It is my absolute pleasure to welcome a group of ladies with hearts for ministry.
In August 2016, I had the lovely opportunity to meet (and worship with) Melony Teague at the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat in Nashville, TN and through that connection I was introduced to the authors of the devotional,
As the Ink Flows - a book that keeps a writer's focus on the soul of our stories. Jesus.
As an Alleycat, I've enjoyed the beautiful fellowship of other authors who love Jesus, so it's so sweet to see other groups combine their knowledge and talents in a way to spread good news to others.
I am excited to introduce these ladies to you today!
They are offering a giveaway of their devotional to one lucky commenter - so stop by and share :-)
Now...let's meet these gals.
Glenda, Melony, Carol, Claudia, and Marguerite, welcome to our alley :-)
(Q1) I
love to see a group of writers come together to create such a thoughtful and
beautiful project. What brought the five of you together for As the Ink Flows?
Carol Ford: Our
writers’ group was formed in 2012 and we are now in our fifth year of regular
meetings. Our common connection was The Word Guild,[i]
and while attending the annual Write Canada conference, we discussed the idea
of meeting together, as we all lived relatively close to one another. At our
first meeting we listed our goals for organizing a writers’ group, and by the
next meeting we had picked our mission statement: To prayerfully support, encourage,
and inspire one another in our writing goals, to the glory of our God.
From this beginning, we chose a name for our group—“Friends in The
Word”—and have been offering each other support, prayer, editorial critique,
and creative ideas for writing, publishing, and marketing ever since. We also
thought that a devotional for writers would be useful for ourselves and others.
It was Glenda Dekkema who put the project into motion, and we all
made contributions to the book. When we finished, we knew that As the Ink Flows: Devotions to Inspire
Christian Writers & Speakers would offer readers a unique approach to
meditating on God’s Word and responding in writing.
(Q2) Each
of you have a unique writing experience. Would you take a few lines to share
your writing journey with our readers?
Melony: Looking back, I realized the
signs were there, but I never recognized them. I loved English Lit. at school
and was inspired by my English teacher, Mrs. Prinsloo (with whom I am still in
contact today). She coached me when I entered a Speech contest on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. As a teenager I was
the secret author of a high school gossip column for our local newspaper. (This
has remained a secret all these years!) Then I went on to do other things in
other fields, and it wasn’t until 2010 that I realized what I wanted to be when
I grow up. A writer. I then began pursuing a writing career with the support of
my family and friends. It wasn’t easy at first, but it has been worth every
minute. I am so blessed to be able to do what I love and love what I do, and
contribute to the finances of the family. At first, when I was doing research
as to which direction my writing career should take, I thought I might write
fiction, but inspired by Letters of E. B.
White by E. B. White, I realized I was far more interested in nonfiction,
real stories. I have up until this point primarily written nonfiction, but I
anticipate branching out to fiction in the future, when my children are a
little more grown-up and self-sufficient. I have loved every second of my freelance
career, and I love the variety it brings. Each project is unique, whether I am
doing an article on a celebrity, writing a profile for a sports star, or doing
work for clients (editing, teaching, or coaching). There is always something
new to learn about people and about this industry. Being part of our writers’
group “Friends in The Word” has played a pivotal role in my success. I would
not be where I am without their support, prayers, and love.
(Pepper commentary here: I LOVE how teacher's can inspire us!!)
Carol: I never
thought of myself as a writer, but I have been coaching and writing job search
documents (such as resumes or cover letters) for several years. I have also
been a corporate trainer for over twenty years, and this requires me to take a
lot of information and pare it down for presentations and handouts. I notice that this experience has helped me
be more direct and active in my writing style. I enjoy writing smaller articles
and short stories, but I need to complete my memoir about adoption and finding
my birth family.
