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 July 2006 This issue of the Report contains: 1. Brave Souls Writing Clinic 2. You Should Know . . . 3. Ministry Opportunity 4. Humor Writers Take Note 5. Creative Ministry Knows No Age Limit 6. Final Note

1. BRAVE SOULS WRITING CLINIC
Recently I received the following message:

Dear Stan,
I thought about you this week and what a wonderful mentor you have been to
me through the years. I was so green when I started attending the critique
group, yet you had patience with me and taught me so much. I want you to
know that it made a huge impact on my writing career and I am able to give
so many of the things you taught me to those who are just starting out.
I presently lead a beginners' and an advanced critique group and am writing
72 articles for new writers for the website Network211.
You're a blessing,
Cris Ortmann

I wish I could mentor everyone of you who belong to ICW, because I know what
a difference it makes. I was a much published writer when I came under the
tutelage of Jim Adair, Editor of Power papers for Scripture Press. In other
words, I already knew how to write well. Yet, having Jim comment on
everything I wrote increased my skills immensely.
I am a big supporter of critique groups because they can serve this purpose
to some extent. However, some groups lack a proficient writer to give
guidance. The groups are also limited by time constraints and infrequency of
meetings.
As writers on our way to proficiency, we benefit immensely from input on a
regular basis. For most writers, it takes time to overcome bad habits and
ingrain new ones. It is common for a writer to make the same mistakes over
and over, even after those mistakes have been pointed out. Kris Ingram last
month mentioned that she is 20 times the writer she used to be. I believe
it. Persistence in writing and learning and learning and writing pays off.
But optimal learning only occurs with continual input. Independent practice
helps, yes, but not when you just practice making the same mistakes over and
over.
You may get the continual input you need from a good critique group or from
a hands-on writing course. Look for one in the adult continuing education
programs in your area. Before you sign up, be sure there will be personal
critique and feedback on your work.
Though I can't mentor many writers, I do want to offer something. I am
therefore announcing here the creation of the Brave Souls Writing Clinic.
Here's how it will work:

1. Send me an original unpublished work of yours, either hard copy to
12900 SE Nixon Ave., Portland, OR 97222, or, preferably, email it as an
attached Word document to scbaldwin2@yahoo.com <mailto:scbaldwin2@yahoo.com>
. Any genre, length 800 words or less.
2. Sending me a manuscript constitutes your request for a critique AND
permission to publish the piece in the ICW Report, in its original version
AND with my critique.
3. This is where the Brave Souls comes in; it's not easy for a writer
to have the criticism of his work published for others to see. Believe it or
not, it is also not easy for me to tell you honestly where your work needs
improvement. But publishing both the original and the critique provides a
valuable learning opportunity for other members. And if it's a humbling
experience for you, that may not be so bad either. As for me, I open myself
to criticism for my criticism of you. So we both have to be brave.
>From manuscripts submitted, I will select one each month to be critiqued. At
the rate of only one per month, I obviously can't do many of these, but
something is better than nothing, right?

2. YOU SHOULD KNOW . . .
ReligionLive.com is a monthly online magazine featuring articles by
Christians. They say:

We need your jokes for our "funnies" section!

Must be wholesome family-oriented joke to be published.

We have positions open for permanent "Funnies" contributors. If you're
interested please express your interest in your submission e-mail.
Reply to: Funnies@ReligionLive.com
<http://us.f516.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Funnies@ReligionLive.com&Subj=C
lean%20Humor%20for%20ReligionLive.com!>
(Note: this site is not personally known to ICW so use
discretion.)

3. MINISTRY OPPORTUNITY
GRACEworks International (GWI), a non-profit organization, has a vision
playing out in East Africa. GWI plans to open a school and home for orphaned
children in Nairobi, Kenya, using and facilitating as much as the local
economy as possible, but we need your help.
We are currently in the fundraising phase of this project, and are producing
a literary journal that translates the divide and disease that burdens
Africa, and how it affects families, parents and children, so that our
audience will come to know what ails the African people.
There are over 4 million orphaned children in Kenya. A generation of parents
has been debilitated and broken by Aids, and the local strife between people
groups, leaving the future generation of children alone and with very few
options for survival. Young girls resort to prostitution, and young boys
resort to desperate measures surviving on the streets, both of which face
constant danger of rape, abuse, and molestation.
We need your help! If you appreciate the history and beauty of Africa and
its people, and the power of education to provide opportunities for these
children, please read on.
We are looking for individuals with works of art (poetry, paintings,
photography, or any work from fiction to non-fiction (3000 word limit) that
exemplifies and translates not only the hardships themselves, but also the
hope pushing it all forward, keeping a country and its children living and
breathing.

