It's June, the official month of marriage! Awhile back I read Kathryn's post on her blog about meeting and marrying her husband. I thought it would be a great article for the month of June and give you a chance to meet Kathryn, if you don't already know her.

Kathryn's blog address so you check out all her great posts:
http://kathrynpagecamp.blogspot.com/

Now for her post. Enjoy:

Searching for Mr. Right

Roland and I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary on Thursday. Actually, we celebrated apart, because I was at a writers' conference in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. But our marriage survived the ill-timed separation.

A marriage that almost didn't happen. Although I wanted a husband, I wasn't actively seeking. Part of it was that I didn't know how or where to look. But I also trusted that God would make it happen when the time was right even if I did nothing.

A simple sermon eliminated both excuses.

Have you heard the saying, "God helps them that help themselves"? If you think it comes from the Bible, you're wrong. The proverb dates back to only the 15th or 16th century. But even though it isn't in the Bible, there is some Christian truth in it. In 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Paul says: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." And how many of us think God wants us to sit back and wait for a job without even sending out resumes?

Still, I would rephrase the proverb this way: God wants us to be active participants in His plans for us.

That was the message in the sermon, and the minister used finding a mate as an example. He was a counselor for a computer dating service that catered to Christians and Jews, but many people failed to make use of the service because they expected God to handle everything.

That sermon was my wake-up call. I signed up for the computer dating service and met Roland. He was my second match, and I was his second match. But there is nothing second-class about our marriage.

Thirty-two years of wedded bliss (and a few bumps) that almost didn't happen.

So if you are searching for Mr. or Ms. Right, don't just sit back and wait. Be an active participant in God's plans for you.

Even if His plans turn out to be different from yours.


Thank you, Kathryn!
Blessings!

I Love Having Stephanie Morrill . . .
here today.

Know a teen or young adult who loves writing? Here's a chance for her/him to learn more about writing by visiting Stephanie's blog.

Or if you're into blogging, or just find blogging a boring, but necessary part of your writing career, then read on to discover how Stephanie learned that blogging was indeed her thing.

Blogging Blessings

Once upon a time, I hated blogging.

I knew it was something I needed to do, so I sucked it up, and I made myself. I tried my best to be a good blogger, but following all the advice seemed impossible. According to the experts, I needed to be interesting, I needed to be succinct, I needed to post 5 days a week, and I needed to not talk about myself. I was a stay-at-home with a toddler. If I wasn’t playing with my daughter, I was working on The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series. What on earth did I have to talk about 5 days a week?

For nearly 2 years, blogging was a drudgery. Especially because I was getting, like 7 hits a day. I began asking God for a solution.

I’m a YA writer, so most my email from readers comes from teens. About 99% of them tell me how much they enjoyed the books, then tack on, “I’m a writer too. Do you have any tips for me?”

One evening, while I was doing dishes and thinking about the latest teen who’d emailed me, I had the idea for Go Teen Writers. (http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/) I thought “Instead of constantly emailing responses to that question, wouldn’t it be great to build a community of teen writers?”

Over a year later, Go Teen Writers is a growing community of teen and twenty-something writers. This year, we’re walking through the process of writing a novel, and it’s so fun to learn alongside them.

I hold writing contests every month, the most recent of which the teens were invited to submit the first 150 words of their novel to be critiqued by published authors.
(http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2011/06/winning-entries-from-free-write.html) The talent of those teens is astounding. I have no doubts that they will reach their goals of being published if they decide to pursue it.

My guess is Go Teen Writers isn’t tripling my book sales or anything, but I love the site regardless. I love interacting with the writers. I love learning about their culture and what they’re writing and why.

If you’re a young writer, come on over. If you’re a published writer (books or periodicals), and you’d like to invest in the next generation of novelists, please email me (http://stephaniemorrillbooks.com/contact/) and we’ll chat about possibilities.

For me, the key to enjoying blogging has been finding a way to bless my audience. My daughter, who is 3 ½, loves to tell me the story of Cinderella. She often ends it with, “And they married happily ever after.” As a girl who once upon a time hated blogging, I think the story of Go Teen Writers and why it exists would end, “And she blogged happily ever after.”

Stephanie Morrill is a twenty-something living in Overland Park, Kansas with her husband and two kids. Her only talents are reading, writing, and drinking coffee, so career options were somewhat limited. Fortunately, she discovered a passion for young adult novels and has been writing them ever since. Stephanie is the author of The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series and is currently working on other young adult projects. She enjoys encouraging and teaching teen writers and does so on her blog http://www.goteenwriters.com/. To connect with Stephanie and read samples of her books, check out http://www.stephaniemorrillbooks.com/.

