March 2010, Cheerleaders-Top 100 Creative Writing Blogs

Every month, I aim to post a "cheerleader" to encourage Christian Writers in their publishing journeys. 

Today, I found a secular website that lists the "Top 100 Creative Writing Blogs".  I visited a few of the links already and thought  it a good site to pass on to my readers. 

I don't often run out of things to write about ; I run out of free time to write about them or information on where to submit them after I write them. Nevertheless,  all people get writer's block at times and a website so full of ideas from other writers might help to cure that. 

 On the TOP 100 Creative Writing Blogs, you will find writing challenges, contests, information on getting published and many miscellaneous writing pointers. It's great for beginning and intermediate writers, especially. There's a cute blog on apostrophe abuse. (Who'd a' thunk it?)

Some of my readers self-publish, write e-books or write for their churches. I've had a few things published in the non-fiction category (articles, poetry, songs, etc.) but one of my goals as a writer is to be published in many genres since I like to write about many things. I am sure that non-fiction writing is my niche but diversification is a good thing too and it never hurts to try. One never knows where he or she will strike gold. 

Meanwhile, I intend to continue to write and learn. A few months from now, my whacked out schedule will slow down to a reasonable pace and I will have more time to blog and write. I look forward to that day. This has been a very full season of my life. My season of rest is en route. When it arrives, I will write to my heart's content.

Meanwhile, I plan to keep working my craft (writing) and learning new skills.  I read many, many blogs. Some of them are about writing but many are about life in general.  One must live life to write about it. 

Despite that, it's my aim to read more blogs about writing. The above-mentioned website is a wonderful resource. Maybe you have  writing blogs that inspire you that are not mentioned on the above mentioned site or in my sidebar links. Check them out. I have some excellent writing websites and blog links.  Here's a link to one of my absolute all-time favorite websites/blogs.

What writing websites or blogs do you read on a frequent basis? What do you find helpful about them? What  tips would you, as a writer, give my readers about visiting writing blogs? How important do you think it is to writers?

Writing Opportunity for Leading Homeschool Magazine

Last year, I became an independent contractor to write reviews for +-75 vendors who contract with The Old Schoolhouse Magazine to gain exposure for their products. Most of the items are Homeschool Curriculae but there have also been products for family fun and household use.  One item we received was a sampler basket  of natural soaps and laundry detergent fragranced with essential oils and natural scents.  Oh, it smelled so scrumptious, I would have eaten some if it hadn't been soap. Other fun things we received were a: Hank, the Cowdog board game along with some CD's and books, Sarah Books a historical novella series based on the time period when the Underground Railroad began to rise as a help to slaves, music instruction, educational games for the computer, curriculae for every school subject including special education materials, college preparation guides and a Bible Study Course for kids using stick figures to make the stories come alive. I still have several months left to receive these products for free as a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew. You can read my reviews here at: Leaders In Learning blog.   It has been QUITE an experience and I have met MANY wonderful writers and publishers in this process.

The reason I tell you all of this is not to boast on my great treasures nor to brag up my own talent as a writer.  I am not the only person who has this priviledge.  In fact, there are MANY moms and a few dads working from their homeschool program to write excellent reviews for the TOS magazine and what's more? The time is here again for tryouts and you too can try out for a position on the crew. Click here for details.  Your compensation is not in monetary return but you will receive awesome products for your family to try and help bringing traffic to your blog where the reviews you write are hosted. I have received enough curriculum to use for several years, free of charge. As well, I have had my exposure to homeschool materials expanded by leaps and bounds. I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity this year and so have three of my friends across the states. I know there are people outside the state who participate as well. To read their reviews,Click Here.  While you are there, look for a ship that says, "Blog Cruise" where crew members answer common questions asked about homeschooling in general.  If you ever wanted to homeschool or are simply curious what all the hubbub is about regarding homeschooling, then you won't want to miss all the blog links that will give you a widespread exposure to why many choose to teach their children at home instead of a public or private school. I have one in public school and another at home but homeschooling is no longer a fringe movement. Numbers are rising across the world, thanks to early pioneers who paved a path to show the world how much sense it really makes.

