Quantcast
Channel: Karen Boyce – The Catholic Writers Guild
Viewing all 47 articles
Browse latest View live

Marketing – Goodreads I

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Using social media to promote your work is not only advisable but is also expected today. One of the great media tools is Goodreads. Goodreads was created in 2006 by Otis and Elizabeth Chandler with a stated mission “to help people find and share books they love… [and] to improve the process of reading and learning throughout the world.” In 2011, Goodreads acquired Discovereads, a book recommendation engine that employs “machine learning algorithms to analyze which books people might like, based on books they’ve liked in the past and books that people with similar tastes have like.” On November 2012, Goodreads had surpassed 12 million members. Amazon.com acquired Goodreads in 2013.

The first promotional tool is to join Goodreads and create an author profile. All members of Goodreads have profiles created when they join, but authors have special profiles and promotional tools. To become part of the author program, simply do a search for your own book. Click on your name as author. Scroll down to the page bottom and click on the question “Is this you?”

The benefits of presenting your profile on Goodreads are seemingly endless. You are reaching people who are readers, who take their reading seriously and who write reviews. Your work will get rated by fans and you can build up a base of loyal readers who will follow you, waiting for your next book or blog. And here is my first pointer. It is not just enough to join and set up a profile on Goodreads – you must be an active member. You should start posting the books you read and post reviews to Goodreads.  As an author, your positive reviews count with your readers.  You should always post your blog. You may think that seems like too much, but Goodreads makes it easy by allowing you to automatically have your blog post on your Goodreads site. Each time I write a blog on my website it is automatically posted on Goodreads.

You can also have Amazon and Kindle purchases reflect on your Goodreads page. It’s easy to do. Look to the right hand column of your home page and you will see New! Add your amazon books! Click on that and make the connection. It makes it easy to rate and review the books you purchase for your kindle or in print. It keeps an ongoing list of the books you ordered.

Write those reviews. Goodreads is an interactive site. When you write reviews people read them.  If they like your reviews they follow or friend you. They order your books and write reviews for you. I try to write reviews, even simple ones, for most of the books I read or order. Of course that is not always possible with a busy writing schedule. When I  can’t write the comprehensive review I would like to, I at least write a line or two and rate  the book. I cannot tell you how many followers and readers I have gained by taking the time to support other writers and their work. I am a firm believer that what you give is always returned to you with God’s grace and blessings. In Luke 6: 38 the Lord promises, “Give, and it shall be given unto you: good measure, pressed down and shaken together and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete, therewith it shall be measured to you again.”

Goodreads allows you to join on-line groups and there seems to be a group to fit every interest and need. I became so excited by the numerous groups offered that I initially  joined too many of them. I suggest you be more careful. Join one group or at the most two. Remember, this is interactive. It is better to  become a real member of a group, get to know the other members, share postings and news, then to belong and not have a presence. To find a group just  click on the top subject bar that says “groups.” Do a search for the kind of group you are interested in. Do you want a Catholic or Christian group? Do you want a writing or reading group? Do you want to join a group of children’s or non-fiction writers? The possibilities are endless. Take the time to find a group that will fulfill your needs. I have just skimmed the surface of what Goodreads offered authors. More next blog.


Marketing – Goodreads II

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Let’s continue with the many ways an author can use Goodreads to promote their work and reach fans that they normally wouldn’t touch. I write Catholic fiction, so most of my readers are Catholic and my books are reaching their target audience through word-of-mouth, Catholic organizations, Catholic schools, and religious markets. How do I reach others who don’t frequent the paths and byways that I travel? Goodreads has allowed me to market to many varied and otherwise unreachable readers and potential fans. I have received reviews both good and bad from readers who identified themselves as atheists, pagans, Buddhists, and Muslims. I have a following of “Born-Again” Christians who have invited me to their churches to speak. I have been welcomed into numerous Protestant organizations to share my work. I like to say that Lutherans are my biggest fans. How did this happen? Most of it happened through Goodreads.

In order to reach others with your thoughts, writings, and faith you have to travel.  Travel means surfing the social network. Jesus didn’t just preach in the synagogues – He stood on the mount, spoke in the valley, rode on a donkey and reached out to the farmers, shepherds, and tax-collectors of his day. He reached the world without the benefit of the Internet. How blessed are you? You can reach out while sitting in your pajamas sipping coffee in your own home. Instead of being afraid of using social media, you should be praising God that you were born into such a magical time. The top bar of Goodreads is your road to others.

I run Goodreads contests and give away my work at least once a month. In order to start a give-a-way, Go to the top bar of your Goodreads page, click on explore, and click on give-a-ways. You will be channeled to the giveaway page and be delighted to see the many and varied books being offered free by various authors in all genre. Entering the contests to win a copy of a book is just a click away. You can also narrow your interest by entering the kind of book you would like the win. Do you want a mystery or a fantasy? Do you want a romance or a horror? Go ahead and enter. If you win a free book give back – write a review!

It’s great to win a book, but it is even better to offer your book! Once you are on the give-away page, look to the right and click on list a giveaway. Have your book ready so you can answer the basic questions required like your ISBN number. What fun! You pick the timing and the number of books in your contest. Goodreads recommends running your contest for a month but I find that a week is just as good. Once you get toward the end of your contest timing Goodreads alerts readers that the contests is about to close and you will see an influx of interested parties. Be ready with a short description of your work and be honest. Don’t try to draw an audience with deceptive marketing unless you are ready for the pile of bad reviews you will receive. Don’t list your book as a mystery and slam the winner with a book on theology. I personally would be angry if I entered a contest for a Christian book only to find out it was a book on vampires. You have an opportunity to put an accurate blurb – do it. You can also place tags on your book. Again be honest but creative. Use tags that are true but along with the obvious look for unique tags to reach odd searches by readers. Does your Christian mystery have a detective from Detroit? Put the place, nationality, or unique characteristic as a tag. Does you children’s book involve a pig, dog, or angel? What great tags!

Now comes the best part of running a Goodreads contest. What countries do you think would like your book? You get the offer to run your contest in the United States, Canada, Australia, or the United Kingdom. Do you want to reach England with your historical study? Are you hoping to expand your readership to down under? Go ahead plan a contest. However don’t stop there. If you scroll down, you can pick particular countries from all over the world. Does your mystery take place in Ireland? Gee, maybe you should run a contest in that country. The options are unlimited. I have run contests in Australian, the UK and Canada and picked up fans along the way.

Goodreads also offers numerous other options like a list of quotes by famous people who I find both inspiring and helpful. You can list your favorite authors and make a list of your Goodreads friends. You can run quizzes and discussions on your latest works. It is a golden opportunity to expand your readership and find others who share your passion for books. Next time let’s discuss the Book Launching Party!

Marketing – Understanding Twitter!

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

I have to admit that the whole concept of a twitter account confused me. How important or helpful could it be? As an older woman, I didn’t see the value of tweeting anyone! As a long-winded novelist who couldn’t write a short story if my life depended on it, I couldn’t quite grasp the appeal of just using 140 characters. Who would submit themselves to such constraints? I had no idea how important and valuable this internet tool would become to a writer who needs to get the word out about their work.

A younger writer in my local writing group laughed at my confusion and instructed me on the value of keeping in touch with the very young people who use twitter daily. Younger readers use twitter as we used to use the telephone! And realizing that the very readers  I was trying to reach were on twitter sealed the deal for me. First I had to understand the basic language of Twitter.

Trying to use Twitter without understanding the lingo is like speaking to the United Nations without a translator. So here are the basic definitions of the language of Twitter.When you sign up for a twitter account, one of the very first things you need to do is create a handle. What’s a handle? That is your twitter name. You have seen them. They always start with @.  Being creative, I came up with a unique and unexpected handle – my name at @karenkellyboyce. It is your user name and it shows up in every tweet you create. Many people create eye-catching handles that reflect their work, viewpoint or interest. I do not regret using my name. After all, I am trying to get my name out there as a known author. Some users (and I plan to try this myself) create handles for characters in their books. They answer questions and create conversations about current events as the character would. It can create quite a stir and spark interest in your book. However, starting out you need a basic handle.

One of the important uses of Twitter is the mention  of somebody else to promote them. You could also mention  yourself or have  another person promote you. For example, if I wanted to recommend another writer, publisher or friend the tweet I create would have their handle in it. Perhaps I would mention @ellengablehrkach. This mention would not help her at all! Why? Because that is not this talented writer’s handle. Always make sure that your know the proper handle of the person you are trying to promote. If you want to promote Ellen you need to use her real handle which is @ellengable. Now is a good time to try it – give our illustrious president a mention!

One of the terms which you probably know already is the link.  If you want to include a site where the recipient can buy your book, or read the article or like the blog, you need to include a link that they can just click on to connect. Don’t ever use your link first because spam tweets always start with a link and you will be ignored or filtered out. However, do use your link early so the reader can click on without searching. Now the dilemma with Twitter is that you are limited to just 140 characters and you don’t want your meandering link to use up all your space. That is why there are services that allow you to shrink those long links. Some of them are free like Hootsuite, Buffer or bit.ly. Some of them keep track of how many people clicked on your link.

One of the aspects of twitter that really confused me in the beginning was the hashtag. A hashtag is always started with the symbol #. In my day that was the symbol for number. However, hashtags are here to stay and in order to use twitter properly I needed to understand them. Let’s keep it simple. A hashtag is a topic or conversation that you want to follow or want be a part of. For example #childrensbooks or #presidentialrace. If you put a search in twitter it will direct you to all tweets about that subject. If you want your tweet to rise up when someone researches you need to include a hashtag in your tweet to identify it. For instance, if you are tweeting about your latest murder mystery you should place a hashtag in your tweet like #murder #mystery. In a sense it is like a tag on facebook.

