Chin Up and Write On

Every now and then, I have to remind myself why exactly I’m doing this writing thing. There are times when I look at my screen, look at sales, look around myself at other writers who are so much better, and think: “Who the heck am I kidding?”
I gotta keep my chin up. After all, I didn’t start writing for the marketing or the sales. I definitely didn’t start to be brilliant. I’m not on that kind of mission at all with my work. I started to be honest – to tell a story and say something meaningful. I started because my God is a god of stories. And, significantly, I started because I had to write myself out of a particular struggle I was going through. Being honest, escaping my nightmare, was only possible by penning a complete fantasy – and yet, one that didn’t take place in an idealistic world. Now that I’ve done that, whenever I have long weeks of anger and just despair, I go back to it and write again, because I honestly can’t think of anything so healthy as that. It’s a way of reminding myself what’s important in life – a positive way of releasing negative energy.

Another thing I’ve been doing recently is encouraging myself by thinking back to where I started and when I started. By looking back at this story (my own personal writing tale), I begin to understand how far I’ve come. When I get down, I just remember: I’ve been here before. And just like before, I’ll keep writing through it, keep penning my way to a new sunrise, keep talking with my God through the power of story, an avenue He Himself has given me.

Grammar: A New Writer’s Talisman

Recently, I was reminded of the fact that grammar is no longer emphasised as a subject in New Zealand schools. It explained a lot – trends that I had seen in my creative writing courses; students I had observed who had run into difficulties when doing simple things like referencing; young people like myself having a hard time writing creatively with clarity.
And I did what I normally do with things that strike me – I wrote an article about it.
Grammar is sometimes under-emphasised when people give advice to authors. We’re often told to read widely. We’re not often told to study grammar in detail. Grammar is the mechanics of writing, and as such, it is often what Maths is to engineering. It’s definitely not the destination, and as such, it can be perceived as boring and simply less. But grammar is a necessary evil. Without it, a writer cannot hope to get an agent or publisher to so much as finish reading their query letter. With it, a writer can go on to write incredible stories that make sense to everyone – and that, hopefully, catch someone’s eye.
So here’s the full article. I hope you enjoy a little waffling on the subject of grammar.

http://www.writersanctuary.net/blog/advice-for-aspiring-authors-the-importance-of-grammar

The Unveiling

In silence like rain,
I turn to You again.

The clouds above billow;
They are tumultuous and grey.
They have turned my feelings;
They have ruined my day.
I was in control,
An author of my fate.
Now I know my Guide
Stands near the Wicket Gate.

I was in control,
Nothing shook my hold.
Now I see the truth;
It tore off my blindfold.
My desires were unruly,
Like wet hands of the sea.
Now God is my Goal,
The Story and Song in me.

In stillness like light,
You ended my plight.

Limitations

With history we can tell what was;
With science, we can explain what was;
With linguistics we can say what was;
With geography we can show where it was;
But no man can say how it began.

We can tell stories.
Everyone tells stories.
Authors tell stories.
Politicians tell stories.
Scientists tell lots of stories.

But no man
Can say for certain
How it began.

You’d think we’d take the Word
Of Someone who was there.