National Freedom Day

February 1^st is National Freedom Day

By Donna Germany

 

On June 30, 1948, Harry S. Truman wrote a proclamation declaring February 1st as National Freedom Day.  Why February 1^st?  On 1865, Abraham Lincoln signed the resolution that led to the adoption of the 13^th amendment of the constitution.   In his proclamation, Truman wrote about this day we should pause and remember “the glorious blessings of freedom which we humbly and thankfully enjoy.”

With this proclamation Truman supported the Universal Declaration of Human Rights approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations.  This declaration “recognized the inherit dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”

The United Nations was borrowed this theme from the State of the Union address by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s January 1941 address.  “The Four Freedoms speech,” written before World War II,   identified the four freedoms that people everywhere should enjoy.  Those four freedom where freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.   

Norman Rockwell then did a series of oil paintings in 1943.  Those paintings were reproduced by Saturday Evening Post.  The Post and the US Department of the Treasury did a touring exhibition of those paintings that raised $132 million in war bonds.  My dad was an admirer of those prints and had copies above the dining room table.  I have searched for the essays that accompanied those artist renditions.  I have been able to find two through the internet, not the original magazine article.

Funny, one idea started the movement of another.  One writer started an idea that last eighty-three years.  History built on one theme:  Freedom.  Do you think that your writing can stand the test of time?  Will it be memorialized by artist and other writers?  Isn’t that what writing is meant to do?  We should strive to find a theme so others can build a platform that will stand the test of time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=87188

One, Weekly Writing Piece

by: Donna Germany

Becoming a writer is just about writing one, weekly piece.  Of course that piece can be a poem, a short story, or a chapter in a book.  Make a poster of the Nike slogan: Just Do IT! Put it where you can see it while you work.  With the new computer programs, anyone can write.  I have been re-reading and reading for the first time, books about writing.  I did receive my interlibrary loan for Dean Koontz’s book How To Write Best-Selling Fiction.   Even though it was published in 1981, he still has great ideas to challenge you to write.  He even talks about getting his new word processor to make his writing easier.  He has a chapter about the changing publishing field, not about the eBooks entering the market but the publishing houses becoming big conglomerates.  But the market is always changing.  I recommend you reading his book, if you can find it.

Some of the other older books on writing tell you to start a notebook with pockets inside to keep the idea for each chapter idea organized.   

You learn to control your creativity. To keep this challenge from becoming a drudgery, try to work on your narrative hooks.  You know those first lines that “hook” the reader into wanting to read on. Or, you can come up with titles.  Choose one word.  Mine is always: Writing (because that is what this blog is about.)  Add word in front of or behind until you have a title.

You get into the habit of making a deadline when you challenge yourself to write one piece a week.  This will be the hardest of all for many full-time employees.  It is for me.

And finally, you can publish your work to a blog site, if you have created one.  There are many places on the internet that have writing challenges.  Fanstory.com, writing.com, fastpencil.com, legendfire.com that offer feedback.  These type groups are helpful to any writing process.  But like all internet creation, they may or may not stand the test of time. If you are interested in the internet writing groups, do a word search on “writing” in any search engine.  ITunes has several productivity sights as well. 

All of these ideas should help you become a writer, one piece at a time.  

copyright(C) 2016 DonnaGermany

Authors of UPCI

The published works by Mississippi authors from the UPCI amaze me.  There are so many titles that I haven’t read and so many I want to read.  Sadly, there are some no longer available.  I am glad I have them on by bookshelves already.  But to be able to go to one place and browse through the books available is wonderful. 

If your goal is to publish a book, then consider attending the Writer’s Conference coming in October.  Hopefully, you will be able to talk with published writers.  Bring your own unfinished stories. It is my opinion, before you can be a published author you have to send your story out into the world.  So many times, as writers we want to keep our written words as our own property.  Writers can be so shy sometime.  Maybe, because of past rejections you don’t want to be exposed anymore.  Have you seen the tag, “Writing can be somewhere between torture and fun.”   Writers are their own worst critic.  So start with a group of like-minded people.  Let this forum be the feedback that will not be harsh rejection but critical opinions that can improve your writing. 

If you just have a desire to write but haven’t put anything onto paper yet, start by finding a book by your favorite author, turning to page 51, go to the last paragraph on that page, and write that paragraph and the rest of the story with your own words.  Don’t have a favorite author.  Then find a book with your favorite color on the cover, or one you were supposed to read in school but didn’t.  It’s a good writing practice.  Allow yourself imperfections, which is part of the process. 

I have said in past post that God is not the God of chaos.  When I was taking a math class in college, we had a reading assignment about the chaos theory.  (One of those books I have but didn’t finish.)  But in the chapters I did read it was proven that even chaos has its order.  And that only lead me to believe that God has His hand in even the chaos in our live.  Maybe I will find that book and take my own advice and bring that paper with me to the writer conference in October. I hope to see lots of faces there.

copyright(C) 2016 Donna Germany

The Art of Writing

Books should not intimidate. Books are essentially paper – sheets of paper printed and bound together.  Books convey information.  But let start simple.  Book lovers love words.  You can spot them by the books in their reference libraries.  Look at their electronic devices you may find dictionary, thesaurus, and writing apps. 

I love to read. Some bibliophiles have a few favorite books others have hundreds.  As a reader, favorite books are reread.  Readers become involved in book clubs.  Book clubs teach how everyone reads differently.  Some read just out of obligation.  While others read critically for function, information and emotional attachment. Many readers find the theme, plot, and characters important.  Then, there are those who read with a passion for the written word.  They find the cadence of the word, the sentence, and even the paragraph like a song to be sung.  These readers find the subdual way the author foreshadows events, leading the reader into the hidden meanings of the life’s of the characters.  The author wants the reader to seek the heartbeat of their story.  Sometimes there is one true passionate sentence that grips the reader with an epiphany.