Thank you, Stephanie, for being here today!
Blessings, readers!

Thrilled to Introduce you to My Friend, Esther Lovejoy, my Guest Blogger for today!

Here's her blog address; make sure you check it out!

viewfromthesparrowsnest.com

Enjoy her article and be blest.

AND GOD SAID
Our first glimpse of God in Scripture is a glorious display of the power of words. We are introduced to a Creator God who simply spoke things into being. “And God said…” and it was.

Wouldn’t you love to have been there? Wouldn’t you love to have heard God’s words and watched in wonder as those words brought sun and stars, grass and trees, fish and birds into existence? Imagine being there to hear Him speak again as He looked at the result of His words and said, “This is good!”

We are created in His image, and I believe included in that “image” is the gift of words—words that still contain power to create things which are good. We are made in the likeness of a communicator who formed us to want to talk and write and connect with one another through words.

I am writing this while attending Colorado Christian Writers Conference in Estes Park, Colorado. Many of us have come here with pages filled with words, and the hope that some publisher or some editor will look at what our words have created and say, “This is good!” We are our Father’s children and we have things we want to say, and stories we want to tell, and we want to do it well.

However, as I look out my window at the beautiful snow-capped mountains of the Rockies, I realize that for some things—some of the “good” things God created—words are inadequate. I have also sat during our times of worship as we have attempted to use words to express our love for God and the wonder of who He is, and once again, have encountered the limitation of words.

But the Creator God has been here with us at this conference. We have felt His presence, and the same God who spoke these amazing mountains into being is still speaking. We’ve heard Him. His voice has created a longing for a closer walk with Him. He has uttered words that have produced a heart that is broken for the persecuted church. His voice has brought encouragement out of the chaos of discouragement and despair. God’s words still have the power to create—to bring something from our nothingness. How I pray that the results of His powerful words during these days will again be something He can look at and say, “This is good!”

Esther lives in Mifflinburg, PA with her husband Peter. Their own personal nest is now empty with the exception of Peter’s mother who is 93 and suffering from Alzheimers. Esther is her care-giver. Peter and Esther share 9 children and 19 of the cutest and smartest grandchildren ever. She loves to read, bake, and quilt.



For over 25 years Esther was in full-time ministry. She enjoyed many opportunities to share the things of God through speaking at retreats and conferences. She is now expanding that ministry through her writing and presently has a book The Sweet Side of Suffering under consideration by a publisher. She also has a devotional blog entitled http://viewfromthesparrowsnest.com/.


Beautiful, Esther. Thank you so much for visiting today!

Blessings, dear readers!

I STOLE THIS!

Not really. I'm just kidding. I asked my sweet friend Jeannette Levellie if I could use this post today, and she graciously agreed. So-o-o please go check out her wonderful blog at: 
http://jeanettelevellie.blogspot.com/

You won't regret it!
Her post touched my heart because so many times I reach out to God wanting an answer to my prayer and when I don't get the answer I want, or worse, no answer, is it because I'm guilty of one or more of the following faith-blockers?  May God help us to trust with a child-like faith, no blocker in our line to heaven!

5 Faith Blockers That Will Hinder Your Faith


Are you asking God to do any favors for you, large or small? Great! I’m standing with you for your miracles and dreams to happen. But did you know that some attitudes and actions will block your faith, making it difficult for you to receive from God? Here are a few heart-condemning faith blockers you want to avoid like a snake with a noisy tail:

1. Strife. I.e.: Arguing, fighting, and gossiping
2. Fear. Also called worry, fretting, agonizing, and anxiety

3. Negative talk. AKA griping, whining, complaining, and fault-finding
4. Worldly pursuits. Nothing sinful about going fishing, catching up with blogs or watching TV, but if they take too big a chunk of our time and heart, they may hinder our faith
5. Too much to do. If we’re burned out, it may be because we are adding things God never asked us to do.

Anything I missed?

Let's get rid of those faith blockers, so we can stand boldly before the throne of grace and ask for help in time of need.

Now, what can I agree with you for God to do in your life today?

REWARDS OF WRITING A LOCAL NEWSPAPER COLUMN


Guest Blog by Shelba Nivens

An editor of inspirational material once told me, “You won’t get rich writing this type thing, but you’ll make a little money and you’ll be getting the Word out.”

