Everyone
wrote in private for about an hour, in any genre they wanted.
After our fellowship break (delicious snacks, tea, & coffee
provided by our Hospitality Coordinator), we enjoyed listening
to each other’s creative efforts. Our writers; yes, I said “writers” crafted
a wide range of topics from the seven starter phrases and reported “it
felt fulfilling to just sit and free-flow write.” Good practice.
“So, what were those seven starter phrases,” you ask?
Perhaps you would like to start a regular habit to sit and free-flow
write on a weekly basis. You could make an appointment with yourself,
choose a place and time, and begin a new habit. Free-flow writing
practice will improve your ability to write quickly as ideas flow,
jotting “rabbit trail” thoughts in the margin. I have
several journals that I’ve collected, and at least partially
filled over the years. Some are reserved only for poetry, others
for specific topics, a few only for ideas. I enjoy handling and
writing in a lovely journal. Occasionally I practice free-flow
journaling on my laptop, password protected of course. Practice
Makes Perfect. Let’s all regularly practice writing, whether
you are a published author or a “want to be” writer.
Here are the seven starter phrases from our January Lightning Writing
Contest.
1. There
was a young lad/lass from Nevada …
2. The first time I understood Love …
3. I thought I knew …
4. I had a dream to _____ that I gave up because …
5. If I could re-live one day of my life again …
6. ‘Twas a dark and stormy night …
7. An unreached goal is only a …
As we look
toward our Ozark Chapter of American Christian Writers’ events
for 2008, we are beginning a new meeting agenda item. For the next
seven meetings, February through May and September through November,
we will have a 15-20 minute lesson from the “Seven
Steps to A Published Magazine Article” during the first half of
our meeting (before fellowship break and our keynote speaker).
Included topics will be:
February – Idea Generation: where do you find ideas, & idea
mapping techniques
March – Query Letters: interest an editor in your manuscript
before you spend time polishing it
April – Market Research: find markets to match your topic,
style, & experience level
May – Types of Articles: how to, personal experience, & 10
more – with different markets
September – Article Organization: different article types
have different writing expectations
October – Rights: copyrights, permissions, & selling
rights (1st NAS, electronic. reprint)
November – The Business End: follow-up “rules,” record
keeping, & tax considerations
Bring a 3-hole-folder
and ink pens to each meeting. “Seven
Step” handouts will be provided at each of the next seven
meetings, complete with writing exercises you may want to try during
your recently scheduled weekly free-flow writing time. Grab your
calendar now and reserve the second Saturday of each of these months
for joining together with like-minded Christian writers for information,
encouragement, fellowship, networking, and inspiration. You won’t
want to miss a single meeting!
