Cultivate the Habits of Reading and Writing #LeadersAreReaders January 2024

If you followed the Chronological Bible Reading Plan, you would've read the Book of Genesis and Job. Well done! Every year I try to read through the Bible, but last year I didn't manage to finish on time because I read other books too. Well, this year I want to focus more on the Bible than other books (perhaps limited to one or two or, at the most, three per month). I've come to believe that if you want to grow as a Christian, especially in full-time ministry, cultivating the habits of reading and writing are indispensable.

Reading Christians, especially those who read and meditate on the Word of God, are God-loving Christians. We are called to "love the Lord [our] God with all [our] heart, [our] soul," and "[our] mind." Reading helps us to grow in knowledge and equips us to contend for the faith, to gain wisdom and understanding, to have the mind of Christ and to know God's will and the Spirit leading, and in my case, to teach, preach and give answers with conviction, confidence, and compassion. Besides, reading helps our minds to think, connect, and reflect.

Next, after reading, writing is important. Initially, I didn't like to write because it consumed a lot of time, and I always failed my grammar. But once I 'force' myself to write, the outcomes are clarity of thought, exponential learning and retention, and mental satisfaction. And if you see writing as one of the ways to bring the Word of God to readers, then you're also benefiting others other than yourself. It is said that "clear writing is a sign of clear thinking" and "clear thinking is a sign of a well-organized mind." I agree. As full-time ministers, we must nurture our minds too, not just our hearts and souls.

So, friends, read and write!

#ServeToLead #ReadersAreLeaders #TheBible #ReadingAndWriting #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Reading Releases a Trapped Mind #LeadersAreReaders December 2022

There was a little girl who was dealt a bad hand in life. When she was one and a half years old, a childhood illness took away her sight and hearing. The poor girl was trapped inside her mind. She hadn't learned to speak, so she uttered gibberish and animal-like sounds. She always went into unprovoked fits of rage, smashing dishes and physically attacking anyone in the room with her. Many doctors diagnosed her as mentally ill. They recommended putting her into an asylum for the rest of her life. But, thankfully, her parents refused.

When she was 7, the family hired a young woman to tutor her. For weeks the tutor tried to communicate with her by spelling words into her hand. She could feel the tutor's fingers on her palm, but the symbols or gestures didn't have any meaning to her. She was still trapped... Then one day, she was holding a cup under a gusting water spout. The tutor kept spelling the word W-A-T-E-R into her hand. Suddenly, the little girl understood the letters represented an object! In that flash of recognition, the door to the world flew wide open for her. She ran around the room, grabbing objects at random, begging the tutor to spell the name into her palm. As a grown-up girl years later, she wrote, "Spark after spark of meaning flew from hand to hand." That day and beyond, she was free and no longer trapped inside her mind. She became a voracious learner!

The rest, as any good story has to end, is history. Her name is Helen Keller and her amazing tutor is Anne Sullivan (read Keller's The Story of My Life). Like Keller's breakthrough, reading can help us to break out from our mental prison. Reading - and writing too - has the power to transform us by connecting the dots of information, imagination, and possibilities. At times when we felt trapped inside our minds, unable to understand or express our thoughts and feelings, reading and writing are great ways to a breakthrough. Victor Hugo once said: "To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark" ✨

#ServeToLead #ReadersAreReaders #FreeYourMind #ThePowerOfReading #HelenKeller #AnneSullivan #Breakthrough #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read other articles on reading and book reviews, CLICK HERE
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Reading Can Activates Your Potential #LeadersAreReaders August 2022

Without reading and writing, there will be no progress to speak of. Without reading and writing, we'd be stuck in the Stone Age. Without reading and writing, there will be no civilization as we know it. These gifts of God to humankind are keys to unlocking our hidden potential. These gifts, writes Burke Hedges, author of Read & Get Rich, "liberates us and activates our dormant minds, much like a catalyst activates an inert chemical solution. Without the catalyst, the chemical just sits there. Add the catalyst and - boom! - there's an explosion of activity."

This reminds me of an old, true story. A young Italian sculptor named Agostino had a huge block of marble delivered to his studio. He had great plans to sculpt the block into a marvelous statue but unfortunately, he found the marble hard to work with. Frustrated, he had the marble removed to make room for a different project. About 40 years later, another Italian sculptor named Michaelangelo spotted the marble block hidden in an abandoned garbage heap. When he saw it, he ordered it sent to his studio. You know what happened next, right?