There is still more to learn about how to use twitter as a marketing tool – next blog!

 

Marketing – How about a Party!

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

 

So you finished your book – I bet it took quite a lot of time and work. Most novels and book length manuscripts take more than a year to finish because an author bleeds his heart onto every page. You got up early each morning or missed sleep each night to write. You turned down invitations for important social events and locked yourself away with your laptop. You haven’t seen your friends for months, and may have to put an A.P.B. out to find your husband and children. Looking in the mirror you see that your skin grew pale and your hair dark for want of sunlight. Still you weren’t done. After months of query letters and piles of rejection letters, you found a publisher. Whether your book is eventually self-published or traditionally published that took some money and hard work. You designed or paid an artist to create the perfect cover. You tore your hair out with the edits and just when you were sure that you could repeat the book verbatim without actually having the book in front of you, it was sent to the printers. When it arrived, you tore open the box and held it up in the light. Wow! And you’re not going to have a party?

A book launching party is not only fun and rewarding; it is a great way to kick-start your sales. The party is an enjoyable way to get the word out and reward yourself for all the hard work and dedication. It is also a great way to let your family and friends know that you are still alive! And planning the party is an entertaining way to release all the tension. I have had three book-launching parties and enjoyed all of them. My first publisher threw me a party in a quaint little coffee shop in a neighboring town. I invited family and friends and did a short reading. All of my friends purchased a signed copy of my novel and I felt like a ‘real author’ for the first time. I had my next two book launching parties at the local library. My sister helped me serve donuts and coffee. I did a few readings and signed books. In this setting I met strangers who wandered in and ended up buying books. I never had a book launching party for my children’s series, Sisters of the Last Straw, but have decided to throw a party for the fourth volume.

When you plan your party, think of a unique venue that reflects your book. We had a local author who wrote a vampire thriller and had her party at the local ‘haunted house’ on Halloween. She advertised in the paper. Not only did she sell hundreds of books, but she made the vendor happy because he sold numerous tickets to his attraction. Another friend of mine wrote a book on the history of the N.J. Pine Barrens. She held her book launching party at a famous historical store in the center of the yearly cranberry festival. The lines to get a signed copy of her work wound out the door! A romance writer in my local group had her latest novel launched at the local ice cream parlor. I may have the book launching for the fourth Sisters book at the ice cream parlor with a free scoop of ice cream for each book sold.

Where are you going to have your book launching party? Make it fun but remember that it is all about business. Put on your marketing hat and be creative! Send out specially created postcards with info about your book on the cover. Send out those press releases about your launch party! Remember the more creative your venue – the more likely the story will be carried in the paper. Offer an incentive to the public – a free slice of pizza, or other treats. What a way to start your marketing. It is too good a marketing tool to skip! Next time let’s talk about twitter!

Marketing – The social rules of Twitter

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Now that we have gone over the rudiments of Twitter, let’s talk about the expected behavior of those who use twitter. There are certain expected ‘rules’ of behavior on twitter. I have tried to list them here. I also try to use them. Other people on twitter expect them.

  1. The point of using twitter as a promotion tool is to network with other people. You want to attract people – get them to sign on as your follower. Getting followers is the goal of twitter. To attract followers a member should behave on twitter as one would at a live conference. There may be people who walk around a convention or conference handing out their business cards and refusing to take other people’s cards, but I don’t think they would make a good impression or get much interest in their business. It is the same online with twitter. When you are handed a business card, you usually thank the person and give them your card. On twitter when someone follows you, you should always thank them. When I first started using twitter, I thought it would be nice to send a personal message to those who followed me.  When I told my younger friend this she couldn’t stop laughing. The people on twitter do not want a personal relationship, they want exposure. She taught me that a thank you on twitter needs to be public. Each week I go to my site and click on ‘followers.’ It is there that I can find the people who became my follower that week. I take their handles and create a tweet that looks like this-“Thanks for the follow @someone @youtoo @goodtaste etc.”
  2. Once you join twitter, take the time to create a profile. Include a photo, information about your work and some pictures representing your writing. Use book covers if you are an author, magazine links if you write short stories, etc. Write an interesting synopsis of who you are and what you do. You will see the importance of your profile as we go on.
  1. When you create a tweet – take the time to include a link for the recipient. Tweets are about convenience. It is just impolite not to make it easy for the recipient to be able to buy the book you are promoting, the youtube cat video you are recommending or the business you are praising. Again, do not put your link first as most spammers do this but include it early in the tweet to make it convenient for the reader.
  1. When people follow you, if it is feasible follow them back. I have learned the hard way to check the profile of the person who follows me. I don’t usually follow business tweets back, not unless it is a business I want to promote or am interested in. I don’t take the initial info on the follow notification as enough to know. I have in the past followed unsavory sites by trying to save time. I now take the time to click on the handle and read the complete profile, check what kind of followers they have and what kind of language they use in their tweets. It only takes a moment to do this, but it is well worth the time.
  1. Know your friends’ handles. When you go onto your twitter site you will see a search line on the right top of the page. Search for your friends and read their tweets. If you like something they have tweeted – re-tweet it. As you move your cursor and let it hover at the bottom of their tweet, you will see the options to reply, re-tweet, favorite or have more options. If you want to promote your friends, re-tweet their stuff. When you like what they are saying ‘favorite’ the tweet.
  1. Don’t have a closed mind. Randomly read your tweets. I found a children’s book writer who followed me. I asked him (in a private message) if I could review his book. When I gave him a positive review (on my blog, Goodreads, Amazon and in a tweet) he was forever grateful. He now re-tweets and will favorite me routinely. At least once a month he uses my handle to tweet a thank you. I have done this frequently with similar results. Reach out and promote someone else.

This may all seem overwhelming but remember it is just a modern way of exchanging business cards, meeting unique people and businesses, promoting others and getting your name out to the younger generation. I know! I know! You’re wondering how you will find the time to market and still write. That’s what we will discuss in the next post.

Putting Marketing in its Place

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Over the last few months we have been talking about marketing. It is a necessary evil, but don’t let the evil take over. Each writer has to decide how much and what kind of marketing they are willing to do. Look to your strengths. Do you enjoy public speaking? Do you like to travel? If so, you can create a fan base and stir up interest in what you write. It has been my experience that public speaking is the very best way to sell books. I have had to get over a deep seated fear of public speaking. Prayer led me to understand that I needed to love the people in the audience more than I feared them.

That knowledge inspired me to create a 90 minute teaching for children. I call it “Daydream Believing.” It’s a fun, interactive seminar that teaches children to create characters and settings, turning their daydreams into stories. I had to learn to use power point and spent hours creating a give and take kind of teaching that included milk and cookies. I enjoyed it.  Why- because it wasn’t about selling books? It was about combining two things that I loved – writing and children. The Bible teaches us that “Perfect Love casts out all fear.” Find a way to market that you love and it will be a joy not a burden. Yes, I sell books at my seminars but that has become a minor bonus. I have found so much joy in sharing the creative process with future little writers that I have decided to offer the class to local schools. What I am trying to say is find a marketing tool that you love and pursue it.

Who is your audience? What are their needs? Do you write mysteries? Can you offer a mystery night at your local library? Do you write cook books? How about a seminar on healthy eating at your local school? Use some creative thinking until an idea takes.

I use other marketing skills that I had to learn. For you younger writers I encourage you to take the time to use social media. It comes naturally to you. I had to learn how to use social media because I wasn’t born in age of the internet. It wasn’t easy – I am slow and methodical but I encourage you older writers to learn to navigate the net. The surest way to become old is to stop learning. Besides, how will your characters keep current if their creator doesn’t understand the brave new world?

As far as scheduling, I do my marketing every Wednesday. Pick a day! On Wednesdays I create my tweets, so I just have to post them on the other days. I write my blogs, so I have them ready to go. And yes, I consider blogs and posts part of my marketing. I have found many readers who liked my blogs and later purchased books. I write any press releases that I want and send them to the appropriate venues. I look up and sign up for any events where I believe I might sell books. I work on talks and seminars and try to schedule them at libraries and schools. I post on Facebook and Goodreads. I write reviews of books written by others.  Helping others promote is just the right thing to do.

I don’t feel guilty about spending Wednesdays on marketing. It frees me up to write on the other days. Give marketing its own day and give your true work the rest of the week. But remember to rest on Sunday. It’s not my suggestion – it’s God’s. Use Sunday to just be – be with your family and friends, play with your dog. Daydream about your novel becoming a best seller! Give your fingers and your mind a rest. You can, you’ve done your marketing, writing, blogging and tweeting during the week. This is my last post about marketing. Pray about it, find your niche and let it go. If you finished your work you have done your best. The rest is up to God.

 

The Twelve Steps of being a Spiritual Writer – Introduction

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Is it hard to be a spiritual writer in a world that is becoming more and more hostile to Christianity? The only true answer is yes. For a long time we have been spoiled. We have had the blessing of living in a country that not only guaranteed religious freedom, but encouraged church attendance and family values. That is not the country we live in today. Being born in the fifties, I was born into an economic upturn. We moved from cramped corners in the city to grow in the sprawling suburbs. Most families attended the Christian church of their choice. Others attended thriving synagogues. Catholic schools were affordable and available and most Catholic children attended at least the eight years of Grammar school to learn their faith and be grounded in their heritage.

