Writing fiction for Christians of all ages

First, have a Bible-based theme and purpose clearly in mind. For example, three of my novels focused on Romans 8:28: “For we know that all things work together for good for those who love God.” Each time I used that theme, the stories differed, but my purpose remained the same: to help strengthen the faith of readers and draw them closer to God.

Together your theme and purpose make a thesis statement that you can use later in your book proposal and back jacket blurb. As you write and revise fiction, your thesis statement will also help you to point your story or novel toward a credible ending while developing characters who care enough to act for and against your story theme.

Fiction for Christian readers especially needs a factual foundation with biblical truths acted out on each page. This means being true to Judeo-Christian values and to human nature -- true to the fears, frustrations, anger, worries, and longings people experience over the course of a lifetime and over the course of your story plot.

To immerse yourself in true drama, just look around. Watch people, but also consider the ups and downs in your own life. Most importantly, read the Bible, especially the book of Genesis. In that first book of the living word of God, you will find the beginning of almost every interesting story on the earth!

Those timeless yet timely Bible stories, Bible plots, Bible people, and biblical settings continue to affect every culture and also replay in contemporary lives and homes. To find good models to help you develop your story characters, look at the character development of Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah.

The Bible also offers countless possibilities for developing a story plot. For example, read about the actions-reactions-consequences and outcome (i.e., the plot) that occurred when Abraham took Sarah’s advice and took her maid! See what happened before and after Ishmael was born and, later, Isaac. See if similar sagas might work well in faith-building stories for today’s readers, including non-Christian or secular readers with no awareness of Judeo-Christian values or what might happens when people try to follow God.

Although fiction may not be a “true story” that you’ve experienced or heard about, it must be a truth story -- one in which each character speaks or acts as a similar person would in real life. Sometimes, though, Christian writers believe they have to show a character’s relationship with God in such a positive, upbeat light that non-Christian readers think the resulting fiction is overly sentimental or downright sappy! Inspirational novels and stories do well to end on a word of hope, of course, but each chapter needs some kind of struggle, conflict, or obstacle to overcome, not only to strengthen Christian faith but also to build an interesting and highly credible story readers will enjoy and believe.

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© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved. May God guide you in writing biblical truths in Jesus’ Name.

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Writing devotionals

Devotional writing begins with devoting daily quiet times to praying, Bible reading, and meditating on what God says to us and wants us to say to others. This way of getting closer to God may receive more emphasis during Lent, but for devotional writers, these quiet times become a way of life especially appropriate in a Christian writer’s life.

Not every Christian poet, writer, or Bible lover will be drawn to devotional writing, but if you are, you probably like to read the Bible! You probably remember to pray, and you probably have insights that come to you as you spend time with God.

To get ready to write, keep a notebook handy for those inspired thoughts God puts on your mind. Better yet, get a wide-margin Bible in each of your favorite translations, so you can interact with Holy Scripture and respond by taking note.

In addition to shaping those fresh thoughts into devotionals, you might have poems or articles that, with a little tweaking or revising, would fit this pattern for short devotionals:

Title – For short devotionals that you plan to send to a magazine or other periodical, the title will usually be a short phrase or single key word. For a full-length, one-year devotional book, your title needs to reflect your 365-day theme and purpose such as Devoted to Marriage: Devoted to God. Each day’s devotional would then use the date as the title.

Bible verse – After the title comes a Bible verse from which the entire devotional flows. If you’re writing for Catholic readers, the New American Bible (NAB) makes your safest choice for quotes, but the Revised Standard Version (RSV), New Jerusalem Bible (NJB), and Good News or Today’s English Version (TEV) usually work too. For evangelical Christian readers, the main choices will be the New American Standard Bible (NASB), New International Version (NIV), English Standard Bible (ESB), or King James Version (KJV.) For interdenominational choices, consider the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), New Living Translation (NLT), or new Common English Bible.

If you’re writing a book of devotionals, be aware, too, that each translation comes with its own set of rules for permission. Most of the above translations allow you to use 250 verses without having to get permission from the publisher, but some let you go up to 500 verses or more. To find out, look in the front matter of the edition you choose.

Text – With your chosen Bible verse to guide you, the main body of your devotional might be a poetic flow of insight or a true-to-life episode to illustrate that particular verse. A “take-away” will then show your readers how to apply the verse in their lives, but most importantly: This will show, not tell them!