Claudia: My
interest in writing started back in 1977. However, it took me until 2010 before
I began to seriously contemplate writing my memoir. Initially, I wanted to
write this for my grandchildren. I wanted each of them to know about my
childhood struggles and how I overcame them as an adult when I put my faith in
Jesus Christ. I signed up for an online creative writing course and found
myself enjoying the assignments, as well as getting feedback from my instructor
and my fellow students. After the first course, I signed up for two more—all on
writing a memoir. It was during the last course I took that I decided my story
needed to be shared with others who may possibly be helped in dealing with
forgiveness. Prior to this, I had become a born-again Christian at the age of
forty-one and soon after was able to forgive my alcoholic dad. In 2012, I took
my writing to another level and connected with an editor. My book was picked up
by a publisher and released in 2015. In the meantime, our writers’ group
decided to write a devotional for speakers and writers. Our group was an
ongoing support with prayer and encouragement for one another throughout as we
progressed in making As the Ink Flows the best it could be!
(Pepper commentary: Claudia, that is definitely a story to share with the world. Your healing. God's forgiveness! Wow!}
Marguerite: I have been interested in writing
all my life, and I even worked as a technical writer for a few years, which
gave me a really good grounding. However, after a while I moved to other jobs.
Years passed, and I guess I started to feel a nudge to get back into writing,
especially from a Christian worldview. Then one day, a member of my Bible study
group told me that there was an association of Canadian Christian writers
called The Word Guild. The moment she mentioned this, I knew that this was
exactly what I needed. I needed other people to help me get moving, otherwise I
would be forever dreaming of writing and get nowhere. Thanks to this writers’
association, I have been able to contribute to five different books. It is also
thanks to The Word Guild that I met the other writers in our wonderful small
group “Friends in The Word.” For me, being part of a network of writers has
made all the difference.
(Q3) What
do each of you hope As the Ink Flows will
offer to readers/writers?
Glenda: I really hope you take the time to do the writing
exercises at the end of each devotion. We would love to hear your feedback.
Come back to our blogs/websites/Facebook pages and let us know what you think.
Melony: I hope that writers who are
discouraged will have their passion for writing renewed. I pray that whether
they have been in the industry for years, or are just beginning their journey,
they would understand the value in what they do, not only in terms of the
publishing industry, but in light of the Kingdom of God. An author’s job is not
an easy one, one pours a part of one’s self into each project.
Carol: I hope
that readers and writers will be encouraged to pick up their pens or go to the
computer and write short responses to the devotions. I also hope that these
prompts will spark creative ideas that will blossom into published work or
powerful talks.
Claudia: My
hope is that our book will encourage writers to use the devotional along with
the Bible on a daily basis, in order to be refreshed and enlightened with
respect to the significant way in which God may guide them as they write.
Marguerite: I agree with all these great
answers. I hope especially that the readers will sense heartfelt support for
their work, whatever their level; and also a sense of freedom to be creative
and to try something new for them—perhaps poetry, drama, or songwriting.
(Pepper commentary: I hear the words encouragement, support, creatvity, passion, devotion - all beautiful words to inspire us! Thank you!)
(Q4) The
writing journey is not for the faint of heart or spirit. What is one important
piece of advice you’ve learned through your process that you’d would like to
share?
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| merkphotography.com |
Glenda: If you have
something to say... say it! Even if it may have been said before, only you can
say it in your unique way, with your unique experiences and your unique talents.
Go for it!
Melony: I think you have
to believe in your dream and go for it no matter what comes along. You have
embrace your strengths and recognize your weak areas. Be prepared to learn,
develop and know it is a process, a journey and you just have to keep chipping
away at it, keep moving forward. And, you really can’t take things too
personally.
Carol: Don’t
rush the process. I tend to write something and want to share it before I have
done enough editing. Often after I have sent something and reread my work, I
see so many ways I could improve it. I think the best way to avoid this is to
let my work sit for a day or two.
Claudia: To
continue with confidence in your goals with respect to what you would like to achieve.
If discouragement happens, for one reason or another, spend time in prayer and
ask God to keep you focused and determined to complete what you have begun.
Marguerite: If I have learned one thing, it
would be the power of partnerships—especially partnerships with other writers
who share your faith. There is something very special about connecting with
others on a regular basis, especially if you can pray together as well as
discuss your writing projects. Moreover, it is much easier to prepare a
contribution to an anthology or to a devotional than to write a whole book!
(Q5) Many
of us struggle to make the time for devotions in our days, let alone writing.
What is some advice you’d give on making time for both count?
Glenda: You may think you don’t have time for devotions, but
you probably do have a few moments every day to slip away from the chaos and
spend it reading a devotion and praying. It may be the most important time of
your day!