The sixties and seventies changed all that. I was a teenager during the Cultural Revolution and the ensuing turmoil of those years. Many of the changes were good like civil rights for all Americans. However, part of the Cultural Revolution was an introduction to sin and evil. American society, often through violent anti-war movements and changes in educational focus, seemed at times to be imploding on itself. As if the cultural changes weren’t hard enough for the World War II generation to understand, Vatican II for better or worse was changing the comfort of the one institution that was a steady anchor for many. It was mass confusion and we are still reeling from the fallout of the moral explosion that happened. The changes were happening so fast and our former ways were melting before our eyes. Most of us had little time to comprehend what was happening and how to fight the evil changes, while discerning the good changes. Yes! It was about time we had racial equality. No! It was wrong to remove the right to life for the unborn child.  Yes! Women deserved equal pay for equal work. No! Birth control was not about liberating women but allowing men to abuse women and be irresponsible for the consequences. The changes were an earthquake – shaking the very foundation of faith beneath us.

Suddenly, Catholics found themselves living in a very ‘politically correct’ and liberal society. The new society hates and tries to silence anyone who has a different world viewpoint. The martyrdom of thousands of Christians in Africa or the Middle East barely gets mentioned on the news, replaced by reports of discrimination of Gays and transvestites.  Colleges that used to be places of free speech and hotbeds of controversy, now only tolerate the secular and atheistic arrogance of the new America. The media seems to belittle those of faith and portrays the religious who think differently as uneducated throwbacks who are not to be tolerated.  We have become marginalized. And I don’t think it is going to get better soon. Next week I will be writing a review of the novel Death Panels by Michelle Buckman. It portrays a grim future for the new America.

Truly we need to look at our own personal and institutional sin that has left us vulnerable to attack.  The fundamentalist movement has almost decimated the Protestant churches. It misinterprets much of Christ’s teachings. It portrays God as a harsh punishing God who places anyone and everyone who deviates from their Bible teachings as someone who (no matter how good or kind) is going straight to hell. It offers instant forgiveness of sin without reparation. It condemns Catholics, Jews, Muslims and everyone different from themselves as people who need to be ‘saved.’ It even believes that God would put those who never heard of Jesus, but live according to the tenets of their own cultural faith as slated to eternal damnation. Is this a Christ that you recognize? I personally don’t know what would be worse – being in a room filled with supercilious atheists, or a room full of arrogant Christian fundamentalists. People like the Westborough Baptists give the media fodder for bashing us all.

We Catholics have our own problems. The rash and exposure of pedophile priests although relatively small in number has given us a black eye. The cover-up of the problem has created a storm of misinformation, deserved guilt and shame for the true faith. Remembering what Jesus taught about those who would harm children, I still struggle to pray for those who perpetrated and hid this institutional sin. And while I have numerous suspicions about who may have infiltrated the church to destroy it, like many who have left the church, I struggle most with the cover-up. Whatever the truth, we have handed the enemy a weapon that has hurt the faithful and discouraged many. By sin, we have weakened our position. I pray that Pope Francis lifts us by his spiritually and clear-cut Gospel message.

However, we as spiritual writers find that we are no longer in the mainstream. We are rejected by publishers, the media and the literary world. We are often told that if we want to ‘sell’ we should be stealth. We should hide who we are. We are marginalized, no longer living in a welcoming country.  We find ourselves in the desert, as if we should be ashamed of Jesus. We are tempted by all three of the same temptations that Jesus faced in his forty days in the desert – riches, power and fame. And while we have been blessed to live in a world of self-publishing and a rebirth of Catholic literature and publishing, we remain relegated to the fringes of our society.

It occurred to me that the twelve steps of A.A. have often been adapted to strengthen and support those who need spiritual balance to overcome problems. There are twelve-step programs to help anyone who wants to cleanse their soul, find God’s will and remain faithful to principles that lift them from a life of despair, addiction and temptation. In the next few months, I will share the way that living and working the twelve steps can booster us as spiritual writers in a pagan world. Come take the journey with me as we follow and work “The Twelve Steps of Spiritual Writing.”

The Twelve steps of being a Spiritual writer – Step One

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Step OneWe admitted that we are powerless over our human desire for fame, wealth, and power – that our writing life had become unmanageable.

One night I had a dream. I dreamed that my latest novel hit the best seller list. I dreamed that movie moguls from Hollywood called. The voicemails I received indicated that they were all competing for the rights to my book – each of them offering scads of money to make the movie. What a dream. It seemed to last all night and ended with me walking up the red carpet to accept that Oscar to thunderous applause. Ah… the plight of being a writer – an unknown writer – a writer who still has to self-publish and fund most of her own work. I think most struggling artists feel this way. I believe that most of us dream this way.

After all, we pour out our souls on paper, miss family functions and nights out with friends. We spend our money on conferences instead of the latest fashion, and put our dreams on the next novel or short story. It is painful not to be noticed. It is hurtful not to make any money after our hard work. We watch other writers win prizes and gain fame. We notice when a poorly written book like Fifty Shades of Gray makes millions. We want to cry when our create space report shows few sales. This is the pain and struggle of the ordinary writer. Amp that up! Double the tension! Quadruple the stress! Let’s consider the dilemma of the Spiritual Writer.

Now we have even more pressure. After all, we are not just working for ourselves. We are working for God. He is our motive, our inspiration. How can we fail? If we fail it has to be our fault; after all it can’t be God’s fault. What a burden to carry. It’s enough to make you give up. No, a Christian never gives up. We just pray. We pray that whatever we did wrong can be corrected. We pray that we become humble enough not to care for worldly success. We work harder. Study more. Thank God for the lesson in modesty. We vow to do better the next time. We not only want to please God. We want to be flawless like God. The problem is that we are human and we have faults, needs and desires. The worst part about being a Spiritual Writer is that we can’t admit that we have those desires and needs. We can’t even admit the truth to ourselves.

However, as those who work in healing know, a person cannot be healed of an addiction, sickness or disease until they admit that they have it.  Step one of being a spiritual writer is admitting that – like any human person- we long for recognition, success and the power to influence others. We dream that all our hard work will pay off. Isn’t it hard to admit you are just human? Here, I’ll say it for you; You are not God. You are not expected to be a Saint with a capital S. You are not expected to be perfect. Yes, you are a spiritual person who has faith but you live in this world and you are influenced by all the attractive offerings of this wonderful world. You don’t have to hide your human flaws from anyone else. And you especially shouldn’t hide them from yourself. Live in truth. We all have these desires. We must admit our true feelings and deal with them or they will damage our faith, and our writing. How do we work with an honest appraisal of our inner turmoil? Let’s look at temptation and notice the way that Jesus dealt with it.

One of my favorite Bible stories is the story of Jesus being tempted by Satan in the desert. Let’s take a good look at how Jesus dealt with temptation. “And after He had fasted 40 days and 40 nights He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, ‘”If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.'”  (Matthew 4:2-3)

What is the temptation here? Is it a sin to be hungry? We know it isn’t a sin to make bread. Jesus made bread to feed the multitude. He became the ‘Bread of life’ to feed his followers. He is the Eucharistic Lord. No, it’s not about bread. The temptation lies in the words “If you are the Son of God…” Satan was questioning Jesus about who he was. When you are tempted by the lure of fame, wealth and power isn’t it really about losing faith in who you truly are? Isn’t it really about the need for the world to tell you who you are? You believe that you are a Spiritual writer but you need someone else to acknowledge it before your faith is strong enough to believe it. Let’s look at how Jesus dealt with the challenge to who he was.

“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'” (Matthew 4:4)

What does this passage teach you about being a spiritual writer? Jesus knew who he was. He believed God the Father when he told  the crowds at his baptism that;  “This is my beloved Son”. It isn’t a matter of humility. It is a matter of faith and truth. If you truly believed that God called you to be a spiritual writer, you wouldn’t need the world to tell you who you are. You can’t even reach this level, though, if you don’t admit that you desire what the world offers. The first step calls for complete honesty. Admit that you dream of fame, wealth and power and then you can find the healing of God. More on this vital and first step to becoming who you are meant to be in the next blog.

 


The Twelve Steps to being a Spiritual Writer – Step One

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Step OneWe admitted that we are powerless over our human desire for fame, wealth, and power – that our writing life had become unmanageable.

For the last two weeks we have been looking at step one of the twelve steps necessary to becoming a peacefully successful, and emotionally integrated spiritual writer. Looking at the temptations that haunt us all, let’s continue to examine how Jesus dealt with temptation.

The second temptation of Christ in the desert is:

Then the devil took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He will give His angels charge concerning you,’ and, ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” – (Matthew 4:5-6)

Temptations and the devil have not changed over the years. In the first temptation Satan questions Jesus about who he is. He tried to undermine his faith in who God the Father tells him he is and what his mission in life is to be. When that fails, Satan reverses himself. He goes from doubt to presumption. He is challenging Jesus to prove that he has favor with God. He dares him to go against the laws of nature and presume that God will save him from his wrong decision.

What does this mean to us as Spiritual Writers? In the first temptation we learn that we must trust God when he tells us who we are. We are writers. We don’t need the approval, fame or rewards of the world to prove who God made us to be. In this, the second temptation, we are taught two lessons. The first is that we cannot presume that because we ‘write for God’ that we have the right to be obnoxious and cut-throat when it comes to marketing our work. I have been shocked and dismayed to find that Christian writers have been less than gracious to publishers and agents who turn them away. I have even met Christian writers who tell editors that they ‘are apparently not Christians’ since they are turning away God’s Work. This is presumption of the worst kind. To me it proves that the writer is not operating in God’s Will.

