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“ENCOURAGING PUZZLE PIECES” is the topic this month. Rebecca McLafferty and Susan Marlene are team teaching on writing encouragement in the midst of a pandemic. When our lives are altered what can we do to lift others from their doldrums? We will all have time to share our pieces of the puzzle.
PROMPT: Something encouraging during the pandemic – you choose the title and focus for your genre. Where would you send your piece of encouragement? (Words you can use if you want them: doldrums, frustrations, pluck, valor, strife, victorious) Have you ever worked on a 1000-piece puzzle that seemed impossible? One that didn’t hold boldly varied colors and angles but only a misty blending of similar swirling tones and non-defined shapes? Sometimes that is how life feels. We can’t seem to make sense of the trials and limitations that bind us to our homes or circumstances. That’s why it is so beneficial to be a writer. Writing offers sweet release. Let’s consider this more thoroughly. Have you discovered that focusing on others when sharing the lessons you’ve learned through a painful trauma somehow takes a portion of the sting away? To have a purpose—a goal—to make stronger or wiser those who may experience the same stressful situations can be quite soothing—for them and for you. I start with prayer! There is such a big bad world out there, with many needy people who are looking for entertainment, guidance, hope, comfort, and encouragement. So, I suggest that we begin by picking who we wish to reach. Pre-school, grade-schoolers, Jr. High, High school, or adults? The elderly? Now narrow this down to educated with some college, or high school proficiency? Uneducated- who needs more straightforward wording and more photos or artwork? How about those with hobbies such as fishing, travel, cooking, sewing, biking, camping, etc. the list goes on. Once you choose the who, then decide what you wish to communicate? Will you teach something worthwhile or entertain them? Even with fiction, there is problem-solving demonstrated that the reader examines to see if they can apply the hero’s techniques so that they can win in their lives. The drive to survive is powerful, and we search for ways to become stronger or wiser when difficulties descend upon us. That is what our minds do— they are always searching for survival and to be empowered and successful. Now you need to know where. Yes, where can you write this fantastic stuff that will benefit the world or even a small tribe of readers? I suggest that you look to writing for your political party, historical societies, newspapers or examine the Christian Writers Market Guide for short stories, periodicals, or self-publishers or traditional publishers. Outline your ideas. Take your pen in hand and write down your first thought. Draw a line out from that central idea and add another and then the next and the next. I’m sure a plan will develop right before your eyes. We often wait until we have it all in our brains before we start. But I say just start and see what your minds come up with! During this pandemic, I chose to write a book/author review on a Bible study that I want people to know about. YOUR BEAUTIFUL PURPOSE by Susie Larson reaches down into our hearts because she is vulnerable and transparent, and her own healing relationship with the Lord shines through. Her giving of her self and how she connected with the Lord through tremendous trials gave the people in our Bible study group hope. Hope in the middle of trials and discouragement. That we would walk in courage and His Truth during our separate trials and pain. I didn’t sell this. I offered it freely on my website, but I probably could have. There is no shame in that. Selling our work will reach different readers. Particular “apples of gold in settings of silver” ways of sharing are: Humorous cards to encourage the downtrodden. Poetry for someone—whatever the situation—happy, sad, or in-between. Letters or notes of appreciation for who others have been to you! All of these examples present encouragement that you may offer. Assisting others to put their puzzle pieces together for those in need of comedy, direction, courage, or truth among other worthy topics! What writing have you been working on? If you’ve not started on a project nipping at your mind, what venue are interested in? Can we offer suggestions for you to aim your though like an arrow so that you can hit your bullseye? Let’s share what we are working on or what we wish to—if you want to! I can look through the Christian Writers Market Guide to see if we can find your target location! I highly suggest getting one of these books for yourself for they are very helpful!
