From time to time we like to highlight an article that has recently been published on our sites.  It’s a great way to convey to our authors examples of the type of content that have impact on our readers.

Take a read below and see how the article we are highlighting was carefully crafted to be something to take note of!

It’s often easy to write about subjects we’re passionate about or have a lot of experience with. But it can be a lot tougher to write about things we have no interest in, and still make our writing compelling to our readers!

Super Bowl XLIV is now recorded in the sports history books, but last week our senior editor Claire was tasked with writing a post about this event. She is not a football fan. Yet she was able to write engaging content by thinking how this major event, a football game, could translate into deeper topics. Which deeper concerns of the human heart are evident in such an epic competition? Concepts like destiny, anxiety, and overcoming adversity might come to mind. The trick is in the transition: Think about how you can take people from ordinary (yet still captivating) events into the realm of the extraordinary.

For an example of how you can do this yourself, see Claire’s article “Super Bowl XLIV: Dare to Dream” Don’t be content merely telling a story; take people on an adventure from that story into how it is meaningful for their own personal stories.

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Every so often, it can be helpful to have a quick refresher on how things work.  I know that I appreciate a little reminder from time to time.  Since a new year has begun, it seems like a good time to look over how to write for TruthMedia.  Hopefully in the process we can all continue working together towards the united goal of creating content that meets people where they are.

TruthMedia publishes content designed to address relevant cultural issues, current events, and the needs that our readers face in their lives. We want to challenge people to address the spiritual aspect of their world and take the step in their spiritual journey.

We are looking for writers and contributors who are ready to use their abilities to open the lines of communication, creating content that listens.  Our Submissions and Writing main page can be found here for your viewing.  There you can find useful information, including our Editorial Calendar, as well as tips on how to write for the web.

We also encourage all current and prospective authors to visit our Write Click site.  This is an Author Community we have set up where you can find themes and topic ideas, as well as our Write Click Blog.  The blog is updated bi weekly, and is full of helpful tips geared towards helping writers stay relevant in today’s culture, as well as providing updated topics and focuses, or writing tips direct from our TruthMedia editors and authors.

If you are interested in submitting your work for consideration we ask that you follow our Submissions System.

We have made efforts to have a simple, user-friendly submissions system.  Before submitting, take a look at the submissions guidelines as well as the “How to Get Published” guidelines.  These guidelines explain exactly what we look for when considering an article for our sites.  Pay close attention to all these guidelines and tips, since we will not publish articles that do not meet these standards.

Once you have reviewed these, and are sure that your work meets them, then move on to the Content Submissions page.  Here you can submit your work after completing the form.
*Articles must be submitted using this process to be considered for publication.  We appreciate and review all submissions, however we will only contact authors who’s work is being considered for publication.  Please note that it takes 4-6 weeks from time of submission until review.

We encourage you to submit your work!  We are in need of people who desire to use their talent to help change lives and meet the needs of others. The world needs writers and contributors who are ready to use their abilities to open the lines of communication and create content that listens! We would love nothing more than to hear from you.  So many of you have a tremendous gift waiting to be shared.  The impact that you can have on others around the world cannot be known until you share it, so we encourage you to do so!

Welcome to the WriteClick newsletter for January 6 2010!

It was a news story that was impossible to ignore, at least if you ever turned on a TV news show or read a newspaper: Tiger Woods, famous celebrity pro-golfer, caught in adultery.

Whether all of the interest in this story was truly warranted (I’d say no, it was not) it still managed to capture the attention of many people. Tiger’s statement on his official website received over 14,000 comments (all of which now seem to be removed).

One thing writers can take away is this: If you want to reach people, you need to appeal to what appeals to them. Merely providing good information is not enough to entice many people to read your writing. Many people do judge a book by its cover, and many who need help in marriage will never click to an article about marriage help, but would gladly click on anything related to Tiger Woods.

