International Christian Writers Report

Stanley Baldwin, Founder and Editor This is a sample of the free monthly email publication sent to members of ICW, ICW NET and ICW Prayer Fellowship. ARCHIVES: previous reports September 2007 This issue of the Report contains: 1. A Matter of Encouragement from new ICW Director, Les Stobbe 2. A word study by Ken Rolph of Blacktown, Australia.

1. A Matter of Encouragement

I am facing a huge task, taking over the leadership of a ministry to writers from the founder, Stanley Baldwin. For some years he has put his unique stamp on this international fellowship of writers while maintaining a full ministry of writing and speaking. I’ve been asking the Lord what kind of contribution I can make that would actually make a difference in your lives as writers. I reached the conclusion that the Lord wants me to provide the same service I do on a daily basis to writers as literary agent—encouragement.

The apostle Paul is known for many things, but what really stands out for me is his ministry of encouragement. I was in my early 20s and wondering what God might have for me when I decided to read the apostle Paul’s letters to highlight only his promises. It became a life-changing experience and the promises I read then still resonate in my soul well over 50 years later.

I’ve had the privilege of interviewing many of our leading authors over the past five years and writing short sketches about their life as writers. I learned early on that in almost every writer’s life there was one person whose encouragement either triggered interest in writing or confirmed the writing talent and/or passion. That may have been an elementary, high school or college teacher or a spouse.

A neighbor’s husband told his wife, “It’s time you fulfilled your dream of writing a novel. I’ll pay the mortgage and you write.” Two years later the novel was finished. A friend sent it to an editor, whom they met at a conference. He was so dismissive of this woman’s novel she put it on the shelf and left it there for 13 years. At a university women’s event she read a story from the novel that my wife so enjoyed she went up to her and asked for six copies of the book. The author shyly said there was no book—it was from a manuscript that had been on a shelf for 13 years. My wife volunteered my services, and several weeks of hard work later the proposal went out. That book is now in its second printing.

While I enjoy encouraging writers, and consider it my calling, I do also have the unpopular task of being realistic with book authors who have not yet achieved a publishable level in their writing. I may encourage them to begin writing articles, assuring them that with articles they will reach thousands, at times hundreds of thousands, whereas with a first book they might reach 5,000 readers, and only too often even less than that. I also may urge participation in a distance learning course in writing or attending a Christian writers conference. It is gratifying when writers take that advice seriously and gain the level of skill needed to become published writers.

Here’s a way for you to participate in ICW. Send me a paragraph or two about someone who encouraged you as a writer—giving specifics on the kind of encouragement and what it did for you.

As a writer it is easy to become discontented when what we have spent months, even years, developing is not appreciated by editors. Jealousy can sneak into our thought life as we see others succeed. The apostle Paul provides an antidote in Philippians 4:12-13: “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Think of someone you can encourage today!
Les Stobbe
Director
lstobbe@alltel.net

2. Ken Rolph of Blacktown, Australia, sent us a word study.

"peaks my curiosity"
This set of words has popped up a couple of times on the list over the past few weeks. I wonder if the writers of this phrase mean that their curiosity rises up steeply and sharply to a great height, then drops equally steeply and sharply back down to the same level. Like the peak of a mountain, or the graph of a very slender bell curve. Perhaps so. Many, many bloggers on the Internet seem to feel this is an appropriate thing to write.

"Piques my curiosity" arrived in written English in 1870, from the French piquer, to prick, to sting, to irritate. My curiosity is aroused, excited, awakened. Pique relates to words like pick and picket. That's useful to remember if you are tempted to write, "peaks my curiosity." Sitting on a peak may be pleasant and relaxing. Sitting on a picket is likely to get your more immediate attention. A pick is a sharp pointed thing, like you use to dig in a mine, or what you do to a scab. Your mum doesn't say, "Don't peak at your scabs, Narelle!" (1) No, it's definitely a pick which is the center of your attention.

Remember that something which piques your interest is likely to be, well, piquant. (2) Piercing, stinging, bitter, pungent, sharp, biting, tart, racy, stimulating in an agreeably attractive and appetizing sort of way. If that doesn't get your curiosity up and going, you're probably meditating on a peak somewhere.

See, the problem is that if you get in the habit of writing "peaks my curiosity" you might one day send it off accidentally where it could come under the scrutiny of an editor or publisher. (3) They might read it, have a fit of peak and decide you are just a hammer chewer. They won't publish you and that is hardly likely to be the peak of your career.

That would be very concerning.

(1) Your mum might say, "Don't PEEK at your scabs, Kylie!" but that's an entirely different thing. She knows a watched scab never heals. You are likely to pick at it out of curiosity to see when it will come off.
(2) Piquant as adjective, of course. Not the noun, which refers to a hedgehog's prickles. It occurred to me to wonder if the same term was used for porcupines and echidnas. But then I remembered that echidnas have quills. These are unlikely to pique anything if you pick them up carefully. I'm sure you recall from the last time you picked up an echidna how they just roll up into a little ball and pretend to be somewhere else. But I had one once that wriggled and gave me a nasty poke on the thumb. I heard the same thing happened to Bill Shakespeare and it scarred him for life. Afterwards, whenever he was walking alone in the bush at night he would chant softly to himself, "By the
pricking of my thumbs, an echidna this way comes." In the end he didn't get stabbed to death by echidnas so it was all a waste of breath on his part. I think there's a lesson in that for all of us.
(3) This is only a bad thing if you get one of those editors or publishers who is more professional than you. The others are likely to reply: "Your recent article kinda peaked my curiosity alot. We are shortly loosing one of our freelance writers and could of been
understaffed. Now about copywrite, etc. . ."

Until next time, keep on writing, and encouraging,

Les Stobbe

For responses, contact Les Stobbe at lstobbe@alltel.net.
For email address changes, reply to this email at janesara@comcast.net.

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