Tag: writing

Christian, writing

How To Polish Your Writing

Cindy Dawson

Do you want more people to read your blog? Before you click Publish, ask these 5 questions:

#1 Do I have a catchy title? Would the title attract your attention? Would you want to read more? As I scroll through the Reader List on WordPress, I look at the titles, click on what interests me, and pass over the rest. Don’t you?

#2 Does the first sentence make you want to read more? Sure, you aren’t trying to write a best-selling novel, but that first sentence must grab your reader’s attention and make them want to keep reading.

#3 Can I say it with fewer words? Look for ways to make sentences shorter. First, reduce the number of words and then try to improve the quality of the words that remain. (Cheney, 2005)

#4 Can I turn any nouns into verbs? For example, instead of saying “She made a suggestion”, say “She suggested”. Instead of saying, “He made an offer”, say “He offered”. Sounds easy, but it’s more complicated than you think. This one is the hardest for me to master, and probably the most important.

#5 Did I focus on my message? Or did I ramble on and on about this and that? Make sure every sentence contributes to your message. If not, you’re making your post longer than it needs to be. (Rambling is for journals!)

I don’t claim to be a writing expert, but I have a bookshelf packed with books about writing. Yesterday, I pulled one from the shelf and read the highlighted sections. Because writing is a skill, these tips can make a huge difference in the quality of your writing. Apply the above questions to your post one at a time. Watch how quickly your writing improves!

Whether we’re writing to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ or to tell others about Jesus, when we improve our writing skills we will attract more people to God’s Truth.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord” Colossians 3:23a NIV

Recommended:

How to Write for a General Audience, Kathleen A. Kendall-Tackett, PhD

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Featured Image: Photo by Thomas Bormans on Unsplash

2nd Photo by Radu Marcusu on Unsplash

RealChristianWomen.blog  

Christian

Dear Christian Writer

Cindy Dawson

When I do all the talking, I can’t hear God! That’s right. You heard me right. Do you ever have that problem? Prayer isn’t just talking. It’s listening, too.

Sometimes, in my eagerness to write, I rush ahead of God. When I don’t wait on Him, I make mistakes – not horrible mistakes, but my writing lacks something.

In other words, I can’t wait. So I write in my own strength, depending on my own abilities. That is not what God wants from me.

How do I know that I rushed ahead of God? Because I realize later that I ignored the still small voice. That’s easy to do. We hear the whisper of God’s Spirit, but do not stop long enough to consider it. We cannot wait. We have to plow on.

This quote by John Piper made an impact on me, “To wait on God means to pause and soberly consider our own inadequacy and the Lord’s all-sufficiency, and to seek counsel and help from the Lord.”

I pray that God will teach me to wait and to listen; and to know the difference between working in my own strength or wholly depending on His.

Scriptures to Ponder

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin….” Zechariah 4:10

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”   Isaiah 40:31

“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19:11-12

With Love, 

Cindy

This is My Journey Unscripted.

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

realchristianwomen.blog

This is a reblog from 2018.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

encouragement

How To Write An Encouraging Blog

Cindy Dawson

Dear Blogger Friends, Many of you have the gift of encouragement! How do I know? Because you encourage me all the time! So many times, I have read your blog and it hit me right between the eyes! It was just what I needed that day!

But you don’t have to be a blogger for God to use you to encourage others. God will use you to encourage others in many different ways, but today’s post will focus on written encouragement.

” . . . so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:5-8 NIV

The gift of encouragement is more important than ever in the church today. Between the pressure of political correctness, the increase of Christian persecution, and the flaming arrows of the evil one, Christians need encouragement to fight their battles. God did not intend for us to fight alone.

It is our faith in God’s Word that protects us from the enemy! It is our shield. So don’t hesitate to quote the Scripture in your written encouragement.

” . . . take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16 NIV

When you write God’s Word on your blog or written note, there is power in those words and they bring encouragement to the reader by the power of the Holy Spirit.

” . . . the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled..” Romans 15:4 NLT

We all need to encourage each other!

“Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:10-11 NL

The Apostle Paul encouraged the Believers through his letters, written while he was in prison. (Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon) In fact, he wasn’t known to be a good speaker, but he wrote with power! (See 2 Corinthians 10:1 NIV.)

“I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away!” 2 Corinthians 10:1 NIV

And don’t forget Barnabas!

“Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means ‘Son of Encouragement’ ) . . . ” Acts 4:36 NIV

Can you imagine? This Joseph was such an encouraging believer, they changed his name to Son of Encouragement! Most Christians have heard of Barnabas, but they don’t know his real name.

This is my favorite verse because I know my personal suffering will bring about comfort for others through Christ my Lord.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV

“Encouragement is transfusing some of your courage into another life.” *

If that desire is in your heart, to encourage and comfort others, use that gift freely! Fan it into flame by using it often!

With Love, 

Cindy

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

*Dr. David Jeremiah, THE JOY OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

realchristianwomen.blog  

Christian

How To Write a Better Blog

Cindy Dawson

Set Goals!

If you want to keep growing as a writer you must set goals. I want to be a better blogger, so I need to be a better writer. I have 7 writing goals that I believe will make anyone a better writer/ blogger.

1. Keep a lazer focus.

Ask yourself, “In one sentence, what is my message?”. For example, your message might be: “Effectual prayer”, or “Do not fear”, “We need God’s grace”, “Love one another”, “Don’t complain, Be thankful”, etc. There are millions of good ideas to write about. Once you identify your message, make sure you stay focused on that message. Don’t get side-tracked. Everything you write should contribute to your message. Don’t ramble.

