Today’s technology gives us instant feedback. We expect that we can reach anyone at any time, and that they can reach us. A few weeks ago I was at a family get-together, and my grandparents were late. We were worried that they couldn’t find the restaurant. Instinctively I pulled out my cell phone, but quickly realized my grandparents don’t have a cell phone of their own. We were dumbfounded: What do we do now? It’s hard to remember a time before we had the ability to contact anyone at any time, to be in constant communication, and get instant feedback.

The Internet provides another medium of instant feedback, by comments on blog posts or articles. Often comments we receive are positive. Occasionally a few will be negative. But what may be most disheartening are the times when there is no feedback at all. “Hello, is anybody out there?” we may feel like calling. “I’m pouring my heart and soul out here, does anyone care?”

At times like these, it’s helpful to recall a simple but powerful fact that ultimately our responsibility is to God. If you are serving Him faithfully, you have done our job. Even if some people don’t like what you say, you should not be worried if it honors God. As Paul said, explaining his mission: “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” Galatians 1:10, NLT

By the way, my grandparents were a little late arriving, but were able to find the restaurant just fine on their own. Unfortunately, in the meantime we lost my mom, who rushed out of the restaurant to look for them. Sometimes, we have to be patient and trust that God is in control. Although you cannot know definitively who your writing has reached, since we know now only in part, you will know fully someday everyone who your writing has impacted. We may not see the fruits of our labors, but if we are following faithfully how He has called us, we are living lives pleasing to Him. Be encouraged, because even without accolades from people, your Father in heaven is smiling down on you, saying to you “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

“Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more.” 1 Thessalonians 4:1, NLT

Lord, I pray that you would use the writing of these authors to engage minds, touch hearts, and change lives, even if we never know how You have chosen to use our words. Amen.

This week in the spotlight we have Karen Schenk’s article, “When Friends Fail”. Karen does an excellent job of treating a delicate, and unfortunately common experience with grace and compassion. She identifies with her readers without getting bogged down in maudlin details and offers both a spiritual perspective and hands-on next steps for her readers to take.

One of the things Karen does extremely well in this article is to include anecdotes that are not identifiable. An on going challenge for all personal experience writers is the task of writing your own story without telling someone else’s. We all know that if you’re going to name names in an article, you need permission. But sometimes we forget that a thinly veiled story is no better.

As Christian writers we have to be even more aware of this. Just as a “prayer request” that tells unnecessary details of someone else’s struggle is gossip, sacrificing another person’s character in the name of a good story example is not OK either. There’s a simple rule here – if you can’t tell your story without telling their story, then you have to put down your pen or choose anther topic.

Take a few minutes to read Karen’s article and you’ll see what I mean. She has succeeded in maintaining the emotion of the piece without dipping into sensationalism. By the end of the article she has equipped her reader to deal with the situation and there were no character casualties along the way.

Are there situations in your life that you are ready to write about? Many of the things we deal with are not unique, our struggles are common. If you are ready to tell your story without telling someone else’s be sure to look at the upcoming themes and focuses to see where you article can fit.
I look forward to reading your submissions!

Claire Colvin, Senior Editor

Return to submissions main page

Why does some writing seem to pop while other writing merely fizzle? Sometimes the difference is between choosing active voice instead of passive voice!

Here are some examples of passive voice (“Object has X done to it by Actor”) sentences:

1. The article was written by me.
2. As I opened the door, dripping could be heard.
3. The candy was purchased by the children.

Those sound a bit awkward! Try to turn passive voice sentences into active voice (“Actor does X to Object”):

1. I wrote the article.
2. As I opened the door, I heard dripping.
3. The children purchased the candy.

If you compare the second list to the first, you’ll find that the second list reads smoother. Look out for the word “was”, it often indicates a passive voice sentence. Also look for the word “by” following the subject of your sentence.

By choosing to use active voice in your writing you can really make it come alive for your readers, so try using it often!

While telling stories to establish a personal connection with your reader is important, make sure you’re not building a road that leads nowhere!

Sometimes we receive submissions that are written well but merely tell stories with no point to them. What we’re actually looking for are articles that are interesting and personal, and also have practical application and life lessons.

