For people who don’t like to write, this is going to sound a little weird. You see friends, writing is my love language. I know that writing is not one of the original five love languages as penned in Gary Chapman’s bestseller, however, it is definitely mine. 

I try not to say anything off the top of my head. My words are often crafted strategically to ensure that they evoke the proper emotion from the reader. If I’m asked to pray in front of a large group or give remarks at an event, I’ve probably written the words before and rehearsed them in such a way that anyone who hears me thinks I’m speaking off the cuff.

Even the prayers and the poems, Toni?

Especially the prayers and the poems.

Shouldn’t the Holy Spirit guide me in my prayer life? Yes. And He does. When I pray daily, I speak to God from my heart. It is not rehearsed. The same goes when I’m praying one-on-one with other people. However He guides me best as a writer, and if I know I’m going to pray in a group setting, I will often consult the Holy Spirit and ask for direction based on the needs of those I am praying with. Because my memory reflects that of my age of 46, I often write those prayers down. 

And later, when I’m at home having quiet time with God, I’m able to review what I wrote and pray the same prayer again. My written prayers tell my story and are an example of God’s consistent work in my life.

For me, writing does the following:

• It highlights my God-given strength.
• It allows me the space to be creative and logical at the same time.
• It creates an accurate, written record of my feelings.
• It forces me to process the emotional ups and downs in my life.
• It challenges me to share the spiritual world with others.
• It brings glory to God, His gifts, His love, and His joy daily.
• It allows me to create accounts of my hopes and dreams for the future.

As my children know all to well, if I am having a disagreement with someone on a subject, there are two things that I must do in order to recover: 1. Pray and 2. Write.  (As I mentioned earlier, oftentimes the two are connected.)

As much as I love writing, though, I get it. Not everyone enjoys writing. A lot of people wish they could sit down and write an essay or a poem or a short story seamlessly. 

However, writing is an essential part of life. I guarantee you that even if you don’t like it, you will have to do it. 

Welcome to “How To Tell A Great Story”, a two-hour exclusive master class designed to teach you how to write your own story or memoir that you can share with friends, family or even have published on a website or in a local or national publication.

In this class, master storytellers from Guideposts will teach you how to make your story compelling and entertaining, following a formula that has worked at Guideposts for over 70 years. You take the course at your own pace and you can repeat the modules as many times as you would like. 

TOP FEATURES: With over two hours of video lessons, this creative writing course will teach you all the essentials to writing a great story:

• 12 video modules (captions available) to guide you in your creative writing journey
• Digital Workbook with a summary of main points from each module
• Full lifetime access to the course and its materials
• Quiz for each module, to test your knowledge
• Certificate of completion when you finish the course
• Instructions on how to submit your story to a publisher for publication.
• Compatible in all web browsers
• 30 Day Money-Back Guarantee 

 

It’s so good, I even enrolled in the course this fall. Why? Because y’all, writer’s block is a real thing. But don’t just take my word for it, you can click here to read recent reviews of the course. 

Tell me, how do you feel about writing?