Prayer – In one or two sentences, a prayer ties together all of the above and helps readers to seek God’s guidance in that area. Also, a full-length book of devotionals needs to have a consistent format, and the closing prayer is no exception. So, decide at the start if you will use first person plural (we/ us/ our) or second person (you/ your.)

First personal singular (I/ my/ me/ mine/) can make a devotional seem all about me-me-me, while second person can sound, well, preachy! First person plural can help to unite you and your readers since we are all in this together. Before you decide on a perspective to use in your devotionals, try them out to see which seems most natural to you. If, however, you know which publisher you hope will accept your manuscript, follow their guidelines.

If you do not know who publishes what, you will find annually updated editorial contacts and guidelines for your devotional articles, books, poems, novels, children’s books, and more in The Christian Writer's Market Guide, a highly recommended book that lists traditional publishers who just might be highly open to your work:



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© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved. If this article helps you to encourage a Christian writer-friend or someone in your church to write devotionals, just acknowledge this source. For fresh views of Bible topics, see Blogs by Mary.

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Does one Bible fit all Christian readers and denominations?

When translating from ancient Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic languages into contemporary English, variations occur because of the synonyms translators choose from and also because of archaic phrases that would puzzle readers today. Some translators convert each word into English, but most choose to render old idioms or colloquial expressions into current thoughts or contemporary phrases, rather than translating word for word.

If you plan to write Bible stories, Bible studies, church curriculum, or other Bible-based poems and manuscripts for Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox readers, you’ll do well to compare the many fine translations on the Internet, or, better yet, get a copy of every English version of the Bible you can find.

As you see how biblical scholars translate a familiar verse or story in a truthful but fresh or unfamiliar way, you’ll broaden your view of God’s word and better understand where your readers are coming from, regardless of their denominational beliefs.

Whether you use Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox editions of the Bible, all of the books of the New Testament will be the same and in the same order. In the Hebrew Bible or “Old Testament,” however, the number and placement of the books may vary, depending on whether the translators accepted the Septuagint – the Greek Bible that most Jews and Christians read up until the first century or so.

After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the Jewish leaders agreed to accept only the books written in Hebrew as they canonized the Bible, but the early church continued to use the books in the Greek Bible too, referring to them as deuterocanonical.

Then, after the Reformation, the deuterocanonical books were removed from English versions, including the King James Version, which originally included them all. After this, the “extra” canonical books were generally referred to as apocryphal, which means hidden.

Those books remained hidden from many of us until recently. But then, just this week as I researched information for the new posting “Which Bible would Jesus choose?” for the Bible Reviewer blog, I discovered that almost every translation of the Christian Bible now offers all of the books!

Bible book publishers may still refer to the “extra” books as the Apocrypha, but who cares as long as you know what to look for in the bookstore. You also might enjoy, as I did, the joy of discovering those “hidden” books for your personal reading. More importantly, perhaps, Christians who once again have all of the books in common might be less apt to think of ourselves according to denominations but according to our solid word-for-word translation into the Kingdom of God through our one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved. If you want to share the information in this article, be sure to acknowledge the source and website. For more information on the many wonderful translations of the Bible, visit Bible Reviewer. May God bless your Bible reading and your Christian writing life.

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Writing in Bible love

As Valentine’s Day approaches, Christian poets and writers have a blessed opportunity to write about love from God’s perspective, which has far greater substance than romantic notions and fuzzy feelings. This biblical view of love remains constant, year-round, so, Lord willing, I’ll be addressing What the Bible Says about Love with appropriate scriptures, prayers, and short devotionals for private use or discussions in your Bible study group.

For example, the posting “The Bible Defines Love” discussed “the love chapter,” I Corinthians 13, reminding me of a poem Sandy Brooks accepted several years ago for Cross & Quill, the newsletter of the former Christian Writers Fellowship International (CWFI) for which she and I both served as directors.


Taking A Bible Stanza
(from I Corinthians 13)

Though I speak with the most angelic voice
heard in human hearts….

Though I resound as a clear bell calling
all readers to ring with praise….

Though I prophesy with power,
decipher mysteries, acquire
insight, and utter wisdom well….

Though I have faith to move
mountains of people with perceptive words
and cast rejection into deep depths of the sea….

Though I write all I have been given
and hand over my body of work
without reimbursement or acknowledgment….