The second lesson we are told is not to presume that we can go against logic and the rules of this world and expect God to come swooping in to save us. In other words, if we want to sell our work and reach an audience we have to do the human legwork that is required of all earthly writers. You may think that everyone understands this but  I must tell you it is not always obvious, especially to the faithful. Here is an example of the other extreme. I know a woman who has one of the most fascinating novels I ever read sitting on a shelf in her closet. When I encouraged her to send it to a publisher, she told me that if God wants it published, He will send a publisher to her. I think she believes that a publisher will someday knock on her door and announce that God sent him.

It reminds me of the old joke about a man sitting on the roof of his house with a raging flood around him. First, a boat stops and offers to take him to safety and he refuses. Next a helicopter offers to lift him to safety and he turns them away. Finally the flood water rises and he drowns. When he gets to heaven, the man questions God asking why he didn’t save him. God answers, “What do you mean; I sent a boat and a helicopter.” The second temptation reinforces that we have to do what it takes to succeed and get the message out there, without compromising our Christian beliefs.

In the second test of the desert, Jesus teaches us not to presume on the favor of God. We are to work towards our goals and our goal should be to reach as many people as we can with the healing grace of Jesus. We are to work toward publication. We should market as much as we can. We should hone our story-telling skills with ongoing education. However, because we are doing the Will of Jesus in our writing life, we do not have to burden ourselves with what the world considers success. In a wonderful way, it lifts the burden and struggle to ‘make it.’ His burden is easy, and his yoke is light.

Let’s look at the third and final temptation: Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things will I give you if you fall down and worship me.” ( Matthew 4:8-9)

Finally, beyond doubt and presumption, Satan offers Jesus the world. All he has to do is worship the ruler of the world. Isn’t that what the world says to us? Couldn’t we have the world by a string if only we wrote what the world wanted to hear? I have seen the talent and gift of our writers. I have no doubt that they would be worldly successes if they wrote about steamy affairs instead of Christian marriage. They would be on the best seller list if they wrote graphically violent novels instead of pro-life tales. They could be touting six figure incomes if they glorified greed, self-indulgence and relativism. I have faced this temptation myself. I was offered a lucrative contract for my third novel, Down Right Good. It was so tempting. All I had to do was take any reference to ‘Mary’ out of the book. I couldn’t do it. I’ll lay my treasures in heaven. So when you work the first step, remember what Jesus said to temptation.

 “Begone, Satan! For it is written. ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.” (Matthew 4:10)

God does not leave us alone in our struggles. “Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him (Matthew 4:11) He will send his angels to guide and comfort us as we use our gift according to His Will. Next time, we will discuss further how to follow step one of becoming a Spiritual Writer.

The Twelve Steps to being a Spiritual Writer

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Step OneWe admitted that we are powerless over our human desire for fame, wealth, and power – that our writing life had become unmanageable.

Now that we have been truthful with ourselves about the dreams and longings that are natural and have looked at how Jesus handled temptation, what do we do with this knowledge? As Catholics, let’s take each temptation and see how we as believers can admit and follow “The Way” in our writing life.

Let’s start with our desire for fame. We would all like to be famous writers. Who wouldn’t like to be on Good Morning America talking about our latest book? Why wouldn’t we feel joy if there was a long line at our book signing? Wouldn’t we just love to be considering which movie production company we should sign a contract with as they scramble to secure the title of our work? Surprise! There is nothing wrong with this dream. There is nothing wrong at all if the dream comes true. However, when we let the dream or desire overtake our faith, we run into a problem. We run into the danger of becoming prideful – thinking we are better than those who are lesser known and even thinking we are more worthy of fame than those who are. Wrong thinking like that can lead us into sin as we push and step on others to achieve our goals.

When all our ambition doesn’t work, we may become resentful – not understanding why others are well known and why we seem to be ignored. We see Stephen King on the late night shows and feel a twinge of jealousy. We watch another writer receive a top prize, and we wonder why it isn’t us. The danger is not in the fame. It is in the jealousy, comparison and loss of mission.

How do we control this temptation? I was taught as a young child in Catholic school that the solution to jealousy was simple. Pray for the success of those who make you jealous. Pray for them to win that fame you always longed for. Say a rosary for that other author to win the prize. Go to Mass and offer up for that writer who is your competition. You cannot sustain jealousy of someone whom you are praying for. You cannot help but be joyful when someone you have fasted for wins that prize. It is the Way of Christ. It lifts the burden. It doesn’t allow the devil into your dreams or emotions.

How do we, as Christians, deal with the desire for wealth? First, let’s establish that being wealthy is not a sin. It is not a sin to make money! And if you do make money from your writing, that is surely a gift from God. There is nothing wrong with using advertising or any other means to sell books, short stories, etc. In fact, if you don’t you are not doing what God wants you to do. It is like buying a gift for someone and not giving it to them. When God gives us a gift, like the gift of writing, it is not for us. It is for us to use for others. If you ‘hide your lamp under a bushel basket’ we all remain in darkness. Your gift was given to you to reach others. What good is a talented singer who only sings in the shower. How about an artist who paints magnificent works of art only to keep them hung in his own home. No, a gift is meant to be given. And what about your own family. Isn’t it important to support them and doesn’t our work give us the means to help our children, parents and spouses? No, trying to make a living from your writing is not only normal, it is generous to those people that God gave you to care for.

Again the problem is what can happen to us when the desire overwhelms our need to be generous. We know in our hearts that everything we have, and everything on earth, is a gift from God. We know that the early Christians lived a communal life where all goods were equally shared. It is not that they were of a socialist or communistic bent. It was that they knew that greed could kill faith faster than most character defects. What to do about it? Again, try to go through the narrow door.

Rejoice in the success of others. And if you should happen to write that next best seller, rejoice in the gift that God has given you. After you have taken care of your family’s needs – give something back. However, there is no need to wait until or if you become wealthy to give. Give little things back – buy a package of paper for that young writer. Lend that great book to another writer who is struggling – or even better – give a portion of your royalties to others. It doesn’t matter if it is five dollars or five thousand dollars, give it back to God by giving it to someone else. If you can, do it secretly, so God gets all the credit. When you desire money so you can help God’s children it becomes a virtue, not a fault.

Now, what about power? Power is an illusion – it doesn’t really exist because the future is only known to God and the mighty fall harder because they tumble from a higher height. However, people long for control and for what they think they can manage in life. You want to manage your writing career. You want to plan and execute your path to success. Knock yourself out! It isn’t a sin. It is just a waste of time. Do what you need to do to promote and market your work. And know this: God alone has the Power. He is the Power. The only power we have is to choose Him and follow his teachings and even that is all gift. I watched Nixon resign and Bernie Madoff in handcuffs. I have seen pictures of Hitler hiding in a bunker in the ground. The power to love God and others is the only power that counts.

Go ahead and dream of fame, wealth and power because the dream is not a sin. The sin is in the lie. The Pharisees liked to look holy and played at being humble. The worst kind of dishonesty is not lying to others but in the lies we tell ourselves. We can’t be healed of our out of control longing and the bad habits they may have produced unless we are honest with ourselves. Don’t just pretend to be humble because that is the behavior that is expected in Christian circles. That’s what the Pharisees did and they were deceiving themselves.

Admit that you want to be famous, wealthy and powerful. It’s okay to be human and have human desires. But also know that Jesus has given us the means to overcome our human tendencies.  Live in truth and actually be the person and spiritual writer God created you to be. Write that review for someone else, donate some of your royalties, teach some children how to write and share your time and your platform to promote others. God will pour his grace on those you touch. And grace is a funny thing – it always splashes back. Next post let’s explore the second step of being a spiritual writer.

Karen Kelly Boyce is a mother of two and grandmother of two who lives on a farm in N.J. with her retired husband. She and her husband love to camp and take ‘road trips’ around the country. She has published four novels and three children’s books. Her website is www.karenkellyboyce.com

The Twelve Steps to being a Spiritual Writer

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Step Two – “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore our writing to sanity.”

Do you believe in God? Do you really believe in God? You may bristle about the question, but there are so many layers and levels to faith that it seems like an appropriate query to me. When I was a child, I had an unwavering faith. I couldn’t understand doubt. I believed what my parents, the nuns and the adults in my little world taught me. It was faith, but it was the faith of a child. Some people grow into an adult faith without much trouble. Then, there are the rest of us. We rebel. We grow into teenagers who question everything, doubt everything we are told and give our parents long nights of despair. I was one of those.

I see parents worrying about their atheistic teenagers and  the children who never go to Mass. I tell them not to worry – just pray – pray not only for your children but for yourself. Pray that you receive a gift; the gift you need is the patience of God. He understands rebellion and young people. He has a lifetime to reach them. They will be back before you know it. It’s funny how the first real need or tragedy in their life brings them to prayer. What level of faith do you have? The only guarantee is that your faith will grow and wane over your lifetime. That is true for all people. As a spiritual writer, it may be even more true.

What is it about writers? We are different from other people. We live in our mind. Correction, not just our mind but in our imagination. We create people who don’t exist, who live in worlds that were never real. We  dream up situations that haven’t happened and set our imaginary friends in those emotionally powerful or action packed situations. Once our story is started, it is hard for us to return to the ‘real’ world. Standing in line at the supermarket, we don’t see the cashier, we envision our main character destroying the evil villain. While making dinner, we are lost on the alien planet of our latest novel.

