Thursday I posed a question here on the blog, and asked you to “ask me anything”. Well, I appreciate those of you who took the time to comment and offer up some good questions for me.
The reason I love questions, is they inspire thinking, and thinking creates opportunity for insights and insights lead to epiphanies, and epiphanies lead to rich journaling and writing moments….and so on and so on.
If you missed that post, it’s short, you can CLICK HERE and read it now, or give a peek after reading today’s post.
I thought I would briefly touch on a few of the questions going forward so stay tuned. Even if I’ve answered there I may still tackle them here.
Carla asked, “How do you stay so committed to your writings?”
I think this is a great question for all of us, who take pen to paper or tap away on keys, to take time to ponder and ask ourselves. I guess we could change it around a bit and start with asking ourselves IF we are committed to our writing. Which I may have touched upon with the earlier post on Focus.
This question is also a great fit for this series, as it is related to my own focus and reason for this topic for Write 31 Days. So, thanks for that question, Carla!
Let me list the questions this prompts for me, and then share my thoughts. This will allow you to take the questions offline as an exercise for yourself.
*Am I committed to my writing? Why or why not?
*Have I always been committed to writing?
*What forms has my writing taken over the course of my writing life?
*What direction would I like to see my writing go in the future?
*How do I sense God leading me in this journey?
*How closely is my commitment to my writing life related to my connection with my spiritual life?
*Is my commitment to my own writing expectations and goals overshadowing my relationship with God or am I allowing my writing to become a distraction or idol in my life?
Obviously as I share these questions, you can sense the direction of my own thinking concerning my writing life. These are questions I have asked or am asking myself now.
My personal relationship to my own writing is a commitment and expression that began in my teen years. It is this journey of my soul and self, the conflicts and contradictions observed within and without and my reflections, discoveries and blunderings along the way.
I have always written as a form of self-help, I imagine. A sort of crying out on paper, a way of reassuring myself I existed initially. That may sound bizarre, but as one who experienced much childhood trauma and abuse, I needed to see my words…needed to find my voice, needed to know I had a voice. The blank page became my best friend, and I allowed myself complete freedom there. I still do.
Before I became a Believer I wrote… and my journals reflected a wild-eyed, wounded girl embarking on a journey…and the emergence of a new Presence within became evident over time.
I’d say my commitment to my writing is intertwined with my commitment to God and His plans and will for my life. To that end, I share my writing. Whether I continue to do so, or how far I will go with it is beyond me. I will always write to some degree since I do it for my pleasure and soul’s satisfaction- this is where my journal comes into play still.
When I accepted Christ into my life I will say that songs and poetry started to come out of me almost immediately. I wrote my first song to Him in the cover of my Bible. Interesting to note, I am not musically inclined at all! Here is a journal excerpt from one of my first poems after my salvation was secured in Jesus Christ.
Blogging was something I did in obedience to the direction I believed God wanted me to go at the time. I never set out to be a certain kind of blogger, I just shared who I was and where I was on my journey. I barely knew what a blog was! But, I believed God was instructing me to specifically share what He was showing me, teaching me from my own unique perspective. Simply.
I am currently in a critical mass in my writing direction. I sense God calling me to step back and harvest the writing I have. But it is overwhelming to me. The past two years I have pulled together multiple poetry manuscripts and two separate manuscripts of a nonfiction nature. They are partially revised and in need of further editing by objective eyes.
The past two years I have been published along with other writers in a local anthology. These two publications are available on Amazon: You can peek at them here: Neighborhood Guild Creative Writers Group/Amazon Page
I have an abundance of material, but am standing at the edge of a path and unsure how I want to move forward. This is where I am now. As a matter of fact I plan on stepping out in faith in a particular direction soon. It reminds me a bit of the Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken.
Well, Carla- I hope that answers your question. I also hope I’ve given my writing friends something to think about and write about for themselves today!
This is my story…this is my song. Writing Redeemed, all the day long.
I am Writing Redeemed in October for 31 Days,
See ALL the posts as they are published write HERE!
Enthusiastically, Dawn 
Thank you for your answer Dawn. I really think you stated it best on “how you stay committed to your writing” when you wrote ” I have always written as a form of self-help, I imagine. A sort of crying out on paper, a way of reassuring myself I existed initially.” That was your how you stayed with it as it helped in a different way before you found Christ. After finding Christ you ability to stay committed was still a form of self help But Now it is “how and or what Christ has done in your life and continues to do daily that gives life to your pen and paper. At least that is how I see it. 🙂
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I love the way you put it…and yes, you are right. Hugs, Carla. Keep looking up, my friend, our redemption draws near!
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