About writing: if you want to make a
career out of it, you’ll have to devote time and energy to it every day. You
will need to stay glued to your chair and write, whether or not you feel like
it at the time. I believe there's no such thing as inspiration without
dedication.
Melony: We recognized this dilemma when
we were writing our devotional. It is for this very reason that we kept each
piece short and to the point. The devotional is broken into sections according
to theme, so that at a glance you can pick from a section which appeals to you
for that day. I believe it is hard to be creative, to pour your efforts into
writing when your spirit is dry. You have to take care of your spirit, soul,
and body in order to write from a place of inspiration, life, and health. This
goes for any kind of writing you are doing, whether it is for the Christian publishing
industry or not.
Carol: This is
definitely a struggle for me. I continue to work at a specific time for my
personal devotions and protect that time. However, I find that my commitment to
a weekly Bible study helps me keep a focus in God’s Word.
Claudia: I
find that getting up earlier on the days I plan to write is an essential
component to accomplishing both my devotional time and the time I hope to set aside
for writing. It has become my habit to do my devotions before I attempt to do
anything else. I also keep a notebook beside my bed with a schedule for writing
the following day. For me, I find I have to be disciplined in how I divide up
my day and determined to stick to it as much as possible.
Marguerite: What helps me is following a book,
even if I end up reading it many times. I always discover something new. And
being part of a group is an incredible motivation, too, whether for a Bible
study, for prayer, or for writing.
Pepper: I love all these answers and the 'heart' of your stories. Thank you for being with us at the Alley today and I really appreciate, particularly, your encouragement!!
Thank you to Pepper Basham for hosting us, we are delighted to be included!
News from the Alley this week!!
It's this week!
your last day to enter in the Grammarly contest announced on Monday. Follow the link here for your chance to be entered in the contest.
Check out the guest post from author
Marie Benedict - fantastic post today.
And don't forget to enjoy this fun
post by Cara Putman on writing tips from fabulous Christmas movies!
Special thanks to everyone who helped celebrate Pepper's book release of The Thorn Healer this week! It was a great time!!
[i]
As described on its website (www.thewordguild.com), The Word
Guild is a community of “Canadian
writers, editors, speakers, publishers, booksellers, librarians and other
interested individuals who are Christian. From all parts of Canada and many
denominational and cultural backgrounds, [members of The Word Guild]
affirm a common statement of faith and are united in [their] passion for the
written word.”
4. Jump ahead- If
you’re stuck at a particular moment in the story, who says you can’t jump ahead
and start working on another scene that has already sketched out clearly in
your mind? The thing we sometimes forget is that we can always delete,
rearrange, or tweak. Maybe that scene won’t work out when you put the pieces of
your story together, but sometimes all you need is a burst of enthusiasm to get
back into the groove. A first draft is not final. Just write and know you can
fix it later.
Amy Leigh Simpson writes romantic mysteries with honesty and humor, sweetness and spice, and gritty reality covered by grace. When she’s not stealing moments at naptime to squeeze out a few more adventures in storyland, she’s chasing around two tow-headed miscreants (Ahem)—boys, playing dress up with one sweet princess baby, and being the very blessed wife to the coolest, most swoon-worthy man alive. Amy is a Midwestern-girl, a singer, blogger, runner, coffee-addict, and foodie. Her Sports Medicine degree is wasted patching up daily boo boo’s, but whatever is left usually finds its way onto the page with fluttering hearts, blood and guts, and scars that lead to happily ever after.
Amy Leigh Simpson writes romantic mysteries with honesty and humor, sweetness and spice, and gritty reality covered by grace. When she’s not stealing moments at naptime to squeeze out a few more adventures in storyland, she’s chasing around two tow-headed miscreants (Ahem)—boys, playing dress up with one sweet princess baby, and being the very blessed wife to the coolest, most swoon-worthy man alive. Amy is a Midwestern-girl, a singer, blogger, runner, coffee-addict, and foodie. Her Sports Medicine degree is wasted patching up daily boo boo’s, but whatever is left usually finds its way onto the page with fluttering hearts, blood and guts, and scars that lead to happily ever after.
Ever since I researched 1940s Hollywood for 