Though I may boast of publication and best-sells….

Without love for God and readers, my work is nothing.

The loving writer-poet must be patient,
kind – not proud.

The loving writer-poet must not insist
“My work, my way!” nor be
manuscripted with resentment,
but rejoice, rejoice in giving voice to truth.

The loving writer-poet bears all
disappointments, believes all
timing comes from God, and has all
hope to end: endure.

The loving writer-poet knows
we know in part, but every part
of every reader needs
The Loving Word of God.

This love story, theme, or purpose
never ends.

poem by Mary Harwell Sayler originally published in Cross & Quill. Used by permission of the author.


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© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved.

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One day in the life of a full-time Christian writer-poet-editor

Years ago an acquaintance from church asked what I do, and I said, “I’m a writer” to which she responded, “I know. But what else do you do?” If you hope to be a “full-time writer” you might wonder the same. Since I’ve been doing this for my most of my adult life – well, part-time when I was a full-time “stay at home mom” – my workday might give you a glimpse of the “real” writing life, which differs each day for each person and each project.

Working in an office at home necessitates a general structure to get anything done. So each morning, as FL weather permits, my husband and I take our coffee onto the deck to watch the arrival of birds and wake up a bit.

Inside, at my desk with half a cup of cooling coffee, I pick up my favorite devotional book, God Calling, and savor the day’s reading, which also speaks a word to Christian writers who have dozens of great ideas and not enough time, “My will shall be revealed as you go.” Yes, thank You, God! I count on that a lot, especially on days when the To-Do list has grown beyond To Do-able.

If I were working on a book contract, I would most likely get right to it. Ditto if I had a book of poetry or devotionals to critique today. Instead I search for something to wear then lug an overflowing laundry basket toward the washing machine and walk away from that mountain as others await.

Without warning, a poem comes to me, and I hurry to write it down before I forget. To be precise, I pull up the Word file for my poems, add and date a new page, then type:

Move

My faith
God’s power
No more mountain

©2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, All rights reserved.

I thought I might be working on new blog postings this morning, but email beckons me to various LinkedIn Groups. Someone I’ve never heard of wants to connect, so I check out his profile and accept his invitation then notice that a bunch of people checked me out too. No clue who, but I recently sent invitations to several editors, who just might approach me with book contracts and magnanimous advances. Most likely though, I'll need to study their current list of titles and topics, see where my ideas fit, then contact one editor at a time for each project.

Sometimes other people make the first move. Years ago, for instance, an editor at a writer's conference, where we'd both been invited to teach, phoned to ask if I'd like to write a series of devotional books for her company. Like, yeah! More recently, though, I discovered I had been made the moderator for a poetry group on LinkedIn without being asked! My first thought was to close down the group, but after prayer, it came to me that those few hundred poet-members might be interested in The Poetry Editor blog and website. So I changed the name to The Poetry Editor Group, added my logo, and encouraged discussions about writing, which doesn't always happen.

This morning, for instance, someone wants to hawk his website under Discussions, but I move the URL to Promotions where it belongs. In the manager’s section, I recognize some names as members of the group (which I’m happy to say has doubled in size!), but I have to look up the Profile for another person who wants to post a comment. Nope, not a member! Oh, why not! As with all the main social networks, LinkedIn is free with no obligation. Oh, well. The poet has a helpful comment to add, so I post what she has to say in the Discussion as she'd intended.

I often start or join group discussions too, but if I do so now, I won’t get anything else done, so I sign out, then check Facebook to see if family or friends posted anything significant. Yeah, someone had a birthday I acknowledge then notice that one of the literary journals I “Like” has posted a call for poems that relate to a particular picture. Checking my Word file, I find 2 two-lined poems that fit, so I post both under Comments as the editor instructed. I then check my Facebook “Author” page and The Poetry Editor page I maintain and am happy to see new “Like’s” on both!

That’s encouraging since I really do want to offer helpful tips to poets and writers in each post. But, oh, I see someone has been posting on my page! I don’t mind if other writers and poets respond to something on my page with a link to theirs. But this guy put a hotlink to his website which is rabidly against anything ecumenical. After deleting that post, I see a note from another writer in another country, who wants me to take a "quick look" at his work.