The same holds true with writing a weekly community column for a local newspaper. The “word” the editor was talking about was Christian faith, and there are times when I can do this in the newspaper. As a matter of fact, this week’s column is a faith-based story. Stories that show a person’s faith at work are my favorites.

But Community Columnists can “get the word out” about a lot of other things, as well. I’ve written stories about upcoming community, church, school and organization events and the people involved. Columns have been about a Health Fair sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce, a fourth-grader leading a book drive for other children, new businesses in the community, military mothers collecting and mailing thousands of socks to our fighting men and women overseas, Boy Scout projects, reunions. . .

The subject matter is endless. This is one of the rewards of writing a community column. The writer never runs out of things to write about.

Another reward is all the wonderful, interesting people I meet. I love doing stories about individuals, their lives, histories, activities, love stories.

A recent column featured a couple celebrating their sixty-fifth wedding anniversary. They met during WWII, when she came to his community to teach school and he came home on furlough. His Mama kept school teachers in their home, he told me, and as a boy he had to carry in firewood for all their rooms. He declared then that he would never marry a school teacher. But right off, when he met the little, new, red-haired school teacher, he knew she was the one for him.

I was also able to get some family and community history into this story, since his father owned and operated an early general store, and the building still stands on a prominent corner in our town.

History is another of my favorite subjects. A recent column about the expansion of the city’s library into the oldest house in the town, gave me opportunity to write about the people who first lived there in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, a family with thirteen children.

A couple of stories about World War II veterans gave a little history about the war through the eyes of young soldiers. “With bombs falling, shells going off, I shouldn’t have come out of Germany alive,” an 88-year-old told me. “I don’t know why the Lord let me live through it, but he had a reason.” He spent two years in France and Germany, then almost got his foot “blown off in Germany,” he said.

More up-to-date, cutting edge stories have been about a genealogist who traces his family tree through DNA and doctors with innovative treatments. An optometrist demonstrated for me the way a new machine helps detect various diseases in the body. A chiropractor uses acupuncture, along with chiropractic treatments, to treat pain.

Faith-based stories have included the testimonies of a woman whose faith brought her through a life-threatening kidney disease, and a young man who turned to God and turned his life around after a serious automobile accident. He now owns and operates, with his wife, the Christian coffee house, Ekklesia, meaning “called out.” Bible studies, music jam sessions, meetings and other community activities are held here, and additional space was recently added for the growing business.

I’ve found that writing for a newspaper has an advantage that writing a book or magazine article does not have. This is almost instant--and frequent--publication, which should be encouraging to any writer. It also helps people become familiar with a writer’s name so they recognize it when seeing it associated with a book or magazine article.

Newspapers usually have a website where articles are posted, giving a writer double coverage. The Shelby County (AL) Reporter, for which I write, publishes all community columns on the website and in a hardcopy of the newspaper.

Some things oftentimes viewed by writers as enemies, have become friends to me since I began writing a weekly column. Word limit is one of these. My word limit for the column is 300 to 400 words. I sometimes have to struggle to get a story short enough to fit into my allotted space, but editing and cutting has helped me tighten my writing.

A weekly deadline can be a negative or a positive. Forced to get out and find a story by a certain time every week can become old and interfere with longer writing projects. But it can also help keep the creative juices flowing.

Then, of course, there’s the money. It’s not much, but in this day of such a poor economy, every little bit counts. However, if it were only for the money that I write the column, I would not be doing it.

The Reporter has Community Columnists for several cities around the county. Although we all receive the same pay for a column and/or photo, some writers may earn more per hour than I do because they don’t spend as much time on a column. (I make more on some stories than others because of time spent.)

I like meeting the people I write about to get a feel for their personality, but occasionally, I never meet them in person. I’ll use the telephone and internet--check websites, send emails--to gather information. Still, all of this takes times, then by the time I check email several times to see if I’ve received a reply to my questions, rounded up a picture or gone out and snapped one, put all the information together and made a story out of it, emailed the story, along with photos and cutlines into the paper, the day may be gone. And I’ve earned little pay for a day’s work.

Still, considering the positives versus the negatives, the positives win for me. I find it rewarding to write about people and events in my community.

People often ask me, “How did you go about getting a job writing for the newspaper?” Some of the older ones, remember that I once worked on staff for this particular paper, and think that’s how I got in.

But the people running the paper probably were not even born when I worked there, so they didn’t know me when I sent them a possible feature story for the paper.

