Writing Light 🌞

 

Covid was bad enough, but as I watched political events unfold over the past year, and especially in the last three months, I performed the stereotypical turtle move and disappeared into my shell. Writing has been almost nonexistent.

I’ve been afraid to speak what’s on my heart. If I click the “send” button too quickly after writing with passion or fear, will I regret hasty words? 

Do I have any understanding of my times at all?

The Lord has been patient with me. He’s allowed me to whine, to mindlessly watch TV game shows for hours on end, and to type away on my keyboard—and  delete. The grand entry of 2021 didn’t change my behavior, but a recent, online prayer service has nudged me to the point where I’m peeking out from my shell.

Last Sunday’s prayers were filled with the vision of moving toward our future with God’s help. The youth pastor used an amplified version of Psalm 23:4. “Fear will never conquer me, for You already have.”

Yes! I belong to Jesus! My job is to listen for His guidance and write what He wants me to write—in fiction and in blogging.

Another prayer reminded us of Who God Is. How I needed that assurance! I could move forward in writing and in life with that standard before me.

The prayer for our national leaders pointed us toward praying blessings over them, and for We The People to do what is right in God’s eyes and to teach our children to do the same.

We prayed for healing, looking forward to the time when the pandemic will be behind us and for the Church and its leaders that they may have wisdom for these times. And we finished with the Serenity Prayer.

The prayer service hadn’t shown me anything new, but the reminders encouraged me to:

 

• Listen to God and know when to move, when to speak, or when to wait. 
• Pray for my leaders, both within the church and in our country, seeking blessing and wisdom for them.
• Realize God can see it all—the global pandemic, the political maneuverings, the cry of every person’s heart.

 

God has always known that I would live in this era, in this nation, and that He would gift me with the skills of writing and teaching. It's time to come out of my shell and move toward new challenges and adventures.

 

With God’s help I can overcome fear.

With God’s help I  can write with a voice of reason and inspiration.

With God’s help I will speak Light and Life to all who can hear.

 

God has done the same with you. He has known you would live in Indiana in 2021 in the years of pandemic and political upheaval. He has given you the skills to write, and you have other talents as well. If you've had the same problem as I've had this year, read those words again--

With God's help you can overcome fear.

With God's help you can write with a voice of reason and inspiration.

With God's help you will speak Light and Life to all who can hear.

Go write.

Linda Sammaritan writes realistic fiction, mostly for kids ages ten to fourteen. She is currently working on a middle grade trilogy, World Without Sound, based on her own experiences growing up with a deaf sister.

Linda had always figured she’d teach middle-graders until school authorities presented her with a retirement wheelchair at the overripe age of eighty-five. However, God changed those plans when He gave her a growing passion for writing fiction. In May of 2016, she blew goodbye kisses to her students and dedicated her work hours to learning the craft.

A wife, mother of three, and grandmother to seven, Linda regales the youngest grandchildren with “Nona Stories,” tales of her childhood. Maybe one day those stories will be in picture books!

 

 

Where Linda can be found on the web:  

www.lindasammaritan.com

www.facebook.com/lindasammaritan

www.twitter.com/LindaSammaritan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finding Writerly Inspiration in these COVID Times

 A few days ago, a caring soul inquired, “How are you holding up?”

I knew immediately what his rather generic question referred to—my natural yearning for connections of the people variety, that had been hampered in an incredible way by the coronavirus. Although we don’t share this particular personality trait, he understood that the isolation wrought by the pandemic had been difficult for me.

I have so missed people and conversations, events, activities, and gatherings as well as the planning for, anticipation of, and the lingering memories of heretofore taken-for-granted occasions.  

And boy, did I miss opportunities to connect in-person with other writers. Even during “normal” times, my longing for time spent with fellow writers would compel me to seek out any and all chances to connect with my tribe. Thankfully, my local writers’ group rallied to organize video chats and later outdoor gatherings. ACFW Indiana “went virtual” to continue with a slate of scheduled instructional events, minus the sharing of lunch, of course. The national ACFW Conference adopted an online format that brought educators and authors at every level together for instruction in the craft of writing.    

Guess what? I took advantage of each of these opportunities to learn and connect with others who share my passion for words. While nothing completely replaces that in-person experience, both my mental state and writing skills benefited from these virtual experiences.

While I certainly hope that normal returns next year, allowing for group gatherings of every variety, I’m thankful for these interim arrangements that allow us see and hear each other and to share “space” with folks who understand the workings of a writer’s mind.

Plans are already in the works for the 2021 line up of speakers to address a variety of topics for ACFW Indiana members. We’ll begin the year with a gathering via Zoom in January. While attempting an in-person state-wide meeting during the deep freeze of winter would not have been advisable, an online coming together will not be bothered by the likelihood of snow and ice. And what could be better than sprucing up the dull, slow month of January with writerly companionship?

Another plus to meeting online? With much less hassle and expense, we can invite a guest speaker from across the country to join us—even from the far reaches of the globe, if we can work around the issue of time zones!

I’ve always prized the trait of resourcefulness, admiring the figure-it-out-despite-great-obstacles skill some folks seem to have in abundance while other poor souls possess not an ounce. If only resourcefulness could be bottled and sold to the masses! I’m hoping that the challenges of the pandemic have ignited resourcefulness where it may have become puny as well as introduced resourcefulness to others who have never developed this mighty trait.