How can a full-time writer-poet-editor take a “quick look” at anything? Why can't the writer take a long, serious look at his own work, reading it aloud and listening for areas that need improvement without asking me to do it for free? This comes up so often by so many people in so many places that I sigh, pray, and tell the man he will find many helpful articles and resources freely provided on my blogs and websites. I also let him know that I’d be glad to provide a professional, one-on-one response to his writings for a reasonable fee, but I probably won’t hear from him again.

Feeling discouraged by the frequency of requests for freebies, I remind myself how Jesus said that “workers are worthy of their hire,” but I hit the “like” button on several FB postings to encourage other Christian poets and writers as much as I can. In the process, I notice an announcement from Sally Stuart – The Expert in Christian publishing whom I interviewed in this blog last year – about the release of her 2012 marketing guide. Hitting the “Share” button, I let FB Friends know about this valuable resource.

Before untangling myself entirely from the Internet, I check email for The Poetry Editor and see new followers of the blog and also, an editor’s acknowledgment of a manuscript I submitted. In my personal email, another editor-writer agrees to an interview I hope to post soon, and a writer tells me how the contest I judge helped to boost her confidence. Nice to hear – and a good idea to discuss in another blog posting.

My coffee has gotten cold, but I sip it anyway, and my husband sticks his head in the door. Yeah, I’m ready for our half-mile round-trip walk to our rural post office, where, no, the manuscript someone was supposedly sending for a writing consult did not arrive.

Back home, I dump a load of darks in to wash then come back to the computer to see if one of the editors of my upcoming book of poetry has responded to the poems she asked me to send as representative of the book. Picking three was easy enough, but in case they didn’t speak clearly for the book’s theme, I added a note to explain, “Basically, what I’m saying is: We’re part of the universe. Although I’m aware that nature can seem cruel, love and spirit continue on, regardless."

It’s now almost 10 a.m., and I need to focus on blog postings that got behind while I redesigned my websites. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, I wonder, “Lord, did You want me to start so many blogs?" or was this my big idea? Either way, the biblical injunction comes to mind of doing whatever the hand finds to do. Hand – mind, whatever.

All of the blogs began as I researched Bible topics that interest me: For instance, “Christian Healing Arts” got started because I wanted to give credit to God who created everything, including methods and ideas for healing that people seem to think they invented all by themselves. “Bible Prayers” began with research for a Bible study class that took almost two years to cover with excellent feedback from everyone in the group. As a Christian concerned for families (especially the Family of God), I also wanted to see “What the Bible Says about Love.” In addition, my personal Bible readings often resulted in Bible person-poems.

Initially, I'd hoped to do a one-year devotional or nonfiction book on the Bible topics I had researched, but having no immediate takers, I woke up one morning with “Do blogs” in my head. Hoping that God had put the idea there in answer to prayers for guidance, I soon discovered that juggling several blogs gets tricky! Or sticky! i.e., I now use computerized “Sticky Notes” to type the name of each blog and the last date posted. I also keep a Word file for each completed article, along with a list of titles and dates posted, and I type in words or phrases that suggest ideas for future articles. If blog followers ask a question that might interest other writer-readers, I note that as a potential topic too.

But here it is 11 a.m. on a Saturday, and I just put in the second of four loads of laundry. Having skipped my dish of yogurt, I’m thinking about lunch – most likely left-overs of home-cooked meals I make by the batch a couple times a week and freeze.

Living in the country does not make home delivered pizza a meal-time option, but the rural environment provides a wonderful place to get quiet, enjoy nature, and write about whatever God brings to mind. You might wonder, though, when and if I do any actual writing during the day, but, the truth is, while we’ve been chatting, I’ve been writing this article, which, Lord willing, I will tighten and revise after lunch and laundry and post long before church tomorrow with its welcomed day of rest.

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© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

For additional help with your writing: See the Interview with Sally Stuart. To find a list of the above mentioned blogs and hotlinks, visit Blogs by Mary. To connect, visit hotlinks for Profiles or pages on the major social networks. Thanks. And may God guide and direct your work in Jesus’ name.

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Evangelism and the Spoken Word Performer: interview with Christian poet and Boeing 777 pilot Phil Long

Mary: Phil, I haven’t seen or heard anything as innovative or effective as your poetry performances since Carmen evangelized and captivated crowds in the 1980’s by singing Gospel stories such as Lazarus. How did you get started with your amazing ministry?