2. Make your blog inspire and apply to real life.

Readers want to be inspired and they want to read something that they can apply to their life. Some ideas that might add a little inspiration are a personal story, an anecdote from someone else’s life, or a quotation by a famous person. We are inspired by other people’s achievements and the trials they have overcome.

3. Develop a relationship with other bloggers.

Relate to other bloggers. Comment on their posts. What do you think they might want to read about? I posted pictures of my favorite bloggers over my desk. When I read their blog or they comment on mine, I refer to their picture. I feel like I know these people!

These are just a few in my photo collection, 36 and growing!

3. Move the reader to tears or laughter, and to a new point of understanding.

My goal is to move the reader to tears, laugh out loud, or smile. I want to move the reader to a deeper understanding. I don’t want them to think “blah blah blah…I know that.”

4. Learn the elements of style. (Write well.)

This is BIG! It also takes time. There is a lot to learn about writing that you didn’t learn in school. I have a writer’s notebook that includes things like power words, active voice, catchy titles, synonyms, overused sayings, quotations, etc.

I recommend these books: 

  • The Elements of Style Book and Workbook, by William Strunk and E.B. White
  • Writing for Emotional Impact, by Karl Iglesias
  • On Writing Well, by William Zinsser
  • On Writing, by Stephen King

5. Show it. Don’t tell it.

I have a list of quotes taken from blogs I follow. For example, I recently added theses quotes by Julie Dibble. https://juliedibblewrites.wordpress.com/2019/01/11/are-you-looking-for-hope/

“Was His hand gently lifting my chin toward heaven?”

Isn’t that so much better than saying, “I felt better when I looked at the sky.”? Her sentence makes me feel comforted myself. Not to mention, it put a smile on my face. Here are two more from Julie:

“May your faith in few be the glue to tie you tighter to Jesus.”

“… to disable pride in my heart…”

Here’s one from Stephen at Fractured Faith Blog. https://fracturedfaithblog.com

“Some days the words just refuse to flow and you have to drag them kicking and screaming out of your imagination and onto the computer screen.”

Compare that to this: Sometimes I don’t know what to write about.

Stephen’s writing is just plain fun to read. It makes you want to read more. And that is what makes an exceptional writer! I’m hoping that if I read his blogs enough, some of that will rub off on me!

6. Control your word count.

I try to keep my word count under 600 words MAX. 500 is even better. When I think it’s finished, I go back through and make sentences more precise. I usually find several sentences that can say the same thing in half the words. Rewriting is critical to writing well.

7. Read and study your Bible.

Last of all, but most important, if you want to bring a spiritual message, read and study your Bible daily. That way you can recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit. He might cause you to think of a certain Scripture. Obviously, you’ll have to be familiar with God’s Word to recognize His voice.

Once the Holy Spirit brought this Scripture to my mind:

“In humility value others above yourselves…” Philippians 2:3

It came out of the clear blue, but it was the answer to my dilema, and it was Biblical. I eventually wrote a blog about this entitled So You’re Angry.

In Closing …

These are my goals. Do I do them all well? Not yet! But I’m working on it. I know where I’m headed. I know where I want my writing to go. Set your writing goals and your writing can only get better and better!

“Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men …” Colossians 3:23 AMP

With Love, 

Cindy

This is My Journey Unscripted.

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

realchristianwomen.blog 

Christian

God’s Purpose For Your Blog

Cindy Dawson

The best thing about becoming a blogger is the community of friends I have come to know. I know some of my blogger friends (BFs) better than the friends I actually live around! I sincerely love them and care about them.

I always thought God’s purpose for my blog was to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ.  But it might be something more than that.

Maybe God’s purpose is for me to develop relationships. I know that He gave me this desire to write a blog and He has put love in my heart for followers I have come to know. When God calls you to love and pray for someone you never met, well that’s God’s love in action.

I know some of my followers well because they have shared their lives and their hearts with all of us. I could know someone my whole life and never find out some of the things I know about my BFs including their battles and their weaknesses.

I started collecting pictures of some of my BF’s to help me keep everyone straight in my mind. When I receive a comment or read their blog, I refer to their picture.

God is putting in my heart a desire to build relationships all through my life – at school – in the community – and on WordPress.

I hope you will join me in an effort to pray for and support people we come to know and love through our adventures in blogging.

With Love, 

Cindy

This is My Journey Unscripted.

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

realchristianwomen.blog 

Christian

What’s Your Story?

Cindy Dawson

“Our stories matter … Your stories matter … for you just never know how much of a difference they make, and to whom …” Caroline Joy Adams

God teaches me through the many stories I read on WordPress. Recently, God showed me how easily I can misjudge someone. (Ouch!)

I made an assumption about a blogger, only to find out later that the exact opposite was true. How? By reading her story. This taught me something important about myself that I needed to know: Don’t think you can size someone up based on outward appearance.

Over the last year, God has been teaching me about judging others. We can not influence someone if we are judging them.

God’s Word says, “The Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Thank you, Sue Love, for sharing your story.

As we share our hearts and our love for Christ through our blogs, may God use our words to bring encouragement and love to those who need it most.

This is Day 1 of my 3-Day Challenge. I would like to nominate Emeka Ofili. Emeka  shares inspiration, teaching, and music, but most importantly news stories about the persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ that you won’t read about in the news.

With Love, 

AA55AA1F-EA36-49A9-92BE-41FD67348618

This is My Journey Unscripted.

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

realchristianwomen.blog 

photo credit: eye for ebony on unsplash