While all the world is paying attention to the outside world, we are living on the inside. It came to me the other day, that what isn’t real often requires more of my time and attention than what is real. Is it hard to understand that our relationship with God can become part of that lost world. That our faith in a heaven can get lost in the flow of our own musings. Does God become just another character we conjure up? Do we believe in the true God or the image of our imagination? Do we believe in the God who created us, or the God we have created.

We, the story tellers of the world, can get lost in the story. That is why having an anchor like the Church to guide us is even more important for us than for the “sane” folks out in the real world. We can lose the true God in two worlds, the real world and the world of our imagination. We need the unchanging teachings of the Church to guide us. Are the angels in my books anything like the real angels? If I don’t have a guide, I am in danger of creating new-age renditions of angels much like the occult imaginings so popular today. Is Mary able to hear our prayers in heaven? The teachings of the catechism of the Church can answer that question. As spiritual writers we need to hook our imagination to the truth and that truth is found in the Catholic Church. We need to believe in a power greater than ourselves. I have a God of my imagination. He is a lot like Santa Claus. Soft and chubby, kind and joyful, he is there to pick me up when I stumble, and smile at me when I am sad. Your God may be judgmental and strict. Whose God is real? Probably neither.

The truth is that God is like a multi-faceted diamond. We focus on the facet that we need and know. He is beyond our understanding. However, just because we cannot have faith in the God of our imagination, we can have faith in the God who created our imagination. The trick is not getting lost in our own mind. We need the Church to guide us in the truth. We need to separate what we imagine from what is real. That is where the gift of faith comes in. And we as spiritual writers need faith in the Church and the real teachings of the Church to guide us. How do we stay connected to the truth and how do we reflect that truth in our work? There are numerous practices we need to follow to keep us on the narrow path.

In the next few blogs let’s talk about sanity and what that is. Let’s discuss the practices that will keep us living in truth. The truth about ourselves, our writing and our spiritual life.

Karen Kelly Boyce lives on a farm in New Jersey with her retired husband. She is a mother of two and grandmother of two. She and her husband raise Nigerian Dwarf goats and enjoy chickens, horses, and turkeys on their farm. They love camping and taking road trips around the country. Karen is an award-winning author of numerous novels, and a series of children’s books.

The Twelve Steps of being a Spiritual Writer

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Step Two – “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore our writing to sanity.”

What is sanity? My definition of sanity has always been in the form of a negative. In other words being sane meant not being ‘insane.’ And to me insanity came with images of strait jackets, locked doors and high institutional walls. It surprised me when I actually looked up the definition. According to the Merriam – Webster Dictionary the word sanity means – the condition of having a healthy mind or the condition of being based on reason or good judgment.

So how does sanity relate to our writing? To understand sane spiritual writing means that our writing has to be based on reasonable truth, foundational faith and a true understanding of the God we worship. That is not as simple as it sounds.

Many people, including many who claim to be spiritual writers, have a distorted image of God. Their image of God may be one of intolerance, judgment and cruelty. Their God is up in heaven waiting to cast bolts of lightning down to burn the heads of poor sinners. We see that when a mentally ill person kills people at a Planned Parenthood clinic because he claims to be pro-life. It is not sane to claim respect for all life and then kill people. It is a distorted image of God and what he teaches and wants of the faithful.

The same disturbing disconnect can occur in spiritual writing. A writer who claims to be true to the Magisterium of the church may follow the letter of the canon, but present a God without mercy, love or forgiveness.  The writing is judgmental, and the treatment of the lost is cruel. The readers are presented with an image of a relentlessly punishing God, who is just planning the destruction of mankind. The most disturbing thing about this kind of writing is that the author actually seems to enjoy imagining the destruction of those whom he considers less religious or less holy than himself.

On the other end of the spectrum is the God who has no rules. He blesses those who promote sin and rewards those who question every rule He has ever created. The human, who this writer thinks is naturally more understanding than God, teaches God a thing or two about humanity. There is no darkness or evil and all is goodness and light. I have read many works like this from both types of spiritual writers and I believe both have missed the mark.

The one and probably the only sure thing I know about writing is that the author of any work cannot hide himself from the reader. Without wanting to or even being aware of it, a writer’s soul is written between the lines of everything they produce. It is an intangible wisp that floats through the air. Unseen and hard to grasp, it lingers in the thoughts of characters and whispers from the twist of plot. Like a sudden fragrance that floats on a gentle breeze it is suddenly there and just as suddenly gone. I can only say this, if I read a work, I know the author. I know how he thinks and I know who he is.

It is not a matter of talent. Some of the most talented authors I have read are not people I would like to meet in a dark alley. Some of the least experienced writers are people I would love to have lunch with. It is not even about genre. There are authors whose supernatural musings display a moral sense of justice that is more religious than many of the sermons I have heard. There are religious writers whose cruel condemnation of humanity and God’s judgment display a dark heart full of hatred.

So how do you make your writing sane, spiritually sane? You have to be religiously sane yourself. You have been given a gift. It is a wonderfully powerful gift. And someday you will stand before Jesus and tell him how you used that gift. I wouldn’t want to be standing there explaining how I scared my readers away from His Mercy. Nor would I want to explain how I conveyed that our God is a wishy-washy entity who has no standards. We are very much responsible for what we tell our readers. Whether you are writing about people, vampires, wizards or angels your writing should convey the truth that God reveals about himself.

How do you know that the God you worship, and the God who flavors your writing represents the true God? That is where the teachings of the church come into play. Ours is a large and inclusive church. There are sections and groups of the church, both conservative and liberal, who may carry a truth of God into the extreme, making it an untruth. That has been happening since the time of Jesus. Keeping all these extremes centered and compliant with the actual teachings of Jesus is the job of the church. There are ways every individual can be led astray. Next post let’s look at Step Two and how we can keep both our spiritually and our writing spiritually sane.

 

The Twelve Steps of being a Spiritual Writer

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Step Two – “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore our writing to sanity”

 

How do you remain spiritually sane? There are many methods that will keep you grounded, solid and living in truth. The same practices that keep you balanced in your personal spiritual life will keep your writing grounded. Below are some of the practical ways to remain faithful.

Talk to your parish priest – When I first started religious writing, I went to my parish priest for advice. That may not seem like much to you, but for me it was monumental. I was raised in the era when priests were called by their last name and the most you (as a woman) said to them was “Good morning Father” or “God bless you Father.” There was no such thing as “Father Joe” or “Father Bill.”   I really only had what resembled a conversation with a priest in the confessional, safely hidden behind the screen. I loved my parish priest. I loved his homilies and teachings. He heard my first confession when I came back to Mother Church. However, I was afraid to tell him that I was writing religious articles and that to my surprise they were being published. I finally broke down and told him when I was writing my first novel. There were things I needed to check and he was always there to answer my questions. He has become one of my greatest supporters and even now that he is retired he is always ready to help. When I wrote my second novel, I didn’t hesitate to ask for his guidance. Both he and my Bishop have been accommodating and willing to help.

The Catholic Catechism There are many ways to be sure that you are literally correct, but one of the best resources is the latest catechism that was published during the reign of John Paul II. I always turn to this wonderful resource whenever I am in doubt about the validity of what I am including in fiction. For example, my novels contain numerous references to the angelic. I personally have great devotion to my angel and all in the angelic realm. However, I could easily become confused because of what I was taught as a child and by how the secular world portrays angels. When in doubt I double check what the church believes in my catechism. I keep it on my shelf right next to my dictionary and thesaurus.

Fellow writers, readers and friends Some writers are afraid to share their work with others. They seem to have a deep seated fear of their ideas or themes being stolen. I think the fear limits them and some valuable resources that would make their work shine. Getting the opinion of people of various backgrounds is a wonderful way to find mistakes, flaws and just plain bad writing or thought in your work. First, you have to pick your ‘readers’ carefully. Don’t pick friends or family who will tell you how wonderful your work is no matter the truth. Pick readers who feel safe enough to tell you where you have strayed from the truth. Secondly, be sure that you don’t pick readers who agree with all the ideas you hold. People tend to associate with like-minded people. Conservatives hang with and commiserate with conservatives. Liberals attract other liberals. That is not only true in politics but in religious circles also. If your beliefs tend to the conservative, find a moderate or liberal believer to read. Find a few non-believers to read your tale. Some of the most valuable advice I receive is from atheists and agnostics who aren’t afraid to tell me when the story is too preachy or I am out of touch with main stream opinion. That doesn’t mean that I want to change it. It means that I have to consider my audience. If I am writing for a practicing Catholic, what I wrote may be fitting. If I am writing for the general public and hope to touch them with a Catholic truth, it doesn’t pay to be preachy or overly dogmatic. Creating a circle of people from various beliefs and backgrounds will not water down your writing. It will sharpen and hone your skills and help you create a larger fan base. Join a secular writing group. I find it one of the best ways to expose yourself and your writing to different opinions and interesting discussions. Don’t be afraid of dissention. Your faith should be strong enough to weather other viewpoints. Remember Jesus never avoided the faithless or confused. He avoided the judgmental Pharisees. You can’t reach the world if you are afraid of it.

Next Blog, let’s explore the Spiritual practices to keep your writing balanced and sane.

