Using words

I’m not highly trained in writing and unlike a good friend I don’t have a degree in English. He is my go to for the proper use of apostrophes and semicolons and such. But I still search my public writings to see if I used lose or loose as I tend to use one in place of the other frequently.

I began to write online in 2002 in my own blog and the discipline required to do that turned out to be quite a good thing in my life. I gained a lot of practice working with words, exploring them, playing with them, just enjoying them and the power they carried to communicate. It was a very fulfilling time.

As a result over the years I received more and more invitations to write for publications. Our local city paper was open to publish any article I would write. Denominational magazines would invite me to prepare articles for them. I was able to sell a few pieces, even to a national newspaper, which puffed me up considerably.

I always wondered if I had a book in me, and then I would read a book written by some fellow which would convince me once again that there were too many books in the world already. I didn’t want to add to the book noise out there. And the thought of another tree giving its life so that an inexperienced writer wannabe could fulfill some sort of unrealistic dream, well that filled me with dread.

So I write here, and occasionally on my blog. I write sermons and church constitution changes. I write letters of release, letters of reference, and simply letters to others. It’s a part of my work here now. It’s good challenging work, but not always inspiring.

So when I am invited to write for magazines etc. I usually am quick to say yes to the challenge.

The photo is the results of my recent invitation to write. The topic was how can we as people of faith, bloom where we are planted. It was a good challenge this summer and my live in editor (Lauralea ever since college) helped it read even better.

It’s still an enjoyable exercise and a wonderful discipline for me.