With this in mind, Karen Schenk recently wrote a short article “Intimacy, Sex & Scandals” about the public scandals of many celebrities. This article transitions into talking about deeper topics, then encourages readers to act by pointing them to further information resources or to act by contacting an online mentor. In this way, it draws in readers who normally wouldn’t be interested in the content and helps them connect with it in a natural and helpful way.

Remember, it’s the package that initially attracts the reader. Don’t compromise on your vision or your content, but try to imagine what will catch your reader’s eye, and write with them in mind.

See past WriteClick editions and get more writing tips on TruthMedia’s website!

Image by Keith Allison, used under Creative Commons license.

Why depend on your own resources when others have already written breathtaking or thought-provoking sentences? Finding a great quote can make your point quite succinctly. As Josh Billings said, “About the most originality that any writer can hope to achieve honestly is to steal with good judgment.” (See what I did there?) Just make sure you give the original author give proper credit!

You can, effectively, piggyback on the great words of writers who have come before you. C. S. Lewis is probably one of the most quoted writers, and for good reason. His way of making the most complicated subjects explainable makes him an excellent source of quotations. For example:

“If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.” C. S. Lewis

Using quotations can not only make you sound smart, they can also increase the effectiveness of your writing and can stimulate your thinking about your chosen topic. Take the time to search out a great quote for your next article!

Good source for quotes online: brainyquote and thinkexist.

No one would debate the need for evangelism, but you could fill a library with the differing views on how to go about doing it.  When it comes to writing, evangelism can sound scary.  Writing for Christians comes more naturally.  They think the way we do, they use the same words.  We know there is a need for evangelistic articles, but it’s easy to think that someone else should write them.  Preferably, someone with a theology degree should write them.  Fortunately, evangelistic writing is easier than we think.

As I was thinking about evangelism the other day I realized I had given myself a new definition.  I now define evangelism this way:

“Evangelism is a conversation, taking place within a relationship, that intentionally and specifically explains the need for salvation and the means to attain it.”

In short, it’s four steps: conversation, relationship, truth, action. And when I think of it this way, it’s a whole lot easier to write.  Instead of sitting down to write a persuasive treatise  on the need for God, write a conversation about why God matters to you.  Think of starting a relationship with your reader.  What would you tell them if you were sitting down over coffee?

It’s really easy to talk about God when I am telling a story of an event in my life where God really showed up.  These stories are an excellent opportunity for evangelism.   The events that rock us are usually common – job loss, health issues, broken hearts.  Talking about these topics quickly turns into a conversation and when you are willing to get personal, you can quickly develop a rapport, a relationship, with your reader.  Within this context it is very easy to share the Truth of the Gospel and before you know it, you’re writing evangelistically.

For many years now three quarters of the content I receive is for Christians.  I would love to see some more content that speaks directly to people who don’t know God and desperately need Him.

Romans 10:14 asks us, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

I look forward to sharing your stories with a world that so desperately needs to hear.  You can start the conversation that changes everything.

Claire Colvin
Sr. Ed., TruthMedia

One of the most important things to do with story telling is to establish a personal connection with your reader.  At times, this can call for levels of openness and honesty that may be out of the normal for you as a writer.  But the impact will be lasting.

Recently, we featured the article “A Bruised Reed He Will Not Break“.  In it the author is frank and forward in telling her story so that others may relate to it.  The author faces a very tough subject but chooses not to gloss over it, but instead to face it head on and deal with it.

“It was in the midst of this darkness and struggle that Kimberly and Ron gave their hearts to the Lord and began the journey that would define the rest of their lives.”

The author is honest about her story, and does not downplay the seriousness of what happened, making it more relatable to many people.  Connecting with others who have gone through a similar situation through your own story takes a boldness.

Crafting your story to be more identifiable to others also takes wisdom in being able to back up claims with actual facts.  Because the article is a bit longer, it allows the author to get into the heart of a difficult topic instead of skimming the surface.  Because she did her research, used resources, and offered additional reading reccomendations with her submission, it shows her commitment to sharing the truth about the issues with others.

