I Used To Hate Writing + A Little R & R Wednesdays - a linky party #10

I haven't always enjoyed writing.  Fact is, when I was in school I hated writing.  But perhaps it was because I often had to write fictional stories.

I still hate that kind of writing.  I had to do this for my Croatian Language Proficiency exam, and it was torture.  My imagination doesn't run along those lines.

Somewhere in my early 30's, when going through a particularly lonely and painful time, I began to write:

poems

songs

short articles on verses I'd read


I didn't know about blogging back then.  Some of these works I shared with a group of gracious folks on a website I used to frequent. They'd give me feedback and offer advice.  

It was a great starting point for a budding writer!

It just seemed to gush out of me - it was as if the pain I was experiencing then burst a dam in my heart and all of the "stuff" I had collected over the years just came rushing out.


It was during that time I wrote my first book: Worship the Father.

I didn't have the funds to officially publish it - I was saving every dime I had to move to Croatia - so I printed it, stuck it in a three-ring binder and accepted whatever people would give me for it (and gave away several copies).

I was anxious for anyone and everyone one to read what was on my heart!


Through the years my writing style has changed - dramatically. 

Regular blogging

Reading works by great bloggers and writers

Examining others' styles

Comparing those styles with my own

"Trying on" different styles to see how they fit


All of these have helped me to "find my voice". I didn't have one when I began writing and blogging.  I didn't even know what that meant.   All I knew was that I had this urge in me to write

I had to write

Even if it meant just opening up a Word document and spilling it all out - and then saving it on my hard drive.


In February, in the face of the worst writer's block I have ever experienced, I announced a short series on 1 Corinthians 13. I called it 14 Days of Agape. I took 14 straight days and blogged through that chapter. 

It was crazy!  

I had never blogged for 14 straight days before.  

But the result for me personally was phenomenal. I began to see that chapter in a light I had never seen before! And it came alive to me in realms I could have never imagined. I would wake up in the morning, read the verse for that day, and meditate on it all day - asking myself, "What can I say about this that hasn't already been said?  What truth lies buried in these few words that begs to be uncovered?" 

At the end of those 14 days, I compiled the posts into my 2nd book - my first published book!

It now has a new cover!  You can download it for free by signing up on my right sidebard  or order it on Kindle


I had so much fun with this book, that I immediately decided to publish Worship the Father.
Because I hadn't read through it in almost a decade, I opened the file...
...and to my horror lay words of criticism and negativity.  
I can't publish this????  This isn't me!
Those 14 days through 1 Corinthians 13 had so dramatically changed my heart...
they changed how I view God
how I view the body of Christ
how I view our Christian walk

And I began to rip my first book apart and what remained were only a few passages that I felt worthy of reading.  And it was published.
Recently I gave it a facelift: new title, new cover...
I present  to you Live Worship

You can purchase this book on Kindle or in pdf...




Oh! And look what is on the way...

 I'll share more about this one next week: but you can start looking for it on July 31st... 
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And now for the party!!!




Link up as many posts on any subject you desire (except giveaways)


Link up those posts that you wish would have gotten more attention Come on - you know what I'm talking about.  I'll be linking up a few of my own, too.  


Link back to A Little R & R with the button or a link


Visit the post just before yours


-->Tweet<-- and invite your friends to join the party
The party runs from Wednesday through Saturday


So link up and have fun!




Linking up with some these blogs:


M: Motivation Monday, Gracelaced Mondays, Playdates at the Wellspring, Mom's the Word; Matrimonial Mondays,  T: Titus2 Tuesdays, Women Helping Women,  Mercy Ink, Character Corner  W: Women Living Well, Wisdom Wednesday, Wholehearted Wednesdays, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Deep Roots at Home, My Daily Walk In His Grace, Mommies POV  Th: Thrive at Home,  Serving Joyfully, I Choose Joy  F: Faith Filled Friday,  TGIF Fridays Click HERE to find out how you can receive a copy of my book 14 Days of Agape for free and purchase Worship the Father and Discovering True Identity .