For Christians new to writing novels for kids and teens. Creative writing tips, encouragement and inspiration from Janet Wilson, writer, speaker, and publisher of Christian fiction for young people. Get ready to take your writing to the next level! You can do it - all you need is a bit of help. Don't miss out!
If you're here, you're writing for a very important reason! Writing Christian books for children is so important. Even so, there can be days, weeks or even months when you just don't seem to be able to get round to write... In this podcast episode I give you some ideas on how to get writing fit again! And if you'd like to join the Write for a Reason Zoom training that I mention, click here to find out more and book your place. Hope to see you there! Every blessing, Janet
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Welcome to the Write for a Reason podcast. My name is Janet Wilson. I'm a publisher of Christian fiction for young people with Dernier Publishing. If you are a Christian and new to writing stories for kids and teens, stay tuned for encouragement, creative writing tips, and actionable strategies you can implement immediately to become a better writer and get your books out into the world. Today we're going to be looking at ways to stretch your writing muscles and keep yourself writing fit. If you're writing Christian stories for children and teenagers, you have a purpose to your writing. Even so, it's easy to see the days, weeks, and even months slip by, making it tough to get back on track. Now, you know what they say about exercise. All the experts say 20 to 30 minutes a day or at least three times a week will improve our health. Now, is it worth it? The answer is it probably is, no matter what excuses we might make to ourselves. So what about our writing health? If we wrote 20 minutes each day, or at least three times a week, would it improve our writing? The answer is, once again, it probably would, no matter what excuses we might make. If you're writing a full-length novel, you'll need more than 20 minutes in one go, but what about in between times when you're not writing a novel, or what if you want a few minutes every day for a small project? What about keeping those writing muscles flexing? Here are some ideas for you if you haven't got a writing project on the moment but you want to stretch those writing muscles and keep them fit. Number one, write down the things you're most grateful for in a notebook at the beginning or end of each day. Or if you have a lunch break to fill, why not do it then? Making a thanks diary to God, counting your blessings, it's a wonderful thing to do, and you will keep writing. Number two, very similar, a Bible journal. Write down anything you like from your daily reading, thoughts and ideas and things that you feel the Lord is saying to you. Number three, if you're a morning person, could you write down what you're looking forward to that day with your morning cup of coffee? Or alternatively, if you're an evening person, go back on the day and write about your reflections on the good things, the bad things that happened to you that day. Number four, letters are universally thrilling to receive. If you haven't got far-flung family or friends to write to, could you write to missionaries, perhaps somebody that you support in your church, or to brothers and sisters imprisoned for their faith? There are lots of websites and you can go on and find people that you can write to that will make such a difference to them. And again, it's writing, flexing those muscles. Number five, if you prefer to write something totally crazy, find yourself some fun writing prompts. We have some over on the Write for a Reason website. Writing doesn't have to be boring or hard work. Be creative folks, have some fun. Look forward to that time of day when you write so it's a pleasure, not a chore. There's always a way, we just have to be a bit creative and a lot determined. And if you're thinking to yourself, it's just gonna be 15 minutes or 10 minutes even if you haven't got 20, absolutely no trouble, whatever. It is better than nothing. Now we know we're writing with a purpose, as I said at the beginning, so let's not give up. If you'd like lots more free creative writing tips, hop on over to writeforreason.com. You'll find loads more resources and encouragement to help you write excellent, relevant, fun novels and get them into your readers' hands. Now I'm recording this on the 21st of February, and next Monday that is the 27th of February 2023, I'm doing a training over on Zoom. If you hop over to the Rightfor Reason website, rightforreason.com forward slash training, you will see there where you can find out more information and book your place. On this particular training, we're going to be looking at who exactly your target readers are and how you can make sure that your story will thrill and delight them. So don't put it off. Today is a gift to use wisely. Only you can write your book, and if you have been called to write, someone's waiting for it.