In all, it makes for a well planned, thought out, and written article that uses a personal story to speak to many others in a way in which they can relate.  We love to read stories such as this, and see the amazing results that stem.

Do you have your own story to share?  Take some of these tips and use them to craft it.  We are always excited to hear from authors and see their work.  We welcome you to share with us.

Submit
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When I was in university, my writing teaching told us, “Scientists will tell you that the world is made up of atoms, but they’re wrong. The world is made up of stories.” As human beings we have a powerful need to hear and to tell our stories. So much of what drives us is this need to say “Here I am, this is me. This is my story.”

This same story telling can be a powerful tool even in non-fiction article writing. Recently I received a submission that displays this technique perfectly. Take a minute to read Beth Scholes’ “Lesson Learned Through Pursuing Adoption” post and you’ll see what I mean.

Beth weaves her story of pursuing, but ultimately not adopting a little girl named Cassie all through the lessons that God taught her. So often I see the opposite in submissions. People will tell part of the story and end it with “and God was there and He helped.” In Beth’s piece, God’s story is right there with hers, and intertwined with Cassie’s. The lessons themselves are not all grouped at the end, rather they are part of the story too.

I would love to hear how God is at work in your life and what you’ve been learning lately. If you want to keep my attention, and the attention of your readers, it’s really simple. Tell us a story.

Claire Colvin
Sr. Editor, TruthMedia

Go to Submissions page

A tip from us to you: vary your sentence and paragraph lengths.

Writers are like weavers: Paragraphs and sentences are your threads. People won’t often consciously notice the length of your threads. But they will notice the garment you create with them! If all your sentences are the same length, you may bore your reader or tire them out.

Throw in some short sentences. Maybe a single word. Or two. What about adding a question to spice things up?

The same advice holds true for your paragraphs. If your paragraphs are all the same length, you may bore your readers. Make them too long, and they will seem daunting. Too short, and they could be dismissed as depthless.

Max Lucado is a writer who is adept at using different sentence and paragraph lengths. Explore samples of his work at www.MaxLucado.com, and seek to keep your readers interested by diversifying the length of your sentences and paragraphs!

Take a look at our submissions guidelines here, and as always, be sure to submit your works here.

Return to main writing area

There’s a lot of advice out there for writers. A Google search for “tips for writers” returns almost 23 million results!  I like a lot of Kurt Vonnegut’s advice.  He advises simply finding something you care about and starting from there:

“Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, and not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style.”

Years ago, I found a list of 7 writing tips from Vonnegut that I still have pinned up on my office wall.  It comes from Palm Sunday where he wrote:

1.    Find a subject you care about,

2.    Do not ramble, though

3.    Keep it simple

4.    Have guts to cut

5.    Sound like yourself

6.    Say what you mean

7.    Pity the readers

All this time later, it’s still sound advice.  If you find a subject you really care about and say enough without saying too much, chances are excellent you’ll have a great piece on your hands.  And when you have that piece, I’d love to read it.

Happy writing,

Claire Colvin
Sr. Ed., TruthMedia

The world of the internet is fast paced, and standards for web writing are changing constantly.  There are though some specific points that one can implement to assure that one’s writing will meet internet standards for content.

Writing for an online audience has some distinct differences from writing for a written publication.  Our Senior Editor Claire Colvin addresses these issues in a resource article available online:

“People read a screen differently than they read a page, so simply typing out an article and posting it online won?t work. No one will read it. Fortunately, it is really easy to adapt an article to work online.

First of all be brief and very focused. Generally you have half the room online to tell your story than you would have on a printed page. People read 25% slower from a screen and many don’t read at all, they scan.”

The article goes on to take a further look at various aspects of writing for the web including how to make your work visually inviting, and how to attract your reader.  This is a valuable resource that we often refer back to, and is taken into account when selecting works to feaure on the sites.  Read the whole article here.

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