Phil: I’d been a closet poet and writer for 30 years before I discovered slam poetry on a layover as a commercial airline pilot. I recognized the potential for engaging people with the hope of the Gospel, and the beauty of the art involved was appealing too, so I dove in.

Mary: How do people generally respond?

Phil: Audiences respond well when the poetry is written for and to them. I have found that to succeed in this community of spoken word artists one must not only have something that they want to say but also respect the audience. This is particularly true in a poetry slam where the audience judges one's poetry and decides who advances to the next round of the competition to perform again.

Mary: So true! Yet so many poets seem to think that published or public poetry is only about themselves and their own words. Your ministry, however, physically draws people, so you can see their faces and energy, and immediately sense their reactions, which poets and writers usually cannot do. Most of us work alone at our personal computers or laptops, but your ministry sounds like it involves other people from the start. Does it?

Phil: I, too, write alone, but there is no question that spoken word poetry is interactive and viscerally personal. You get to see "the whites of their eyes" and hear them react audibly as you perform. You watch your art strike and move the audience. This, of course, means that you need an audience. I have performed and networked for over 3 years now, and that effort is producing more gigs and more contacts. I collaborate with many individuals, churches, and organizations such as Prison Fellowship (approved speakers list), CRU (Evangelistic Speakers Forum), the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association (Next Generation Alliance), and others to complement their mission rather than promote any agenda of my own.

Mary: What do you hope will happen? Where do you see this ministry going?

Phil: That is the most exciting part for me! The young Christian poets I have encountered along the way are brilliant and native to this genre while I feel a bit like an outsider who has moved into the neighborhood. I am recruiting and building a collaborative community of Christian poets who write of their faith like it really matters primarily for spoken presentation with secular audiences. I'm finding this to be a surprisingly rare pursuit. I find that most Christian spoken word artists write for Christian audiences. The goal of a nonprofit poet community I am building, the Sacrificial Poet Project is to "promote faith conversations through the art of spoken word poetry." Our YouTube channels are "jesuspoetryslam" where we have showcased videos for some of our younger poets' work along with some non-Christians who write about our faith and "madatamyth" where my own, lesser, material is moldering. So, my main effort now is to expand success in this genre to other young Christian poets who write and perform for secular audiences.

Mary: Excellent! Although your work will undoubtedly encourage Christian poets and writers and strengthen faith in general, your performances for secular audiences make your ministry highly evangelical.

Phil: Well, writing that "preaches to the choir" lacks a certain authenticity and edge that we are looking for in this project, so I prefer to let the secular audiences decide who is a competent Sacrificial Poet. If a poet succeeds while presenting the hope of the Gospel to a hostile or indifferent audience, they have what it takes. There's a certain laziness of expression that infects one's writing when speaking to an audience that already shares your view. Personally, I find it invigorating to share my faith with people who may be antagonistic or skeptical, and doing so in a way that they will appreciate. The challenge, of course, is to remain true to the Gospel while doing so. It's a fine line.

Mary: Provocative term “Sacrificial Poet,” but I want to understand exactly what you mean, Phil, and readers will too. Expound on that a bit.

Phil: "Sacrificial Poet" is a term I've lifted from the poetry slam world. It describes a non-competition poet who is invited to the stage before every slam to perform an original piece so that the newly selected audience-judges can practice their untested judging skills. And since God is clearly a poet and a spoken word artist, and since we are His poema (Greek word for workmanship), and since we reflect Jesus Christ who is the ultimate Sacrificial Poet and The Word become flesh, it just seemed a natural fit on so many levels. Stunningly, really. We call our collaborative community of poets the Sacrificial Poet Project, and I'm actually amazed that the URL for our website wasn't already taken since this is not a new idea. For example, Acts 17 records the apostle Paul in an ancient example of the contemporary "open mic" scene that these Sacrificial Poets frequent today. If you remember, Paul quoted classical Stoic poets to his audience as a bridge to the hope they could find through God "in whom we live and move and have our being."

Mary: Well-said, Phil – and well-done. I hope what you're doing will encourage other Christian poets, writers, and performance artists to seek new ways to make the Gospel message come alive, so people can hear. May God continue to bless you and your good work.

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© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

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Writing in the New Year

On this New Year’s Eve, morning fog covered our pond, whiting-out the water and making us aware of what we can see close-up. Not much! But that can be a good thing, or, for me anyway, a way of sensing the Lord’s leading in my work as a Christian writer.