I thought an interim pastor at our church had an interesting story, so I wrote it up and sent it to the paper. I was not paid for the story, but it was printed and a week or so later an editor from the paper called to see if I wanted to write a column for our community. She already one columnist writing about her community and wanted to get columnist for other towns.

“Let me think about it,” I told her. “I already have a lot going.”

I talked to my husband Ken about it, thought about it, prayed about it, considered the pros and cons, then called her and said I would do it.

If you have considered the positives and negatives and decided you can benefit from writing a local newspaper column, you might offer an article for consideration. This is also how I began working for the paper several years ago as a steady free-lance contributor, then a staff writer. And how I came to be offered a job as stringer for a daily, which I turned down.

If your local paper has no community columnists, perhaps you can sell them on the idea when you offer your sample story.

Who knows, this might lead to a regular job where you can earn a living. If not, you’re sure to find other rewards.
To read the Chelsea Community Column, go to http://www.shelbycountyreporter.com/, click Lifestyles, click Shelba Nivens under Columnists. See Shelba Nivens on facebook and her blog at http://shelbanivens.blogspot.com/.

Welcome my Friend, Critique Partner, and Author of "A Stray Drop of Blood" . . .
Roseanna White!

Roseanna is guest blogging today for me about one of her favorite genres: Biblical Fiction! What a privilege and fun thing.

If you haven't read "A Stray Drop of Blood" yet, hurry--and I mean hurry--to order yours. It's a Biblical fiction that will touch the depths of your soul, stir your heart, and give your mind something to think about. As one of my friends said with tears in her eyes, and only part way into the book, "I couldn't sleep."

Every night as a child, my parents read my sister and me a Bible story. Adam and Eve, Noah and the Flood, Daniel in the Lion’s Den . . . accounts we’re all so familiar with now. We acted them out in Sunday School, we drew pictures to illustrate them. But my favorite retellings were always the ones that filled in the blanks with rich cultural detail and glimpses into the hearts of the people. Guess I’ve always had a propensity for fiction. =)


As a preteen, I remember my Junior Youth leader doing a a dramatic portrayal of a woman in the crowd at one of the New Testament events. I don’t even remember which one now, just that I was intrigued by the idea of an unnamed face that watched history unfold.

As a teenager, I read my first Biblical Fiction novels, quite a few all in a row. I loved them all, though they represented different sides of the genre. Some were retellings of familiar Bible stories, the characters fictionalized to fill in the blanks. Some were focused on characters that came entirely from the author’s imagination, but those characters interacted with figures we see in the Bible. And some took place during the time the Bible was written, dealt with its precepts, but had plots independent of Biblical accounts.

When I was fifteen I took my first delve into Bib-Fic as a writer, with a short story I called “A Stray Drop of Blood”–a story about a woman in the crowd at Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. Six years later I finished the novel with the same title, the expanded story of that fictional woman.

I found that my heart and inspiration came in that middle-road of Bib-fic, where you get glimpses of familiar stories through new eyes. I loved the challenge of digging deep into the Gospels and finding those tidbits that I could work into my story. Establishing reactions, reasons that modern readers might not have considered. Brushing up against the miraculous, the epoch, and only sometimes recognizing it as such.

I was recently talking to a woman who said she wanted to read something that would bridge the gap between the novels she loves and the Bible she loves, so she picked up a Biblical Fiction. That, I think, is what much of its appeal boils down to. In some ways, Christians know the era very well . . . but in others it’s a mystery. We like a novel that can make it real for us and make us view the events our faith is founded on in new, deeper ways.

There’s a lot of great Bib-Fic out there, and I’m confident the list will keep growing–as long as people keep their Bibles and wondering, “What if . . .?”

 
 
Wonderful, Roseanna! What an inspiring way of looking at Biblical fiction. I loved your ept ability in phrasing your genre. Thanks so much for sharing.

Check out Roseanna's website and blog at:

• http://www.roseannamwhite.com/

• http://roseannamwhite.blogspot.com/  

To buy one of Roseanna's books go to:

• CrossPurposes at: http://www.crosspurposesbooks.com/index.php?module=viewitem&item=705523
• And use coupon code BLOGGER for 20% off. Then shoot me an email at Roseanna@RoseannaWhite.com to get it personalized
• http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976544466/ref=s9_simi_gw_s8_p14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center5&pf_rd_r=0B0A98N2FYG6QSKVW4RN&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470939291&pf_rd_i=507846
• You can also get it from bookstores like Borders and B&N, though it would probably have to be ordered.

 
Blessings, dear readers!