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 PENS OF PRAISE
CHRISTIAN WRITERS GROUP APRIL 21, 2020 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Zoom Conference zoom.us You need to set up your account with zoom ahead of time because it takes a few steps. I, Susan, took photos of the most of the steps and will share those if you need them. Just email me at susanmarlenewrites@gmail.com. Meeting Held at Your Home - USA Your couch or chair. Your choice of refreshments from your fridge—no running to Kathy’s house for treats! 😊 “ENCOURAGING PUZZLE PIECES” is the topic this month. Rebecca McLafferty and Susan Marlene are team teaching on writing encouragement in the midst of a pandemic. When our lives are altered what can we do to lift others from their doldrums? We will all have time to share our pieces of the puzzle. PROMPT: Something encouraging during the pandemic – you choose the title and focus for your genre. Where would you send your piece of encouragement? (Words you can use if you want them: doldrums, frustrations, pluck, valor, strife, victorious) Rebecca and I will send the lesson materials to our Pens of Praise group. If anyone else would like this information please request APRIL LESSONS for ENCOURAGING PUZZLE PIECES at susanmarlenewrites@gmail.com A note from Sue Fink, . Please continue to pray for comfort for Roger Smith and his family whose 40 year old son died unexpectedly. 2ndly I am doing research for (Lord willing) a book on balancing self care with serving others. I would welcome and appreciate any comments, questions, personal experiences from our group on this subject. Inspired readers given excellent take-away = return readers! We are a safe place to share and Pens Meetings are free. As always, if you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to contact Becky McLafferty @ rebeccamclafferty@gmail.com or Susan Marlene@ susanmarlenewrites@gmail.com  Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, we are not holding our monthly meeting, which we had already delayed for a week. This is an excellent opportunity for us to write more, or if you have Gmail, we could hold a meeting on Google Hangouts. (If you have up to ten people, this is a free service!)
Another alternative is that we write to a prompt and share those offerings with each other via group email. How about writing about resourcefulness! I look forward to hearing from you! I already miss you! I know that we are collectively praying for this emergency to be resolved quickly. Please pray for those in authority over us, for their health and stamina and wisdom. I appreciate that I’m not at the helm, making such important decisions for our great nation. So, until we meet again, I will look for your emails with devotions, short stories or plays on resourcefulness!  Here is my portion of the lesson from our February PENS OF PRAISE meeting. I have included Sarah Grosskopf's website link at the bottom of my post so that you can visit her excellent contrbution for that lesson also! “HOW Did THAT Get into MY Manuscript?” Bloopers, errors, and wacky information…Have you finished a writing project only to find problems that could have been avoided? Let’s explore some positive avoidance methods: List of characters chart—including looks, traits, talents: Chapter by Chapter (This lists Physical location and time and what major happenings, setbacks, and victories the character or characters’ have per chapter.  Timeline: Have you ever had to chase down wayward actions of your character? How about mix-ups or confusion on important detail(s) of your character(s)? I’ve decided to use timelines and charts religiously in future so that I can keep track of who did what-when-how- why- etc. and who they were with and when. Where they are at and what is their goal and hurtful lie to overcome and their dream to aspire to. Etc. etc. Example of a basic timeline that can be embellished as the story builds: Main characters for the timeline example: Character #1 Redford comes to town. Place of his biggest failure. Redford discovers a body and is suspicious of 3 different people. Redford travels to England in search of a major clue. Redford returns to Manitowoc in time to save his love interest from being murdered. Character # 2: Tom meets with Redford at the Lake where Redford’s girlfriend drowned years ago. Tom hides information about the murder he and Robert committed from Redford to protect himself. Tom travels to England in search of information. Tom returns to Manitowoc in search of a woman he is looking for related to the murder. A woman who Redford feels responsible for. Character #3 Robert sees Redford and Tom and talks to them Robert discovers the body and is suspicious of 3 different people Whoops wrong person! :0 Instead, Robert hides the body and barely gets away Robert flees to England and takes evidence about his accomplice for blackmail Robert escapes Redford and takes the first plane back to Milwaukee to kill his accomplice. A grammar check: Grammarly.com Goal, Motivation & Conflict by Debra Dixon - Debra shares the chart that can organize these critical pieces of story. She offers examples too. Quite the valuable how-to guide for writers of fiction! You will not wish to miss Sarah Grosskopf's teaching! https://sarahgrosskopf.com/resources/ Editing Fiction: Avoiding Bloopers, Errors, and Wacky Information WELCOME TO PENS OF PRAISE CHRISTIAN WRITERS GROUP