For a while now, I’ve been praying for God to show me the projects I'm to take on and the work I am to do, but to do the work at hand, I need to see my hand.

The morning fog let me do just that but not much more! Yet that can be a good thing too.

Seeing what’s at hand may be a way of seeing God’s hand as we find what is right there within our reach.

As this year comes to a close, fog still hides the future but begins to drift over the past, helping us to see the writing we have been given to do, at least for the present.

Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children’s books, devotional articles, Bible studies, blog posts…? The genre doesn’t matter except to be the one at hand – the one in your hands as you read the type of book or article or story you most prefer.

If this blog can help you with that, let me know. Since I've written in almost every genre for Christian and educational markets for many years, I am happy to look ahead with you and discuss aspects of writing and the writing life you want to know more about, so post a writing question or suggest topics for future blog posts in the Comments section on this page. Let me know, too, what you think of the new page design for In a Christian Writer’s Life . Thanks. And may God bless you and your writing throughout the New Year.

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© 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

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Reflecting God’s Light in what we write

Christmas and Hanukah bring Holy Days of Light to Christians and Jews, but depression and desperation often come this time of year to lonely people who do not know God. As poets and writers who do know God and the Word of God given to us through the Holy Scriptures and Holy Spirit, God gives us light to bear and light to share.

As Isaiah 49:6 promises: “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to Me. I (God) will make you a Light to the nations to bring My salvation to all the peoples of the earth.”

Sometimes the word “salvation” is used so often it seems dull, but in God’s Light we see light. To re-view what the Bible shows:

Salvation offers a way of escape from bad habits and attitudes that seize and entrap.

Salvation rescues people from mistakes hanging over their heads like dead mistletoe.

Salvation delivers people from the presence of evil, bad will, and unforgiveness.

Salvation recovers who and what was lost.

Salvation brings salve and healing, wrapping us in love and offering our writing as a gift in the present as a present from God.

Only God can save. Only God is Light and gives Light to all who want to step away from dark corners or dark thoughts lurking around, threatening to overshadow. But, as poets and writers and people of God, we have brightness!

We are Christmas lights and Hanukah candles.

Our poems and manuscripts can bring all that God gives us to give to others – giving and giving yet having more and more to hold onto and keep.

Let's pray to remember, though, that reflecting the Light requires reflection.

Let's pray to remember that part of the Light is being light, and our part may be to have and to hold a light touch, levity, and humor.

Only God can put ho-ho into Holy Days – not with zaniness or phony attempts to be jolly but with the true, pure light of joy. So let's pray for joy. Pray for light. Pray for daily reflection on the Light of Christ and the Joy of Salvation as we reflect our loving Heavenly Father -- the Almighty LORD God to the world.

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© 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

http://www.marysayler.com

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The Golden Rule of book reviews

According to the Bible, the Golden Rule urges us to treat others as we want to be treated. If we apply that biblical thinking to our work as Christian poets or writers, we might say:

Review unto others as you would have others review unto you.

To consider this from both sides, let’s talk about the two views of reviews:

Giving a book review

Getting a book review

Either way, Christian writers and readers need helpful reviews of books in any genre, and most of us want to encourage each other whenever we can.

To give book reviews, start by letting publishers and writers know you’re willing to review books in your favorite genre. This will give you a free copy of a book you can read, enjoy, and learn from as you aim to improve your own writing too.

If you absolutely love the book, great! You have added to your personal library at no cost. If, however, you hate a book, you do not have to give a glowing review nor be brutally honest by saying the book, writer, and writing stink! Just decline the review. If the person presses you, pray to say something unhurtful and generic such as, “I didn’t connect so am not the best person to review your work.”

Since you have already reviewed the book yourself though, make a point of re-viewing the book for errors or anything you did not like in order to learn from that writer’s mistakes.

Similarly, reviewing a well-written book can help you to stretch toward higher literary quality too, but frankly, it’s easier to pinpoint what does not work than to see what works well! Nevertheless, as you read a well-written book, make a point of noticing the development of the characters in a novel or the theme in a nonfiction book. Notice the transitions, too, since a skillful writer will be especially subtle in getting readers from here to there in a smooth move of time, thought, or place.

As you continue to do book reviews, keep these tips in mind:

Be fair.

Be thorough.

Be specific in stating what you like.