So, how and where have you found writing inspiration during these isolating times? What COVID inspired events/activities have you taken advantage of? Are you aware of online workshops, conferences, or other writerly happenings in the near future? Please share info and links in the comments. 

P.S. If you need assistance with the ins and outs of meeting via Zoom, PLEASE ask! It's easier than most folks fear it will be. Shoot an email to acfwindianachapter@gmail.com with questions or concerns.  

 

Beth immerses herself in the YA world via substitute teaching, connecting with the teenage staff at the fast-food joint where she claims the back booth as her office, and reading YA fiction.

She’s a cheerleader for saving sex for marriage. Her “Waiting Matters … Because YOU Matter” blog helps people of all ages navigate the choppy waters of saving sex for marriage and “renewed waiting.” In her “Choices Matter” YA series, a relevant cast of high school-aged characters face real life choices and consequences in the often-messy, rarely simple world of friendship, family matters, and dating relationships. The mini books of the “Waiting Matters” series offer practical, candid advice for making wise life decisions. 

Beth is also a genetic genealogy enthusiast who used DNA to find her birth parents. Her journey to find and connect with her biological family is chronicled in “A Doorstep Baby’s Search for Answers”. Her “Slices of Real Life” posts find GOD in the day-to-day moments of real life. All of Beth’s writing endeavors can be found on her website at https://bethsteury.com

 

 

 

 

The Writing Sabbath

We writers constantly bemoan our lack of time to write.

We add up the hours set aside for the kids, for the spouse, for friends, for church activities and community responsibilities—oh, and most of us have jobs outside the home! All of those activities are good. We want to keep doing them, but is there any time left in our schedule to write?

Young moms have been known to lock themselves in the bathroom for twenty or thirty minutes. Some of us hole up in a coffee shop or the library for an hour or so once a week. We write after the rest of the household has gone to bed, or we drag ourselves out of bed an hour ahead of the family.

The daily grind crushes us into exhaustion. We need a break from the day-in-day-out pressures of life.

Writers’ conferences provide for that much-needed break. Once I experienced the creative energy generated by a conference, I was hooked.

Not gonna happen this year.

I’ve signed up for our ACFW National Conference online, and I’ll be attending a second conference also online. I appreciate all the opportunities I have to improve my craft,  but I’ll still be sitting at home in front of my computer. The laundry and the dishes will still call out for attention. It just won’t be the same joy as meeting other writers in person.

But I will be getting some uninterrupted writing time, almost a week of Jesus and me and the beach and  my computer! I’m calling it my Writing Sabbath. Usually, I consider a sabbath a total rest from work, so if writing is my work, how can a week of writing be my sabbath?

The Writing Sabbath

This sabbath is really rest from the daily grind. I’ll be in unfamiliar surroundings. No schedule, no to-do list. Each day can stretch before me with choices for the moment. Shall I take a walk on the beach and talk to Jesus, eat some breakfast, or jump into a chapter? Shall I put a salad together, outline my next book for a while, or take a dip in the pool?

So where might you be able to find a writer’s sabbath this summer or fall? It doesn’t have to last a week. God provided the blessing of a condo rented months ago in anticipation of a family wedding. COVID-19 may have changed my original plans, but Jesus had already made a divine appointment in its place.

A twelve-hour sabbath is better than no sabbath at all.

Even a complete day out of the house and off the job can be a welcome breath of fresh air.

Maybe a good friend is heading out of town for the weekend. Would they mind if you wrote at their house for the whole day?

If you have the spare funds, rent a hotel room for a night or two. You’d have all that time to write from check-in to check-out. Inns at our state parks have the extra bonus of nature walks or kayaks, swimming pools or horseback riding for the hours when you need to move and stretch.

If you’re not sure a hotel room fits your budget, those same state parks allow you to use their facilities with a moderate entrance fee. The common areas of the inn are still available as a place to write in beautiful surroundings.

Some ministries actually provide retreats for Christian writers. I’ve spent time at Shepherd’s Gate, part of REST Ministries, and I’ve visited St. Benedict’s. If you Google “retreat centers in Indiana,” you’ll find many possibilities. Some are free, and those who charge for overnight accommodations and food offer reasonable rates.

No matter how you decide to break away from all the stress of the pandemic on top of your daily grind, I pray you’ll find refreshment for your spirit as you and the Lord enjoy a writing sabbath together.

Linda Sammaritan writes realistic fiction, mostly for kids ages ten to fourteen. She is currently working on a middle grade trilogy, World Without Sound, based on her own experiences growing up with a deaf sister.

Linda had always figured she’d teach middle-graders until school authorities presented her with a retirement wheelchair at the overripe age of eighty-five. However, God changed those plans when He gave her a growing passion for writing fiction. In May of 2016, she blew goodbye kisses to her students and dedicated her work hours to learning the craft.

A wife, mother of three, grandmother to seven, Linda regales the youngest grandchildren with “Nona Stories,” tales of her childhood. Maybe one day those stories will be in picture books!

Where Linda can be found on the web:

www.lindasammaritan.com

www.facebook.com/lindasammaritan

www.twitter.com/LindaSammaritan