Writers almost always love to read.  Writers, whether they are published or non-published, read.  Most read a variety of books.  Not as a requirement, but for the love of the written word. As a writer, start simple. Become a diligent learner.  Don’t hesitate with the words that you put to paper.  Writing can be a dialogue with one’s self, others or God.  Develop a love for writing. Doing something repetitively helps develop your decision making capabilities.  Writing daily helps build confidence in your judgments.  Writing daily sharpens the intuitive sense of what brings joy to our heart.  Keep a journal handy for those moments of inspiration that come upon you suddenly.  Sleep with a pen and journal beside your bed. Let your writing develop into a ministry that can only be quenched with a desire to put it to paper. 

Let me encourage you to take up a pen and write.  Use it to leave thoughts for your future generations or to publish publicly.  The art of writing is becoming lost with all the new technology that is available.  Make it a ministry that will edify God.  

copyright(C) 2016 Donna Germany

We, as writers, are in a unique place for God to be able to use.  As writers, we encourage the church into believing and having faith in the promises God has given the church throughout the ages.  We help others see their purpose and claim the promises God has already given to them. 

 

I need to remind myself of these things as well.  As writers, we sometimes forget God has a purpose for our lives.  We get bogged down in the creativity of writing and forget to look up at the things that are trending in this world.

 

I was talking with someone the other day who mentioned “the stethoscope” incident that is in the news and social media forums.  I had to ask what it was all about.  Of course, when she explained it I still didn’t “get it.” I guess because I know some really good people who are healthcare providers.  But, apparently the trending news has bogged down into the story of someone wanting to show how important healthcare people really are.

 

Wouldn’t it be great if someone would get bogged down in the story of how great Jesus is and how much of a hero he has been in their lives?

 

That’s an old story though.  Jesus just doesn’t wake people up like he used to. But what if, as writers we started writing things that He has done for us lately. 

 

Recently, my pastor saw that my son needed a vehicle. It would have been a second vehicle for him. But I believe God lead him to make his decision.  Because without that second vehicle, when I totaled mine, my son would not have been able to help me to destinations needed to get to.  But then, my son’s vehicle stopped working on him.  Without that second vehicle, He would not have been able to get to his work and destinations.  God saw the need before our pastor, and used him to meet that need. 

 

Are we meeting the needs of those around us?  When we see a fellow Christian in trouble are we trying to lend a helping hand? Are we letting God lead our every step?  Can you see the blessing on the other side of your trouble?  Can you see the hand of the Lord working through the problems you have? 

 

As writers we need to start writing about the goodness of God and how He orders our steps in everything we do.  God does have a way of working everything out.

 

I still believe God has a great sense of humor! Laugh with Him. He is good.

 

 

 

 copyright (C) 2016 Donna Germany

Practice Makes Perfect

Have you ever had your writer’s creativity energy flowing only to get to your keyboard or paper and find the ideas have gone?  There are ways to overcome this type of writer’s block, procrastination, laziness, or fear of writing something that is not good enough. Whatever you want to call it, don’t give up.  You just need to be disciplined enough to sit in front of that blank page or screen and work with what you have.

 

Try to mix and match stories as a way to work through the writer’s block.   Take David and Goliath and let them met Peter on the road going to tell others about Christ.  Or take two of your favorite authors and mix their stories together.  How do you think that would turn out?  Writing prompts such as this help to give ideas to get that writer’s creativity flowing.  Two different stories coming together make for an interesting tell. 

 

How about taking the story of Deborah and turning it into a sci-fi adventure with the battle raging in outer space! What an idea.  Do you think that would help get the juices flowing?

 

Then there is always asking the question “what if.”  Suppose that Joseph had been the one to get the message about the birth of Jesus first, instead of Mary.  What if the Jewish nation had been faithful all these years, instead of being taken captive by the two different nations?  What if Babylon had not been a great nation?  What if the Assyrian had never come to power?  Where would our world be today? These would make great stories if you could only work out the detail. What if the story of one of your favorite authors ending changed to what you would like to have read, the boy doesn’t get the girl in the end, the problem doesn’t work or the protagonist and antagonist change places. 

 

Practice makes perfect. Let the juices flow with ideas such as this and writer’s block will soon be a thing of the past.  Inspiration for a new story idea is just a daydream away. You will have so many stories ideas, writing will not be a problem.  You will not be without a story in the works at all time.   So put your blinder’s on and stay focus with what you have to say. 

 copyright(C) 2016 Donna Germany

Imitation to Authenticity

 

 

We are often told we should be original.  But copying is the best way to learn something.  Unconsciously we have the tendency to imitate others. We mostly imitate others we like. We imitate the things we desire.  A desire is triggered by another person desire.  If we think something is attractive it is because someone else thought so first. If we see a person reading a book, we want to read that book.   

Imitation makes us more empathetic toward people.  We are always inspired by example. Remember what touches, moves, stimulates, and inspires you and use those insights in your own life.   Input can be from anywhere.  A favorite author’s writing style can become your own. Remember it is not where you take things from it is where you take them to. 

Everything you do and think you borrowed at some point from people around you. 

The crux is trying to turn our imitations into following our own inspiration.  When we are inspired we put certain qualities we see in others into practice in our own lives.  Select only things to imitate that speak directly to your soul.  If you do this, your work will be authentic.  Authenticity is invaluable.
copyright (C) 2016 Donna Germany