Have you ever gotten truly lost? A few years back we went overseas and decided to go for a walk through a national park. The website advertised the walk as being a one-hour trek, which we decided was doable for us. I am not terribly fit and I tire somewhat easily. But I agreed to […]
General writing
Tips and skills in writing generally
Hungry*
Taylah was hungry. Not the I-skipped-recess kind of hungry. Not the I-was-facebooking-so-long-I-forgot-to-eat kind of hungry. Not even the I’ve-been-smoking-again kind of hungry. The kind of hungry that gnaws away at the lining of your stomach like a silent killer, patiently and relentlessly stripping your insides away. Taylah had not eaten a proper meal in three […]
No Longer Slaves
“I’m no longer a slave to fear. I am a child of God.” © 2014 Jonathan Hesler, Joel Case, Brian Johnson. Bethel Music. I do not like spiders. At all. Spiders have the capacity to arrest my attention simply by entering the room. They are captivating, for all the wrong reasons. When I see a […]
I See You
As creatives, we often find ourselves working in secret. We write in secret, we compose in secret. We design in secret, we paint in secret. We dance and rehearse and practice in secret. If we are not careful, we come to believe that our art is secret. As creatives, many of us are introverts. This […]
God Whispers
At the recent Omega writer’s conference, Disney writer Alex Marestaing spoke to us about hearing the whispers of God. Alex told us the story of how he got hired by Disney: he sent them a letter, asking for a job. Just like that. Even more unbelievable is the fact that Disney contacted him a couple […]
The quaint and the quirky
“A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men.” – Willy Wonka This quote is, of course, taken from Roald Dahl’s immortal children’s tale, Charlie and the great glass elevator*. I re-read this story recently (yes, I still read childrens’ books) and the above phrase leapt out at me. Perhaps it is […]
Lessons from Winnie-the-Pooh
“Poetry and hums aren’t things which you get, they’re things which get you. And all you can do is to go where they can find you.” Winnie-the-Pooh (from The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne). For a Bear of Very Little Brain, Pooh shows remarkable insight into the world of creativity. Sometimes we writers […]
The Worry Bank
I’ve been really worried lately. You name it, I’ve been worried about it. Health, work, family, even sleep – which, ironically, stops me from sleeping. I’ve been worried about it all. And I’ve made an important discovery: worry gets me absolutely nowhere. It’s tricky, isn’t it? I know that God is in control. I […]
Under Pressure
Gagh. I’ve been trying to figure out what to write this week. There are many voices in my head clamouring for attention, telling me to write about this or that. I can’t see my way clear. It’s only when I go and sit on the toilet (inspirational, right?) that I realise what my problem is. […]
Adopt-A-Book
“Write a book, they said. It’ll be easy, they said.” – Jeff Goins, Author. The concept of writing a book is a notable and noble-sounding goal. It holds the promise of notoriety, publicity and personal reward, with the act of publication held high as a sort of monumental achievement. But there’s another, less-often discussed side […]