Tuesday, February 18, 2019 Prayer - Sarah Grosskopf Introductions for new guests. Pass around the sign-in sheet. Devotion-- Susan Marlene GRAMMAR TIDBIT--Rebecca McLafferty GRAMMAR TIDBIT: TIGHTEN YOUR WAISTBAND WRITING By Rebecca McLafferty LET THE TEACHING BEGIN “HOW Did THAT Get into MY Manuscript?” Bloopers, errors, and wacky information can find their way onto manuscript pages. How does that happen? Sarah Grosskopf, Pat Klein & Susan Marlene will share some ways of avoiding those common and even if possible, the uncommonly surprising mishaps that sabotage the excellence of your fiction or nonfiction manuscript. PROMPT: PROMPT: One Marvelous Mistake (or Two) Write your genre and your page worth of poetry, devotion, short story or essay to share your marvelous mistake—or two! Steve Laube & Christian Institute steve@christianwritersinstitute.com Don't make the mistake of waiting until April to think about taxes. Once tax season arrives, it is too late to change the past. The savvy thing to do is to prepare for tax time now. Steve Laube President, Christian Writers Institute ANNOUNCEMENTS: TheFamily.net WEMI FM
Christian Devotions is looking for devotions. This is not a paid site, but one to give to the Lord and share your message with others! www.christiandevotions.us Northwestern Christian Writers Conference, http://www.northwesternchristianwritersconference.com/ July 24 – 25, 2020 www.grammarly.com free download https://www.loc.gov/about/ Library of Congress website REMEMBER: Inspired reader = happy reader + excellent take-away = return reader! God’s abundant blessings to you as you write for His glory! PENS OF PRAISE
CHRISTIAN WRITERS GROUP February 18, 2020 Tuesday 6:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. Manitowoc Public Library Franklin St. Room 707 Quay St, Manitowoc, WI 54220 Street parking and parking in rear available. Wheelchair accessible. Franklin St. Room located on the first floor, to the left of the service desk. “HOW Did THAT Get into MY Manuscript?” Bloopers, errors, and wacky information can find their way onto manuscript pages. How does that happen? Susan Marlene, Pat Klein, & Sarah Grosskopf will share some ways of avoiding those common and even if possible, the uncommonly surprising mishaps that sabotage the excellence of your fiction or nonfiction manuscript. PROMPT: One Marvelous Mistake (or Two) Write your genre and your page worth of poetry, devotion, short story or essay to share your marvelous mistake—or two! Let Susan Marlene know if you are attending so that she can save a seat for you and a handout. susanmarlenewrites@gmail.com Inspired readers given excellent take-away = return readers! We are a safe place to share and Pens Meetings are free. As always, if you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to contact Becky McLafferty @ rebeccamclafferty@gmail.com or Susan Marlene@ susanmarlenewrites@gmail.com METHODS, PLANS, & SUCH
Team Teaching with Pat Klein and Susan Marlene Motto- a short sentence or phrase chosen as encapsulating the beliefs or ideals guiding an individual, family, or institution. Definition found on: https://www.google.com/search?q=motto+definition&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS850US850&oq=Motto&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l7.5069j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Mottos can be expressed in any form: sentence, poem, or even a short paragraph. Whatever short phrase will motivate you to achieve your dream goal. Let’s take time to jot down what is important to you for your writing goals. Answer some questions such as: What legacy do you wish to leave? Who do you wish to (encourage, educate, relieve, etc., ect.?) What private achievement or character do you wish to pursue, develop or maintain? Why do you write and what motivates you to do so? NOW that you have thought about some ideas let’s take a few minutes to jot and share. ___________________________________________________________________________________ When writing a book idea, who do you see reading your words? Age, Education, Interests, etc.! This is your target audience. Bare essential one-liner: What’s your fiction novel’s real story? Following quoted from, How to Write a Novel Using the SNOWFLAKE Method by Randy Ingermanson. The Day of The Jackal, by Frederick Forsyth “Well, it’s a thriller about a professional assassin hired by French terrorists to kill Charles de Gaulle.” What does this quote reveal? We need only write the basic info that will tell the reader what the story is about. No back story, please. Give the category with summary of brief important highlights. Let’s jot ideas! And share if you please! ____________________________________________________________________________________ File of recognition of appreciation and or Author’s Note which some authors include in the back of the novel: For example, ones who have encouraged or assisted you with information gathering for this novel, librarians, historians, family, beta readers, your readers, editors, agent, and publisher, and Father God, are some common ones. (Read some examples.) Laura Frantz, Susan Meissner, Susan May Warren Jot down some notes for this list of appreciated helpers.  PENS OF PRAISE