So, what do you think? Are any of you good technical writers or wonderful conversational writers? The reviewers are ALL styles from a simple straightforward scientific sounding report to elaborate or funny reviews. If you are a homeschooler who likes to write, and would benefit from an opportunity to receive great things for your family, then this opportunity might be for you.

If you tryout, please let me know and tell the editors I sent you, too!

I try to publish helpful articles on this site. I've been a little busy lately and not posted devotionals or market opportunities so I thought I would let you know about this one.  It could be really a good fit for some of my readers. Check it out!

Christian Writers, Contend For the Faith!

"Beloved, ... it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints." JUDE 3

Whatever genre in which the Christian writers flourish, we have a high calling to exhort our Christian readers to contend for the faith and to bring in those yet to be found. 

It's so much easier to be a generic Christian. By that, I mean, to blend in with the world and not share our faith. However, I believe that we, as all believers, have a call to share the Good News with a lost and spiritually dying world, not to cram words down anyone's throats but to shine the light through our witness so that people will ask and we will be ready to answer.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying it's wrong  for a Christian writer to flourish in the secular market. When God gives you a seed to plant, He will bring the harvest in the ground where it should be planted. Let's not forget though, when the baskets are full of monetary proceeds from the sold harvest (or when they are empty), there is a spiritual harvest ready and waiting for us to come and pick. We are not called to be sheep in wolves clothing but to fit nicely in our sheepskin and to wear it with honor and humility. 


 I exhort you and me both to contend for the faith as the early disciples did. There may be a time when we won't have this freedom that we now hold dear- our freedom of speech. It is happening all around us. I received an email recently about an author who is being imprisoned for using his free speech right here in America. These instances are few and random in our country but not so elsewhere.

It doesn't costs us much in comparison to what our brothers and sisters in Asia and third world countries suffer when they preach the Gospel. Many of them give their lives; all we get receive is a little flack here and there from people. 


Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel, (make disciples of all nations) baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. Amen." Matthew 28:19-20


Christian Writer, remember who you are. Don't forget your call. Remember you have fellow sheep spread across this continent and further. Use your freedom as a Christian writer to contend for the faith and win souls whenever God gives the opportunity.

We Are Works In Progress

Philippians 1:6

Being confident of this very thing, that He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

I've been discouraged periodically about all of the dreams and goals that have yet to be realized as a writer.  Life gets in the way. I see my imperfections and struggle with self-worth. Missing the mark can make a goal-oriented person feel like a failure.

 In reflection, I have discovered that sometimes I set the mark too high. Other times, I don't work hard enough at the goals but allow distractions to deter me. I'm the stereotypical moody writer, who thinks she can publish a library one day and another day, fills the trash can with crumpled paper.  I don't want to feel like I'm not accomplishing my goals.

I asked the Lord for a Word on which to stand. He gave me the above passage. It was an immense comfort. Here's why:

I am not perfect. I fail. Failure reveals my humanity and somehow, in that state, I see the steadfastness of God. Jesus, the Perfect One, is performing a good work in me--to sanctify, to cleanse, to save, to make whole and to enable for service. He began that work in me and He will not quit working until I am perfect in Him.  When He returns to take me to Heaven and gives me a heavenly body which will no longer struggle with weakness and imperfection, then all my earthly expectations will fade and I will know what was His perfect will for my life and hopefully, hear Him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of thy Lord."  All the rest won't matter any more.  In order to hear that I need to finish what He called me to.

He  finishes EVERYTHING He starts and that good work in us  that only He does is a work in progress with many stops and starts. I think it's because we are sometimes like the characters in our books or stories that try to make suggestions to the Author. Our suggestions are one dimensional just as our characters can't know what each other are up to but must discover through the plot where they all fit in the story. It is the Author that keeps everything straight and makes the story turn out right. The characters think they would die in the process worrying about their struggles if the Author didn't have it under control.   How amazing is that!