We recently featured “Sand Castle Lives”. The author begins by telling a story about herself that her audience can relate to:

I used to watch my daughters as they built their little sand castles, working so hard and fervently, knowing all the while that it was only a matter of time before their hearts were going to break …

She then transitions into using this story as a jumping-off point for spiritual instruction:

I had to think, “Isn’t that a picture of how my life was?” Whether we recognize it or not, we all build our foundations on something. Some choose money as their foundation, while others might choose food, shopping, or their own self to put their trust and security in. For me it was the latter …

Always “keep the main thing the main thing”, and don’t let eloquent stories get in the way of imparting your wisdom to your reader!

My own use of unnecessary words was hammered home to me during my graduate studies. My professor returned one of my essays with red markings all over it. I realized that he crossed out the word “that” in dozens of sentences where I’d used it unnecessarily. Removing that word made my writing more stronger and more succinct.

Some common culprits to cut include: very, really, just, quite, perhaps, pretty much, and that. For example:
“Perhaps we really just need to admit that we’re very incapable of doing pretty much anything ourselves.”
becomes
“We need to admit we’re incapable of doing anything ourselves.”

Take a second look at your own writing today and see how many unnecessary words you can eliminate to make it even stronger!

Written by Darren Hewer, Editor, TruthMedia

Welcome to the new WriteClick Post format!  You may notice a few changes to your weekly post, but the information is all the same.  Any questions or comments, please write here or visit our writers area.

As we mentioned last week, one of the very best ways to connect with your audience is by telling a story. When the story you’re telling is your own, wonderful things can happen.

Some of our most popular articles are from authors who have told one of the stories of God at work in their life. For the experience audience, this is a fantastic opportunity to talk about the things God has taught you.
If you’re writing for our discover audience, telling your own story gives you the perfect opportunity to talk about how God made a difference in your situation, how He walked with you through your story. Someone may question God, they may question the Bible, but it is very hard for them to argue with your own experience.

In the spotlight this month we have Heather’s article, “Re-learning the Promises of God”. With all the focus on Mother’s Day, we wanted to include an article from the other side of motherhood. Heather writes about her twin daughters Sophie and Avery who went to be with Jesus before she was able to bring them home.

Heather writes with honesty and compassion and does an admirable job of looking back at the time and the specific lessons she learned. She writes,

“ I know now that when my heart cries out in unendurable pain, the sound of it does not drive Him away. He pulls in close and whispers the promises I have read so many times but am only beginning to truly understand. He loves me in ways I haven’t even dreamed of yet and He will never leave me. As my husband an I walk our journey of grief a year and a half after the loss of our girls, I continue to see that God is walking every step along with us.”

If you have a story of God at work, we’d love to hear it. As always, you can see our latest topics online and can submit completed articles through the submissions system. Please be sure to read our Writing for the Web article before submitting. I look forward to reading your work!

Which sounds more interesting to you: Hearing someone preach at you, or hearing someone tell a story? Think back to engaging speakers you’ve heard, and you’ll probably notice that they often tell stories or give examples to get their point across.

There are many reasons that stories are effective. They catch the listener’s attention.  They are more personable.  They are more easily remembered.  Stories can often cause people who would normally be closed off to hearing truth to hear it in an indirect way and really be convicted by it.

Jesus himself spent a lot of his time telling parables, which are stories intended to teach an important truth or moral lesson. If you’d like to explore how Jesus used parables to communicate powerful truths with his audiences, take some time to explore Matthew or Luke’s gospel and take a lesson on communicating effectively from the master communicator!

Next time you’re writing, consider using stories to powerfully connect with your readers! Return to Main Submissions Page

April 26th is Internet Evangelism Day. This a great time to learn more about effective ways to do evangelism through the medium of the internet. Internetevangelismday.com has countless resources for getting your church involved, understanding the evolution of internet culture and improving your writing for the web.

In Writing For The Web: Journalism, Not Preaching Judy Vorfeld of editingandwritingservices.com says,

Although websites must be easy to navigate, no-one will stay on a site that is badly written. It has been said of the Web that “Content is king.” So let’s put the King in the content, and learn to write with as effective and readable style as we can. To become effective online communicators, we must also learn to be information architects.

There are many online resources to help us learn better writing. Consider writing classes too – these are often offered as evening studies in local education colleges. Maybe God will even call you into full-time journalism or script-writing – there is a big need for Christians in these areas. …Read the whole article

Check out more valuable information on internetevangelismday.com and you’ll see your effectiveness increase in the online environment!

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