Begin with positive comments, but, if you must make a negative remark, be honest but kind.

Be particular about the books you review to keep from getting bogged down in your own library. For instance, I’m only interested in reviewing traditionally published books for children or traditionally published poetry books for any age group.

Be particular about where you place your reviews. Some publications pay for book reviews; others do not. Although most of us prefer getting compensated for the time we spend reading a book and writing a review, payment should never sway our opinion.

Some book reviewers have their own blog to post reviews, and, if you enjoy reviewing, you might set up a free blog on Blogger or WordPress. (I use and like both.) Posting reviews does not fit the focus of my blogs though, so I occasionally write reviews on the Amazon site where I often order books that interest me.

As you become the kind of reviewer you hope to find, you will soon develop your own voice and approach. And, as you approach people about doing reviews for your book, the Golden Rule will again apply and guide.

For instance, I do not like receiving books out of the blue to review, so I do not feel free to mail someone a book of mine that I want reviewed. Instead, a short letter or email with a short blurb about the book and a request for a review shows respect for the reviewer's time and also saves you or your publisher the expense of mailing a book that the potential reviewer has no interest in reading.

To find interested readers, check out writers’ groups on LinkedIn or Facebook, join Group discussions, and look for people with whom you connect who might be willing to review your work.

Notice, too, the people who post helpful reviews on Amazon or other bookstore websites for the kinds of books you write. If you do not know the person, you can probably find a contact on their Amazon review page or, with a name search, on the Internet.

As you consider your options, I need to tell you that some writers are willing to pay for book reviews, but I’m not one of them. Nor do I accept payment for the promise of a shiny-bright review. I do, however, offer honest critiques of devotionals, book proposals, poetry, and children’s picture books at a reasonable fee for your eyes only. If you want that kind of professional help, visit the Critique, Edit, and Writing Consult pages on The Poetry Editor website for more information.

Meanwhile, may God bless our reading and writing life and rule each of us Golden!

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© 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

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Breaking the Good News to all sorts of readers

An article on the Internet this week talked about reasons young people no longer see the need to worship God in the churches in which they were religiously raised. Another article wondered about weird weather and natural disasters rising from global warming, while others warned of objects falling from space or spoke of the fall of politicians, sports heroes, and people who previously proclaimed themselves as parts of the Body of Christ.

What’s going on here? The economy seems frozen, families broken, and dreams of betterment crushed, but what can a Christian writer do?

Listen

Get comfortable. Get quiet. Pray, “Come, Holy Spirit.” Empty your thoughts. Quiet your mind. Give God a chance to speak to you. How? However, God chooses! Most likely, this may be through an impression, vision, inspired thought, or sudden recollection of a word from the Bible that seems especially timely, relevant, and well-balanced by a full, sweeping view of Holy Scripture.

Notice

Notice your reactions to people, ads, news, sermons, events. What troubles you? For instance, do you feel grieved, as I do, when you hear someone bad-mouth God, Christ, and Christianity? Do you wonder, as I do, what Jesus thinks of the bickering and “gang rivalry” that occurs between churches and among individual Christians? Do you notice a recurring problem you might effectively address in a poem, article, book, or Bible story that relates well to your contemporary concern?

Identify

To whom do you want to speak? If children, are you particularly drawn to a particular age group? If adults, do you feel a stronger connection with young people, middle-aged readers, retirees, or elderly seniors? Do you interact with prospective readers often enough to know what’s typically on their minds, in their emotions, and under their feet?

Focus

When you know the persons to whom you most want to speak, think about the topic or theme you most want to discuss. Then sharpen your focus as you identify the goal or purpose of a manuscript you plan to write. i.e., What do you want your poem, fiction, or nonfiction to accomplish? Do you want to make people think? Do you hope to encourage faith? Do you see yourself as an evangelizer whose writings can coax non-Christians to Christ? Or do you hope to write in any and all genres as a healer, mediator, and body-builder for the Body of Christ?

As you aim to write words that inspire all sorts of readers, bring hope, and help others to see the Good News of Jesus Christ as active in and relevant to their lives, prayerfully…

Consider

In what ways might the Kingdom of God and the Will of God attract our readers?

In what ways might the church adapt to a changing culture and widen its world view?

In what earthly ways can we take the first command in Genesis 1:28 to tend and subdue the earth as relevant to godly treatment of the environment? (Hint: “Dominate” does not mean “domineer,” and “subdue” does not mean to put down but to pacify, soothe, calm, and make peaceable.)