Karen Kelly Boyce is a mother of two and grandmother of two who lives on a farm in N.J. with her retired husband. She and her husband love to camp and take ‘road trips’ around the country. She has published four novels and three children’s books. Her website is www.karenkellyboyce.com

The Twelve Steps of being a Spiritual Writer

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Step Two – “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore our writing to sanity”

How do you keep your writing spiritually sane? Only you can answer that because each soul has a special and unique relationship with God. I cannot tell you what you should do to keep your writing sane. I can only share what I do to keep my own writing sane. I follow certain practices and those practices usually keep my writing on the straight and narrow path. Of course, no one is perfect and even with the following practices, I have made mistakes. Those mistakes have been honest ones. But, I believe that God can use even my humble mistakes for a greater purpose. Here are the rules I try to follow in an attempt to keep my writing spiritually sane.

Practicing Patience I am not a writer who has ever suffered writer’s block. I can get numerous ideas for books or stories by observing people while shopping in the local supermarket. I often think of plots while waiting in a doctor’s office for an appointment. I can dream up a new character by simply sitting in the mall and people watching. My problem has always been what story to write, what plot to unravel, or what character is worthy of literary life. So many possibilities and tales float around my mind, that I am often confused over what story deserves my time. In the past, I have often rushed ahead with an idea, sure it was a perfect project, only to find that it was just an idea that I thought was the right one.

The difference is that being a spiritual writer requires more. It requires that I write what God inspires me to write. As spiritual writers God does guide us. He uses our voice to reach His people. It is an awesome and wonderful responsibility. But how do I know what particular story He wants me to pursue? He has spoken to me in numerous ways.

When I first returned to my childhood faith I prayed the rosary. It was the only prayer I remembered. I like to say that Mary used her beads and lassoed me back to where I belonged. I loved the mysteries of the rosary so much that while praying it I would be drawn into contemplative prayer as God spoke to my heart. I discovered St. Louis De Montfort and his ‘graces of the rosary.’ I wanted to share the wonder of it all. One night, as I was pondering the first joyful mystery, I fell asleep and dreamt the entire plot of my first novel. I think God spoke to me during the only time that I was quiet enough to listen.  And while my first attempt at writing showed questionable skills, I wrote the story that He gave me in that dream. It inspired me to write a series based on the Graces of the Rosary.

However, as I tried to come up with my second novel, no dream came. I had numerous ideas about what my second novel would be but couldn’t decide which one God wanted me to write. I prayed and prayed without a sign. I threw out the proverbial sheepskin without an answer. One day, desperate to know God’s Will, I went to our local Eucharistic Adoration chapel and prayed. I couldn’t concentrate. Distracted, I started looking around. Suddenly I saw an elderly woman crying in the front and, wondering what she was suffering, I prayed for her. Looking around, I wondered what the needs and prayers of the people there could be and how God would answer these souls. And with the rosary grace of “charity” the second novel was given to me. What I am saying is that with each book or story, God has used a different way of letting me know what His Will is.

I know His Voice when I hear it. But do I always have the patience to wait on His prompting? No, not always, but I am learning that waiting on His Will is always rewarded. When I am writing what He wants, it just flows. Does that mean it is always successful? Not necessarily financially or professionally, but it is always successful spiritually. If Jesus would die for the salvation of just one soul, who am I to complain if my novel or tale touches just one person?

Here are the steps I take to find God’s Will for my writing.

Prayer I pray daily before I write anything. Often during prayer God speaks to my heart, especially during Eucharistic Adoration.

Reading my Bible Here at my fingertips is the greatest volume of drama, humor, and inspiration ever written. East of Eden, one of my favorite novels, was inspired by the story of Cain and Abel. Sometimes just a single line can trigger a writing frenzy.

Mass I try to go to daily Mass. Just listening to the gospel reading or the homily can trigger a thought and God can reach my heart with His Will.

Listening I can be quite a talker, but God is teaching me that it is often more important to listen. He speaks to me through the words of others. It is important to listen, to take the time to really hear what another is saying. Often, it is God speaking through them.

Memories Often a memory or a small recollection of a childhood friend can inspire a thought. It was through the memory of a childhood friend that Down Right Good, my third novel, was born. I am sure that it was God’s way of gifting me the story.

Dreams When all else fails and I am stuck by a plot tangle or even my next work, I ask God for help as I fall asleep. I often mysteriously awake with the answer to my plot dilemma or even dream a whole new work.

The most important thing is to remember that God is eternal. I am impatient, but I am learning to wait on Him. That is the most important component of being a Spiritual writer. Knowing that I am the pen and he is the author. I am still struggling to be patient enough to wait on His perfect timing.

 

Karen Kelly Boyce is a mother of two and grandmother of two who lives on a farm in N.J. with her retired husband. She and her husband love to camp and take ‘road trips’ around the country. She has published four novels and three children’s books. Her website is www.karenkellyboyce.com

 

 

 

 

The Twelve Steps of being a Spiritual Writer

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Step Two – “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore our writing to sanity”

Now that we have taken a good look at giving our writing to God, let’s take a good look at ourselves. Can we turn our writing over to God without turning ourselves over? Can we separate our professional life from our home life? Is it possible to have an independent emotional life and a spiritual life that is surrendered to God? This seems to be the struggle that all people, but especially artists, face. Do we think we can be like Superman, hiding ourselves as a mild mannered reporter and only putting on the cape when we are writing? Or perhaps we see ourselves as Batman, hiding as a well-to-do playboy until we run with Robin to the Bat Cave and rush to capture the Joker.

These are extreme examples but writers, authors and Christians living in the secular world tend to separate the different parts of ourselves. We compartmentalize the different aspects of our personality, character and image. In our home we tend to be relaxed and be who we truly are. I once heard it said that if you want to know the truth about a person ask their spouse. What would your spouse say about you? Do you present yourself as a gentle professional while you nag your husband each day? Do you give generously to other writers, supporting them with charitable book reviews, but hold tightly to your purse when the basket is passed in church? Do you always take the time to give your publisher whatever they ask for, while ignoring the needs of your family?

You can’t give God your writing without giving Him all of yourself. You may think that you have. You may be sure that you have turned over every part of yourself to Him. If you think this we should all follow you to Rome for your canonization or perhaps you should go into prayer and ask Him what part of life you have not given freely to Him. This is something that requires deep meditation and prayer. It is a day by day thing for me as I tend to play a tug of war game with God. I’ll give him my writing, but leave my political views alone, thank you! I’ll give up something for Lent but it won’t be trying to control my children. My point is that it is impossible to give God just your writing. We want to do His Will, follow His Lead and surrender ourselves completely, but as flawed humans we rarely do. As artists we do not have the luxury that others do. We cannot hope to bring others to Jesus with our work when we cheat on our taxes or spend the day telling ‘white’ lies. To coordinate all the different aspects of our life requires insight from the Holy Spirit, continuous spiritual guidance and humility.

Today, I will tackle just a simple (or is it simple?) aspect of being a writer. How do you dress? I can start writing in the morning in my pajamas and startle in the afternoon when the doorbell rings and I am still in slippers and robe. I can look up from my laptop which I opened at 6 a.m. and realize it is noon and I have missed Mass. My husband can come in for dinner and find me without a trace of make-up, and sporting uncombed hair above the coffee stains on my tee shirt. I can become so embroiled in my alternate reality that his dinner can still be in the freezer and my hand on a takeout menu from the local pizza parlor. After all, I think, I am too busy doing God’s Will to take the time to shower and dress. Isn’t it a bit vain to worry about your appearance when your work awaits? It is when I start to ignore my appearance that I remember what I read somewhere – “Just for today, I will look as good as I can, dress becomingly…just for today!”

Does that seem silly and unimportant? Well, it is not. I find that when I take the time to dress appropriately, do my hair and put on make-up, I feel better, more professional, and take my work more seriously. When I dress as if I am going to an office, I give respect and validation to my work. More importantly I have turned my appearance over to God along with my writing.

When I am home, that may just be jeans with spotlessly clean sneakers and a pressed tee shirt. When I am meeting with an editor or publisher it means a crisp pants suit or pressed dress. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen writers go in to pitch to an editor in sloppy clothes and with unkempt hair. I think they imagine that they look the part of a bohemian artist. Instead, they appear as if they don’t respect the person they are meeting. It also looks as if they don’t respect themselves or their position. Turn just this little aspect of your life over to God. Give him your appearance. You represent Him in the way you present yourself to the world. And a strange thing happens when you take the time to dress professionally. You will start to feel professional and your writing will reflect that. You meet your deadlines and edit your work better because you feel more qualified. Your work takes on more authority because you appear qualified. Take this little part of your life and turn it over to God. Be who you are, and don’t segregate yourself into different compartments. If you are a professional writer, dress like one. It is all about attitude and knowing who you are in Christ. Dress as if you are going to work and you will be surprised by how much more your work flows. Dress with respect for others and you will garner respect for yourself. It may be just image but it is your image. And after all aren’t you trying to lead others to the Image of Christ?

Take a chance and try it. Turn your image over to Him and let Him restore your image to sanity. The results may just surprise you.

