The Candidates

On the second day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me,
words wrapped in books, silently sitting beside me
 like two turtledoves of peace.


Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.
(Proverbs 3:3 ESV)

 

 

As I gleaned my shelf for a devotional, I also gathered the various books on writing that I have collected over the years. I stacked them on the couch along with a few other books that are on my "reading" list.

 

I like looking at the stack and thinking I may really read some of these books this year. I will read bits and pieces, and I almost always read the introductions. Some of the best inspiration comes to me from reading the preface or the introduction of a book.

 

My desire to include, A Pen and a Path, on the list, started that way. The author, Sarah Stockton, compares writing to building a nest:

 

"Just as the bird builds a nest with grass and twigs and mud as a container for new life, so the woman creates with words a container to hold and sustain her own life. Asking God to be present as she writes, she weaves her dreams, her intentions, her fears, her sorrows, and her greatest joys into a home for her overflowing spirit. The raw materials of her life become a nest, and the nest becomes both a container for her life so far, and a place from which to continue the journey forward."

 

 

 

I consider this stack of books my potential coaches and cheerleaders to keep me at the craft. I am looking to stretch my writing abilities, to explore new territories beyond journaling and blogging. I want to try my hand at fiction or memoir. I look forward to calling myself a novelist or freelance writer. Just some dreams woven with intention.

 

Below are my candidates: 

 

The Art of Fiction by John Garner

Leaving a Trace by Alexandra Johnson

The Weekend Novelist by Robert J. Ray

A Pen and A Path by Sarah Stockton

Freelance Writing by Marcia Yudkin

Old Friend from Far Away by Natalie Goldberg

Writing Life Stories by Bill Roorbach

One Year to a Writing Life By Susan M. Tiberghien

The Soul Tells a Story by Vinita Hampton Wright

 

 

Some I will chat with by browsing their contents, others I will get into deep conversation with by reading from cover to cover. And hopefully one or two will become my mentors, who give me exercises to improve my writing. 

 

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