With that in mind, I look at my plans. I'm only one character in the story God is writing of my life. I can't see ahead or how God is going to use every detail of the story to accomplish the plot. I think I'm just going to die of heartache or exhaustion at times when my dreams aren't working out as I'd desire.  Hearing Philippians 1:6 reminded me once again to trust the Author. He is at work on my life. I am a work in progress.So are you.

When The Path Branches Off Like a Pile of Pretzels Intertwined...

  Life is incredibly full for me right now. I realize I have a tendency to be addicted to that "busy" and not to clear my path enough to where I can see a straight line. Instead, rather, the moment I empty it, another idea comes cropping up in front of me. There is always something begging for my attention. If I let it, life could dictate my path for me and I could be caught in a labrynth of activity and never follow the path to the hopeful end and the future that God has mapped out for me. (Jeremiah 29:11)

This year will be different. I aim to be more intentional. I'm seeking the Lord in all my ways and looking for His guidance daily in my home, ministry and career paths and for the future. I might have to stop cycling on the maze from time to time--to at least stop in the midst of it and ask for direction more than just in the beginning.

The truth is that we only have so much control over our own lives. Some of us micro-managing multi-taskers think we can conquer the world in a day but really, when it all spins in front of us, our lives could become like the cat's cradle gone askew if we don't let the Master Designer take control of it.

I love writing. I love all the pursuits life holds.I love teaching...

and visiting.... and encouraging.... and counseling and most of the time, parenting.

Somehow I need to strike a balance. Not just what I think is the right balance but what He determines is my position and station in the world.

I've been called to all these things but where the difficulty lies is in finding where they all fit together.

I've decided to stop trying to figure it all out myself. It's time to ask, seek and knock. Every day. Every hour. Every moment. I'm on a new journey to pray without ceasing. About everything. Everyone. Every day.

When I wander, as I am prone to, then I will tune in again and say,

"Speak Lord, for your servant is listening" and I will hear His voice saying,

"This is the way; walk you in it."

Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Psalm 25:4.

2010 Cheerleader #2 for Your Christian Business

In the last post, I mentioned Faithwriters as the first cheerleader for Christian writers. Each month, I will highlight one or two more at Rather Be Writing.

Although none of the "cheerleaders" posted on this blog come dressed in pleated skirts and letter sweaters nor do they do cartwheels and wave pom-pom's in the air, they stand to provide a periodic pep-rally to encourage us to work at and market our businesses and/ or writing endeavors.

Today's pick was an "accidental" find. One of my New Year's resolutions is to study the great prayers of the Bible this year. As soon as I decided that in early December, I figured "Why wait?" I began right away. Searching the web, I found several studies to use as a guideline. Dr. Ralph Wilson's study was one of them. I've only just begun to receive his daily email studies but so far so excellent--I cannot vouch for the whole thing as far as expositional consistency and doctrinal accuracy but from what I've seen this far, I've been impressed.

As with any Bible study in which I partake, I wanted to know from which denominational viewpoint it would come. I decided to look up the author and read up. Although I didn't find any specific denominational leanings, I did note that he is a notable Christian businessman and international expert on Internet marketing. He has been identified on one site as Dr. EBiz. He seems to be an example of a very well-rounded person as he not only has a business and a ministry, he also enjoys playing the guitar and auto harp and is a Civil War history buff and a woodworker. Wow. I thought my plate was loaded!

If curiosity has the best of you, you can read about Dr. Wilson here: http://www.wilsonweb.com/speaker/bio.htm
Or you can check out his Bible study here (remember to use discernment and compare everything by the WORD in context): http://www.joyfulheart.com/

I signed up for his marketing newsletter as well as the prayer journey newsletter. Newsletter #1 comes with SIX free e-books for your business! If you know more about him than I do, please share!

I'll try to keep you posted about the outcome and my opinions of his ideas. Although what works for one might be different than for another, I figure it can't hurt to read what brought success to a Christian businessman.

"Ponder the path of your feet and let all your ways be established." Proverbs 4:26.