Karen Kelly Boyce is a mother of two and grandmother of two who lives on a farm in N.J. with her retired husband. She and her husband love to camp and take ‘road trips’ around the country. She has published four novels and three children’s books. Her website is www.karenkellyboyce.com

 

 

 

 


The Twelve Steps of being a Spiritual Writer

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Step Two – “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore our writing to sanity”

 

We have talked about following the call of God as he inspires us to write stories or articles to promote the faith. But how do we keep ourselves and our writing sane when everything we do seems to fail? How do we remain sane when the publishers reject us? Do we fake the smile of joy when our heart is crying? How do we follow this lonely path when the form letters that come in the mail tell us nothing but no? How do we keep writing when people pass our book display without even looking and no one comes to our book signings? I once spent an entire day (as promised to the store owner) sitting at an overlooked table as people walked past my display. I was crushed. No one stopped to look at my books or even talk. Finally, after a few hours of being disregarded, a woman stopped and smiled. My heart fluttered with expectation as I smiled with friendliness and anticipation. She then asked me if I knew where the little girls’ room was. She was the only one who spoke to me that day. I later found out that the store owner never advertised the book signing. She never even put up a poster. That is how I learned to always take care of publicity myself. But how do you handle the crushing pain of being ignored. At times like this we are able to connect to the rejection that Jesus felt. The crushing rejection of the very people He came to save. If we can connect our suffering to His perhaps we can ride out the rejection of secular publishers, readers and writers. It isn’t easy to be a writer. It is even harder to be a spiritual writer in a secular world.

We have talked about presenting ourselves as professionals who treat others with respect and kindness. What do we do when we feel as if we are being ignored, and not respected by other spiritual writers, religious publishers and Catholic critics? How do we handle that twinge of jealousy when we see others succeed as we flounder? How do we keep the faith when we are passed by and our writings are rejected? It is easy to be kind and full of joy when everything is going great. When the publishers are interested and the sales are rolling along, we can smile and feel sure that we are following a sane path. But when no one encourages us and our work is dismissed, how do we hold on to the belief that we are following God’s Will?

There are times that our direction needs to be reexamined. Maybe we are meant to write apologetic or Biblical guides instead of becoming the famous novelist we dreamed of being. Perhaps we are meant to be journalists not poets. This may seem like a small thing but when hopes and ideas have been carefully guarded and protected, it is not easy to change them. We invest so much in our dreams but can be wrong in the details of God’s Will. I have learned over the years, that I must follow God’s Light to find my way. If the children’s books I write delight and entertain children while leading them to Jesus’ Love, who am I to question His desire. I may dream of being the next Tolkien or Lewis. Perhaps He just wants me to make His beloved children laugh. I have to have enough knowledge of God’s ways to know that is enough. No, not just enough, but a joyful gift that He has given me and planned since the beginning of eternity. The difference between insane and sane is the grace to find and accept His Will.

Being a Spiritual Writer is not easy. Neither is following Christ. But the very struggle to follow our faith is the strengthening that helps us find our path. We can find our way through the darkness because we know the Light. How difficult it must be for a secular writer without faith. How devastating the rejection and painful the effort must be. I know I am being led. I know that my lifetime and gift is a part, although a small part, of His Master Plan. It is this that keeps me sane. It is this that keeps my writing sane. How about you? Once you find who He created you to be and accept it you will be sane. Once you find what it is He wants you to write and accept it, your writing will be sane.

Karen Kelly Boyce is a mother of two and grandmother of two who lives on a farm in N.J. with her retired husband. She and her husband love to camp and take ‘road trips’ around the country. She has published four novels and three children’s books. Her website is www.karenkellyboyce.com

The Twelve Steps of being a Spiritual Writer

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Step Three – Made a decision to turn our writing and our writing career over to the care of God

 

So we’ve prayed and turned our writing over. Suddenly, we feel a peace that surpasses all understanding. Our work is flowing. We are sure and proud of what we have written. All the people in our writing group loved it! Our best friends want to read it. We have a true sense that we have written what God has wanted us to write and that we have given it our best time and talent. We have edited it dozens of time. We have had beta readers review it. Our local priest thinks it is wonderful. We have had it professionally edited.

We research the best potential publishers and follow their submission guidelines to the letter. We post our work and, returning home from the post office, find ourselves feeling as if we just left our child at his first day of kindergarten or packed our teenager off to college. Suddenly, everything is out of our control. We don’t know who will have our package land on their desk. Will they be in a good or sour mood? Have they just read a dozen similar stories or are they sick of characters similar to ours? Heck, did they just have a fight with their husband who acts a lot like our protagonist?  Our baby, the one we protected and coddled, is out in the cruel world and we have no idea how they are being treated.

Is my baby lying beneath other babies in a large heap called a slush pile? Is some editor in her bed and drinking wine as she laughs derisively at my prose? Is she allowing my baby to come apart and disheveled as she lets the pages fall aimlessly to the floor? The thought of what is happening to your baby book, article or novel after it leaves your care is not bound by any truth. We are writers and our imagination is wild with possibilities. Those possibilities can be mythically great. I can imagine an editor disrupting a board meeting to announce that she has found the great American novel. She announces that everyone is to drop their current project to get this masterpiece out in the next week. Or I can imagine an editor with piles of manuscripts spilling their diet coke on my manuscript (which they used to protect their desk) and tossing it unread into the waste can as they lick the seam on a form rejection letter addressed to me.

The possibilities are endless, and so is my imagination. How do I let go? How do I give my writing and its care over to God? I have to or else I can let my faith in myself and my works weaken with every rejection. If I trust that I have done my best and faithfully followed the Divine lead, I have to let it go.

I find the best way is to do just that. Say a prayer and start another work. Get myself caught up in the new work and forget about the finished work that is floating around there in the publishing cloud. When I try to find a publisher, I make a list of possibilities. If my work is returned with a form rejection letter, I immediately repackage it to the next publisher on my list and mail it or email it to the next publisher the very day I receive it back. If an editor takes the time to critique the work, I carefully go over the suggestions, and make the changes that they propose. That is, if I find merit in their work. If it doesn’t compromise the story or change the intent of the piece, I humbly make the changes and send it back to the same editor.

I don’t hold on to it. I have already sent it out to the world and I don’t take it back. I have to trust that God will find just the right person to publish it. Sometimes it just takes a few mailings. Sometimes it takes numerous mailings. If I reach the end of my list, I trust that God still wants the work published. I don’t doubt my gift or my calling. I, after exhausting my list, self-publish my work. I believe in God. I believe in myself, and I believe in my work. Next post, let’s talk about handing our writing career over to God.

Karen Kelly Boyce is a mother of two and grandmother of two who lives on a farm in N.J. with her retired husband. She and her husband love to camp and take ‘road trips’ around the country. She has published four novels and three children’s books. Her website is www.karenkellyboyce.com

 

 

The Twelve Steps to Being a Spiritual Writer

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

 

Step Three – Made a decision to turn our writing and our writing career over to the care of God

After we have learned to turn our writing over to God, we feel a sense of peace and contentment. We think we have reached the end, the climax of satisfaction. However, people will tell us otherwise. The world now expects more and we are directed by others in the literary profession. We are told that this is just the beginning. Those with more experience warn us that a writer wears many hats. In the new publishing world, a writer is expected to now put on their marketing hat and do promotion. However, often the very thing that makes one a good writer works against you in the marketing and publishing fields.

Writers tend to quiet and isolation. We like to daydream and envision worlds that don’t exist. As spiritual writers, we tend to contemplative prayer and holy hours with the Eucharistic Lord. We enjoy living in our imagination, dreaming of a world where justice prevails and truth is each person’s nature. We are romantic. Yes, even those of us who write horror or science fiction. Whatever our genre we are deeply idealistic. Even those writers who write murder mysteries have the murderer caught and allow right to prevail.

Just getting published requires we wear another hat. We are told that we need to turn off the creative and put on the rational. We may find a publisher because we can hibernate at our familiar desk and do the research. We are good at research so we don’t have a problem discovering publishers with the right fit. However, I and many of the writers I know have more trouble writing a cover letter then we did writing an entire novel. Why – because we have to display confidence and confidence in our work and ourselves.

We have to leave our dreamy, prayerful selves behind and become business-like moguls who can convince others that we can not only write but make money. It goes against our very nature. We plunge ahead until we find a publisher. But our transformation doesn’t end with our success. Now the world tells us that we have to become marketers.

We are told that marketers have to be bold and talkative. In order to be successful we are instructed that we have to promote both our work and ourselves. This is especially difficult for people who have been taught to be humble. This was especially difficult for me. I would watch others gain attention with flashy signs and tables. I would sit in awe when others would have no trouble asking for an appearance and reserve the booking that enabled them to sell numerous books. I would politely decline when people asked me to speak at an event because of my fear of public speaking. Fellow authors and friends would encourage me but I would always find a reason to say no. It seemed so against my nature or at least that is what I would tell myself. In reality, it was just plain old fear.

The Bible says that “Perfect love cast out all fear.” I didn’t have perfect love. I suffered from the fear that others would judge me. I thought they would judge and find wanting, my appearance, my Jersey accent and my work. Fear caused me to decline talks and bookings. Worry caused me to find excuses not to promote my work. Insecurity had me hiding in my home and using my need to write as an excuse. Notice something here? The use of the word “I” and “me” are prominent. This fear was all about me, not about God. It was all self-centered, not God-centered. When I realized how selfish my fear was, I handed that fear to Him. And a strange thing happened, the fear started to shrink.

And as the fear began to shrink, other things started happening. I would be asked to ‘help out’ and fill in for a speaker who couldn’t come. Not wanting to leave someone in the lurch suddenly put a different spin on giving a talk. It wasn’t about me anymore. It was about someone else’s need and that put me in a whole different frame of mind. The more I did things for others, the more marketing opportunities came. I believe God was teaching me that the writing, publishing and marketing was never about me. It was all about Him. Was I willing to turn everything over to Him – even my fear?