CHRISTIAN WRITERS GROUP January 21, 2020 Tuesday 6:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. Manitowoc Public Library Franklin St. Room 707 Quay St, Manitowoc, WI 54220 Street parking and parking in rear available. Wheelchair accessible. Franklin St. Room located on the first floor, to the left of the service desk. “METHODS, PLANS & SUCH” is our topic for January. Pat Klein and Susan Marlene will facilitate the meeting to assist our focus and organizing planning for 2020. May we be blessed and a blessing in all our endeavors this year! PROMPT: Use some or all of these words for a poem, short story, devotion, or anything you please, for a five-minute read. (Hope, irritating, flawless, beggarly, jewel, minimal, strength, and or boldness.) Let Susan Marlene know if you are attending so that she can save a seat for you and a handout. susanmarlenewrites@gmail.com Inspired readers given excellent take-away = return readers! We are a safe place to share and Pens Meetings are free. As always, if you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to contact Becky McLafferty @ rebeccamclafferty@gmail.com or Susan Marlene@ susanmarlenewrites@gmail.com PENS OF PRAISE
CHRISTIAN WRITERS GROUP November 19, 2019 Tuesday 6:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. Manitowoc Public Library 707 Quay St, Manitowoc, WI 54220 Street parking and parking in rear available. Wheelchair accessible. Franklin St. Room located on the first floor, to the left of the service desk. “Show and Tell” is our topic in November. Sarah Grosskopf will facilitate the meeting and here is what she has to say about her lesson—Authors are always told, “Show, don’t tell.” This month, we’re going to look at the difference between “showing” and “telling,” what that really means, how to show rather than tell, and also when telling might be better than showing. PROMPT: Pick one of the following situations and write two separate poems, prose paragraphs, or nonfiction explanations about it. (Keep it short, no more than one or two paragraphs.) In the first version, simply tell what happened. In the second version, show the reader what it looks like. Bring both versions to share and compare. What did you do differently in each of the following: Camping, taking a walk, making an omelet, reading a book? Let Susan Marlene know if you are attending so that she can save a seat for you and a handout. susanmarlenewrites@gmail.com Inspired readers given excellent take-away = return readers! We are a safe place to share and Pens Meetings are free. As always, if you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to contact Becky McLafferty @ rebeccamclafferty@gmail.com or Susan Marlene@ susanmarlenewrites@gmail.com  Greetings all! We are holding a sharing of our experiences and dreams meeting. I want to give a shout out to Today's Christian Living for generously sharing magazines with us!
Meeting: Sign-in sheet Introductions Grammar Girl – Those at the meeting choose the topic Devotion – Our girl Sarah Grosskopf! Discussion Time: -- What has worked for you this year concerning: Organization—writing or location where you write or filing? Work schedule—Staying dutiful, specific time or inspiration? Inspiration—when creativity dries up, where to go, what to pray? Editing—Tricks of the trade that helped you? Writing targets and projects? Prompt sharing—Hooray! Hand out “Today’s Christian Living” November 2019 Talk about it! |
Words are not just words. They are thoughts and inspiration that have been behind every relationship and every deed--good or bad throughout time. If you have that burning desire to communicate and explore, come peruse my pages, teachings, and short stories. Allow inspiration to anchor your dreams on the written pages of memoirs, devotions, poems, or stories, both short or long! Luxuriate in the creativity you were born to share! Sarah Grosskopf is a beta reader, writer, and copywriter extraordinaire! I highly recommend Sarah and have known her for years. She has taught and encouraged Pens of Praise members with her humor, instinct, and highly praised skill sets. So you may consider this an invitation to discover details about Sarah Grosskopf. Here is a link to her website!
https://sarahgrosskopf.com/ Archives
October 2020
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