Home
About Me
My Journey
My Writing
My Blogs
Words of Jesus
Inner Healing
Describing God
Writing His Heart
Writers' Group
Cassia Bookstore
|
My Journey
I’ve been writing since I could first hold a pen in my hand, and my fascination with storytelling began even earlier. I’ve always loved words. As a child, I explored writing in every way I could: letter writing to relatives and to pen pals all over the world; journaling; writing accounts of every trip I took with my family and friends; writing for and editing our Girl Scout newsletter; writing short stories and plays at elementary school; writing skits at summer camps; and writing descriptions of everything under the sun. Reading was also a passion. When the traveling library showed up at our local recreation center each week, I’d leave with a stack of books higher than my head. Every evening I heard, “Janet, please put the book down and come to dinner!”
As I grew older, I fell more deeply in love with writing, and I began to excel in my writing classes in high school and college. Though my English teachers wanted to recruit me, I insisted on a major in international politics. Even there, my writing skills found an outlet in papers and essays. My first work out of school was for a Japanese investment bank in New York City. I was hired to answer the phones, but my passion for writing soon had me writing and editing speeches for Japanese executives, writing reports on the U.S. elections and budget, and helping the Japanese translators improve their work.
When I later spent two years in Russia, helping with academic reform at several universities, I coached Russian students in writing their international conference papers in English. I then initiated a human rights academic program in which I wrote teaching and vision materials, grant proposals, web content, online courses, articles and brochures. I also wrote letters that had a wide distribution back home, and I contributed to our organization’s newsletters that circulated to international donors. I couldn’t help it! I loved to write, and I felt compelled to capture everything I was experiencing among the Siberian students and the Russian family I lived with. After a friend and I took the trans-Siberian railroad to China and Mongolia over the winter break, I had more to share than I could fit into an article or two. I wrote several short stories and finally knew I had to write a novel.
After a friend in the publishing industry read the manuscript for my first novel, Samovar Grill and gave me her feedback, I realized I had a lot to learn. I enrolled in classes through Writer’s Digest, and eventually discovered Donald Maass’s book and live workshop, Writing the Breakout Novel. This led me to the Writer’s Retreat Workshop annual boot camp, which I attended two years in a row, in addition to numerous writers’ conferences.
By that time, I was working again on Wall Street and my department was dismantled due to economic conditions. Suddenly without a job, I attended the company’s outplacement workshop. As the outplacement counselor worked with me to craft my resume, she and I realized I didn’t need to apply for another corporate job. I needed to be writing full time. That day, I started my own freelance writing business, and by the end of the month, I had my first client and a job ghostwriting a non-fiction book.
Over the next three years, I was hired to ghostwrite and/or edit more than 15 books – non-fiction books on health, fitness, real estate and investing, along with life story books and several novels. I also was hired to write numerous articles, web content, brochures, product descriptions, e-courses and press releases. I had a blast!
During this time, God was wooing me. I had been a devoted Christian my whole life, but because of earthly fears and circumstances of neglect, abuse, trauma and illness, I had never grown in my relationship with God. He used writing to reach me. He began to send me clients who had stories to tell of His intervention in their lives. He got my attention. I began to feel His heart. My prayer life changed from prayers of “God, help!” to listening prayers: “God, what are You saying to me? What are You doing in this person’s life? How do You want me to write about it? What do You have to say to Your readers?”
I began writing devotionals and Bible studies. I couldn’t stop! It was like breathing to me. I couldn’t get enough of writing with God, and I was starving for His Word. At the encouragement of a friend, I began an online ministry for Christian writers, which included an e-workshop and an online devotional magazine, as well as personal instruction and coaching. As I dove into that full time, I realized God was calling me to church ministry as well.
When I answered His call to ministry, He took me through a season of intense inner healing. During that time, I had to stop my formal involvement with writing. I found an outlet in journaling the transformation process God was leading me through. After two years of walking through intense transformational ministry (along with surgery for ovarian cancer – I am now cancer-free thanks to God!), I became involved in church ministry and Christian inner healing ministry. God began to use my writing gifts within those ministries: writing content for the church and ministry websites; writing emails to ministry teams; teaching “Journaling with God” at inner healing retreats; writing highlights for the church newsletter; scribing for prophetic ministry events; helping others write their bios and testimonies; blogging on mission trips; teaching, writing and editing for two church-wide devotional booklets; adapting an adult inner healing course curriculum for a teen audience; and writing vision and foundational materials for new ministries.
God also allowed me to serve two years at Eagle Ranch, a Christian group home for at-risk teens, where I had the privilege of instructing an amazing group of 6th-9th graders in creative writing – a program the onsite school allowed me to create because of my writing background. I served as a parapro in the Language Arts class, and two days a week I took students in small groups to the “Writing Lab,” where God worked creative wonders through those children. They amazed me with their creative writing: articles for our school magazine, letters of thanksgiving, word games they created, introspective journaling, the beginnings of novels, skits and life stories, and a group project in which teams of students together wrote creative stories inspired by one photograph – the results were as phenomenal as they were diverse! The students also produced an annual devotional booklet, to which every student contributed. I will always have fond memories of the "Writing Lab" and my time at Eagle Ranch, and I will never forget the stories or the children who created them.
As God continued to grow me in ministry service at my church, I continued to receive ministry for inner healing. Each ministry session brought new and deeper freedom. I noticed that as I grew in freedom, and as my relationship with God deepened, my heart to write His heart began to beat more strongly. Finally, in the fall of 2010, I felt God releasing me to become fully involved in the writing life again. I attended the Christian Writers’ Guild’s “Novel Writing Boot Camp” as well as the Morningstar Ministries’ “Christian Writers’ Retreat,” as inspiration and as a refresher. Through those events, God stirred in my heart a desire to write Bible studies again, including Bible studies written especially for Christian writers. He also led me to start a local group for Christian writers - Dahlonega Christian Writers.
That’s where I am today – so blessed to be alive and writing; so in love with Jesus; so eager to see His heart emerge among the words of more and more Christian writers. I’ve long had a dream that Christian writing would be a river of His love across the Internet, among other places. I do believe it’s possible. I also believe He gives us words to write that are meant for someone. God will lead that person to read what He has prepared for her or him. All we have to do is sit quietly with Him, and then pour out on paper what He gives us to write. It’s not always easy. But it really is that simple.
If you’re a Christian writer with a heart to write God’s heart, let me encourage you. Stay in His presence as you write; have fun co-creating with Him – He delights in this!; let Him sanctify your heart in all areas of your life; enjoy the privilege of resting in His Spirit, as He shares His heart and His words with you; ask Him to show you the outlets for your writing – there are many more than you might think; and just keep loving His people with every word you write.
Thank you for writing His heart.
"No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." -- Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)
|