This journal will not pay for any works chosen for publication, as all but
the cost to publish this journal will go towards GRACEworks' mission. All
artists' work will retain first publishing rights, and receive a free copy
of the finished journal.

Please send us your works via email to graceworksintl@gmail.com
<http://portland.craigslist.org/wrg/graceworksintl@gmail.com> before July
10th, and put "GWI Submission" within the title of your email. You may
submit up to three works.

Please visit our website for further information about GRACEworks
International <http://www.graceworksintl.org/> .
(Note: this site is not personally known to ICW so use
discretion.)

4. HUMOR WRITERS TAKE NOTE
(The following relates to my book A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to Old
Age, but it also lets you know about a place to send your humor writing
and/or to promote your humorous book.)

Cal Samra of the Fellowship of Merry Christians writes, after receiving my
book:

It was Heaven-sent, just in time. I was putting together our new catalog
when it arrived -- and we liked it so much that we decided to put it on the
front page of our printed catalog. It will also be featured on our web
site, joyfulnoiseletter.com, and we'll promote it in The Joyful Noiseletter
as well.

I've seen a number of how-to-deal-with-over-50-books, and yours is by far
the best. Advancing reluctantly in age myself, I really identified with it.
And it took your book to finally get me to admit to myself that I, too, have
been "grieving over my lost youth." I think I was in a state of denial for
a long time, believing that if I kept myself physically fit, ate a healthy
diet, prayed, kept a sense of humor, I would be a robust human specimen in
my twilight years. Surprise! That all helped ward-off advancing age, but
still, the Lord dispenses many surprises as well as blessings.
Anyway, your book is, by turns, touching, hilarious, and full of good advice
on how to cope with advancing age.
We usually promote the books in our catalog by taking excerpts from the book
and running an article in The Joyful Noiseletter over the author's by-line
-- to give our readers a sampling of what the book is like. At the end of
the article, we invite readers to order the book from us. We did that with
one of Phil Callaway's books.
I note the copyright is yours. Will you give us permission to do that?
The Joyful Noiseletter, 1510 Edington St., Portage, MI 49024,
JoyfulNZ@aol.com

5. CREATIVE MINISTRY KNOWS NO AGE LIMIT
Beth Walton served a long ministry as a missionary in India. She now lives
in a retirement community where she still finds creative ways to serve Jesus
Christ. She writes:
I wanted to tell you that I had started to have an agnostic friend my age
read your book to me some time ago. I felt she needed something to get her
out of her rut of lying on her bed all day reading secular fiction. She
thought she had read your book before but she was interested in reading it
again. She said, "It was so amusing, I laughed out loud."
She is a good reader and reads with lots of expression, but somehow our
getting together got interrupted. Soon after that I was given a copy of John
Piper's book, "Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die". She was willing to read
it to me in return for my kindnesses to her. She felt she was doing me a
favor in letting me relax in my recliner as she read to me over the
telephone.

At first she was full of questions, doubts and objections. She hates the
word "sin" and has a weird "church background" that has given her many
erroneous ideas and no concept of the Triune God. However, the Spirit has
been working and she now seldom scoffs saying, "How do you know that is
true?" She feels free to ask questions and tries to be willing to accept my
explanations. She seems happy to continue reading the book to me as she
says, "because I like discussing it with you".
But she still rebels at the idea that "mankind" (including her) is basically
sinful". At any rate, seeing the amazing effect this book has had on Hetty,
I highly recommend it (this book of John Piper's) to anyone who is
interested in sharing the message of salvation with others.
I'm writing all this to you as I've been carried away with the thought of
what an effect a book can have on a mixed-up life. I'm glad to hear of your
book being reprinted so many times. Hetty will get back to reading it to me
in the Lord's timing! She will benefit more from reading the "Funny Thing"
after she accepts salvation!

6. FINAL NOTE
My hearty thanks to the many of you who sent notes and prayers of support
for my appearance June 2 on AM Northwest (ABC affiliate KATU). Your
encouragement meant a great deal to me-more than I can tell you. I am happy
to report that everywhere I have gone since then, I run across people who
saw and appreciated the telecast.
Until next time, keep writing.
Stanley Baldwin, Director

Please send replies to scbaldwin@juno.com. (DO NOT just hit the reply button.)
Send email changes or deletions to janesara@comcast.net.

Copyright © International Christian Writers. All rights reserved. Revised: April 6, 2004