In what ways can we write to encourage readers to take the “wreck” out of recreation and put godly acts into action?

In what appealing ways might Judeo-Christian values be presented as desirable standards to the disinterested or un-churched?

In what way can our writings bring light to true love for God, one another, and “those people” we don’t relate to or even like?

In what winsome ways can we accurately, intelligently, empathetically, and lovingly break the Good News to our readers?

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© 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

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Speaking your peace

When people give a piece of their minds, they often express a partial piece of a bigger picture. Or to consider another caller on this homophone, a pastor or priest might ask at a wedding if anyone has a reason why the couple should not be married, and, if so, “Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

In chaotic times where rants, rumors, and discordant reports resound against God, Christ, and the church, we might be inclined to hold our peace by severely clamping our teeth against our tongues. We might shy away, wishing we were invisible. Or we might rush in to provide our little piece of the truth as we see it instead of asking God how God sees it. But here’s the thing:

Christian poets and writers have God-given intelligence, which can be called on to search out the truth, re-search information, investigate both sides to a story, and present a full, fair-minded view.

Christian poets and writers have powers of speech and communication capable of ringing longer, louder, and truer than self-expression alone.

The Bible assures Christian poets and Christian writers that, as Christians, we have the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16), especially if we read the Bible and pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Becoming attuned to God and in tune with our times can be complex but also simpler than it might sound. For instance, we can pray for discernment, expecting God to answer, and we can examine our minds and motives as we ask ourselves some simple questions:

Does my writing stir up people or stir readers from all cultures to accept the love, healing, forgiveness, redemption, and salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Does speaking peace encourage my Christian brothers and sisters and, indeed, the whole Body of Christ to come together, eager to be at peace with one another?

In what ways can my poems, stories, devotionals, articles, and books bring reconciliation and healing to denominational or other church factions?

Do I willingly, prayerfully, and lovingly speak my piece as part of the ongoing peace of God?



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© 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

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Did Jesus read poems, quote poetry, and pray printed prayers?

Jesus prayed spontaneously as shown in the Lord’s Prayer or Our Father and in the High Priestly Prayer in Chapter 17 of the Gospel of John. However, as a regular worshipper in the synagogue and one who often stood up to read aloud “as was His custom” (Luke 4:16), Jesus undoubtedly read the printed prayers and poems scrolled into the book of Psalms.

Then and now, Jesus and other Jewish people drew from Psalms for many reasons. Then and now, Christians rely on Psalms, too, as shown in Acts 1:20, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16 and many other Bible verses. Why? Christians and Jews love the book of Psalms as:

Written prayers

Songbook

Anthology of poetry

Source of godly wisdom

Examples of heartfelt prayer

Outlet for genuine emotion

Devotion and meditation

Inspired writings

Prophetic word

Apparently Jesus also memorized at least some of the psalms because, from the cross, He quoted Psalm 22 not only to express the agony He felt but to encourage His followers who knew, as Jesus did, how the psalm ends. In addition, this fulfilled the word of prophecy recorded in that poem and printed prayer.

What does this have to do with us today as Christian writers, editors, and poets? Hopefully, a lot! For example:

Written prayers are preserved prayers, private prayers, public prayers, proven prayers, and prayers that immediately connect us with one another and with God. Whenever and wherever you pray a psalm or other Bible prayer, countless prayer partners stand with you in all times and places.

Psalms provide long-loved examples of beautifully written songs, poems, instructional teachings, and wisdom writings. Studying and reading aloud each psalm can help us to attune our ear and improve the poetic quality of our writing in all genres.

Psalms give us insight into the spiritual life and also the life of faith realistically lived and written in all genres.

Psalms draw us closer to God, not only with praise and thanksgiving but, more often, with laments! Thankfully, those laments typically end on an encouraging word of faith, helping us to cry out with true feelings and draw on faith that has been tested as we, too, write prayers, poems, and writings in all genres.

Psalms remind us of the ongoing timeliness of the Bible and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of God’s Word, written into our lives as Christian poets, editors, and writers in all genres, all places, and all times.

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If you would like to discover prayers in the Bible that enliven your faith and guide your prayers and writings today, follow the Bible Prayers blog. May blessings abound on all who enter that space.

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© 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.
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