Last week, I was asked to appear on a television program. Some guest had an emergency. Normally, I would have been terrified. Instead, I was filling a need. When I got to the studio I was shocked to see a professional stage and cameras. I don’t know what I expected. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. It is then that I remembered to pray. With prayer I decided that I would just sit and talk to the host of ‘Catholic Corner,’ Msg. Nolan, as if he were a friend. I like talking to people and hearing about their faith. I would just forget the cameras and lights and just be myself. And the worry disappeared. The show ran longer than expected because the conversation became so interesting.

Suddenly, I knew. I knew that God gave me the gift of writing and the gift of myself. Trying to be someone else, someone that everyone else told me I had to be, wasn’t turning my career over to Him. He made me. He made me with a Jersey accent, a gentle nature and a short chubby body. I didn’t need to go against my nature and push myself. I only had to be open to all the opportunities that He would present. I only had to have the courage to be myself and go through the doors that God opened. So when everyone tells you that you have to be or act in a certain way to be a successful writer, smile. You only have to be yourself, turn it all over to Him and watch the magic that happens. Turn it all over to God. He will lift you to places that you never imagined.

 

Karen Kelly Boyce is a mother of two and grandmother of two who lives on a farm in N.J. with her retired husband. She and her husband love to camp and take ‘road trips’ around the country. She has published four novels and three children’s books. Her website is www.karenkellyboyce.com

The Twelve Steps of Being a Spiritual Writer

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

 

Step Three – Made a decision to turn our writing and our writing career over to the care of God

 

We have made a decision to turn all of ourselves, our writing and our writing career over to the care of God. How do we proceed?  I find that it is a daily commitment. We, like those who are addicted to any worldly pleasure, can only work day by day. I have based these Spiritual steps of writing on the twelve steps of A. A. When written, these steps were for those that most physicians, and health care workers, thought were incurable and unsalvageable. It took a man named Bill W. to look to the Scripture and become convinced of God’s mercy.

He created Alcoholics Anonymous and structured a cure based on a Spiritual experience. The Spiritual experience is outlined in the twelve steps in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. We have started to take the success of A.A. for granted. It has always been known by most of us alive today. Few of us know what a revolutionary movement it was. When it was created, alcoholics were considered lost and incurable. The twelve steps changed that.

One of the main principals of the movement is that a person can only turn his will over to a higher power on a day to day basis. It is too difficult to give up personal control for life. The thought of turning control of your life is daunting! Just the thought of handing over your writing and your writing career can’t be imagined. There is a secret.  Can you give up personal control today? That is possible for most of us. And so, to become the Spiritual Writer that you wish to be, you must commit your will, life and writing over to the Will of God each morning.

We can’t change the past, nor can we predict the future. We can only live in the present and so we have to find our God in the present, today.

We are always getting ready to live, but never living – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Each day is a gift from our Maker. Each day is a new beginning. We need to wake with the sun and appreciate the light. Each morning as the light comes to our part of the world, we need to invite the light of Christ into our hearts, souls and our work. The darkness fades and the beauty of the world is revealed. It is the same with our being. Let go of the darkness with every awakening. Call to God to fill you with Himself and help you to let go of the darkness of self. I have stolen the morning prayer of A.A. and modified it for us who have been given the gift of writing. Here is the prayer for you to say each day:

“God, I offer myself, my writing, and my writing career to You – to build with me and do with me as You will. Relieve me, my writing, and my career of the bondage of self, that I may better do your will. Take away my difficulties both personally and in my work, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of your Power, your Love, and your Way of Life. May I do your will always!”

Simply said, but powerfully complicated. The realization that I have come to is that you cannot just partially turn your life and your will over to God. When you do it in one area of your life, God shows you where you need to do the same in another area of your life. However, that is between you and God. I am just trying to point to His path for your journey as a Spiritual Writer.

These first three steps have all been spiritual. It wasn’t easy to admit that we lost control of our desires. Nor was it easy acknowledging that there is a God who can help us. Most of us are Americans, and being independent and free has been spoon fed to us since we were old enough to sit up. It goes against our very nature to let go and turn our will and writing over to God. These steps have been between God and ourselves. However, without taking these steps, the following steps are not possible. Our journey is based on the Gospel and it all starts with faith and trust in God.  I will say one thing. After the struggle of ego and pride is over, we feel as if a burden has been lifted.  Our hearts feel lighter, and our spirit grows. Suddenly success, and the need for it no longer burdens us. Suddenly we are free to be creative and inspired. God opens the doors. God sends the dreams. God provides and we just have to believe and obey. What a relief!  He does a much better job than I ever did. As we move through the first three steps of letting go we feel a great sense of calm. We are ready now.  We are moving on to the steps of action.

Step four may be the hardest step of all because we have to look at things about ourselves that we don’t want to see. However truth is the first step to healing. Every nurse knows that a wound heals much faster when it is exposed to light. So spend each day for the next two weeks saying the prayer of surrender and believing that the God who created you, gave you the gift of words and wants you to be with him in eternity can cure you of the worldly imperfections that taint your life and thereby your work. Next step, we move into action.

 

Karen Kelly Boyce is a mother of two and grandmother of two who lives on a farm in N.J. with her retired husband. She and her husband love to camp and take ‘road trips’ around the country. She has published four novels and three children’s books. Her website is www.karenkellyboyce.com

The Twelve Steps to Being a Spiritual Writer

0
0

thumbnailrosarykeyboard

Step Four – Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves as writers and of our writing.

 

The first three steps that we have completed have been spiritual. They have all been about our relationship with God. Now we are moving into an action step. We are called to take a hard and honest look at ourselves as writers. In any business, inventory is necessary. It is never a treasured job. It is not something that business owners look forward to. However, in order to keep a business on the right track, a regular inventory is always necessary. It is how the business owner finds what works and what doesn’t work. It is the inventory that keeps the owner honest. For example, perhaps the owner of the corner deli loves sour cream potato chips. Because of his love of these tasty chips he ordered twice the amount of this flavor potato chip and just half that amount of barbecue flavored chips. He is sure that the chips will sell well. However, an honest inventory shows that he has run short of the popular barbecue chips and has numerous bags of sour cream chips reaching their expiration date. The inventory is the truth.

The truth is that people in his neighborhood prefer the barbecue chips. Now he can adjust his next order to reflect this truth. He can put the sour cream chips on sale before their expiration date and not waste his time and money trying to convince his customers to change their taste. It is an honest appraisal that has made this all possible. His business will grow with less waste. He will thrive because he is living in truth.

As Spiritual Writers, it is more important for us, as representatives of the Christian way, to live in truth. After all, we influence our readers. We represent the truth of Christ to our fans. How can we do that if we don’t live the Christian life ourselves? No, we can’t be perfect, but we can be closer to the Christ we follow. We need His grace to change, but we have to do our part. Let’s start with ourselves as writers. We will deal with our actual writing work later.

When I wrote my first “Sisters of the Last Straw” book, each character was based on a friend from my Bible study. We had been meeting for thirty years. We knew each other so well that we had learned to laugh at our weaknesses and foibles. I exaggerated the faults in each character to make them lovable and funny and anxiously awaited seeing my five friends and their reaction to the initial reading. What shocked me was that each woman had trouble figuring out which nun was based on her. No one sees their own character defects. Our personal image of ourselves is often false. You may think you know what is good and what is bad about yourself as a person or a writer. I am here to tell you that you can’t see yourself as God sees you.

All of us are sinners! And what is a sinner but a sick person that God wants to heal with His love. We can’t heal ourselves as writers until we take an inventory of the illness we have been carrying around. We have flaws that we can’t see until we take an honest look at ourselves. This is not something that you have to share with anyone but God. He already knows all about you, so the only one you have been dishonest with is yourself. Let’s start a truthful inventory of our writing resentments. Being writers – we’ll put them down on paper. Let’s make a list of those people, institutions and principles that have made us angry.  Let’s examine what it is about them that made us angry. Let’s open the wounds to the light so they can be healed. You can make your list in the order of the amount of anger, or in chronological order of your life as a writer. Let’s face it. We have all been hurt. As writers we try to hide the pain and act professional. As good Christians we have learned to stuff our pain down with false humility and skin – deep forgiveness. But to allow God to heal our hearts we have to open our hearts and let his light in. We have to look at the pain and find our part in the pain. Here is an example of how to do the inventory.

I am resentful at: Mr. Know-it-all

The Cause: He ignored me after the conference, not taking the time to talk to me.

It affected my: (Pick one or more) Self-esteem, pocketbook, ambition, personal relationship, fear.

Another example:

I am resentful at: Howdy Doody Publishing

The Cause: Returned my manuscript unread

It affected my: (Pick one or more) Self-esteem, pocketbook, ambition, personal relationship, fear.

Another example:

I am resentful at: My mother

The Cause: Laughed at my desire to be a writer

It affected my: (Pick one or more) Self-esteem, pocketbook, ambition, personal relationship, fear.

Each morning, pray to God, asking Him to reveal the writing resentments you have pushed down. He will reveal many which you have forgotten, but are simmering deep within. Do this for two weeks and you will be surprised at what you discover. I know I was. It is the first step to allowing God to heal you and make you the writer you were meant to be.

Karen Kelly Boyce is a mother of two and grandmother of two who lives on a farm in N.J. with her retired husband. She and her husband love to camp and take ‘road trips’ around the country. She has published four novels and three children’s books. Her website is www.karenkellyboyce.com

Viewing all 47 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images