In case you don't... For many years, he studied the marble block, sizing up its potential, measuring it over and over again, testing its hardness with his chisels, making endless sketches, etc. Slowly but surely he gently smoothed his completed status with his chisels. The result was a masterpiece, the famous statue of David! You see, my fellow social media friends, Michaelangelo did what Agostino failed to do: he saw the full potential of the marble block and released that potential with his talent, patience, genius - and his chisels. Like that marble block, we are rough and unrefined at first (otak pun keras!) but we have such great potential! Reading (and writing) is the chisel that releases our potential and reveals the work of art within.

Ernest Carr puts it this way, "Not to be able to read is like one world with one door to enter and nothing is there... Because of literacy, I have been freed from this dark world. Because of literacy, I have 1,000 doors that I can enter now." So you see, reading not only activates your POTENTIAL but also POSSIBILITIES. Read! #ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read other articles on reading and book reviews, CLICK HERE

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Charles Spurgeon: The Prince of Preachers (1988) by J. C. Carlile, Book Review

 Charles Spurgeon: The Prince of Preachers (1988) by J. C. Carlile
An edited and abridged version, 1997, by Dan Harmon

Once in a while, when I thought that I’ve done so many works and sacrifices for the Lord in my own small, faulty, ignorance perspective, and craving for people’s appreciation and attention, I will think of two mortal men who will have none of these and puts me - and all of us - to shame. First, the indisputable apostle Paul. “For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace” (1 Corinthians 15:10). And secondly, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He was called to be a preacher when he was 16 years old. It was recorded that in his entire life he preached nearly 3,600 sermons (“The collected sermons filled 63 volumes equivalent to the 27 volume ninth edition of Encyclopedia Britannica,” observes John Piper), and published 49 volumes of commentaries, sayings, illustrations, and devotions. Every week he preached 4 to 10 times, read 6 meaty books, revised sermons for publication, lectured, edited a monthly magazine, and in his spare time, he wrote about 150 books! Not to mention, he shepherded about 6,000 church members (legend says that he knew all members by name), founded and directed a theological college, an orphanage, and oversaw 66 Christian charities.* Remember too, he was a family man with a godly wife and a healthy relationship with all his children. There are more but I think you get the point.

David Livingstone, a famous missionary, once asked Spurgeon, “How can you accomplish so much in one day?” He replied wittily, “You forget, Mr. Livingstone. There are two of us working.” No doubt, he meant the presence and grace of the living God. Reading the biographies of such godly men and women like Spurgeon is a good reminder for every Christians, especially Christian ministers, to remain faithful to His Word and be productive in doing His works. This book, under the Heroes of the Faith titles from Barbour Publishing, is a good introduction to the life, ministry, and legacy of Charles H. Spurgeon. The story of Spurgeon’s childhood and conversion are very fascinating. He was a very curious boy who love nature and learning. One of his biggest influences in my life is his thirst for knowledge. Mind you, he had no formal theological training [nor being formally ordained as a minister] but he was very well-read in Puritan theology, natural history, and popular literature. This gives me hope because I too don’t have any formal theological training (Spurgeon wrote to his father who urged him to apply for college, “You know what my style is. I fancy it is not very collegelike.” Fist bump! Although, this is not an excuse if you need one) and also a sense of unworthiness because Spurgeon is Spurgeon and he is one of a kind (to compare oneself with Spurgeon is to compare a kitten with a lion). The book outlines various aspects of his life including his development as a preacher, minister, writer, educator, and defender of the Truth. A special chapter on his belief in Calvinism is also very interesting. He famously declared: “I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist; I do not hesitate to take the name of Baptist; but if I am asked what is my creed, I reply – It is Jesus Christ.”

But not all of Spurgeon’s life was bright and sunny. He shared his portion of Christ’s suffering, betrayal of friends, physical pain, and emotional depression especially due to the tragic fire incident at Surrey Gardens Music Hall and the energy-sapping ‘Downgrade’ controversy (R.J. Sheehan’s C.H. Spurgeon and the Modern Church, 1985, is an excellent short book to know more about this great battle). At the end of the day, Spurgeon is still a mortal man with flaws, and very much in need of the Saviour like the rest of us. Only by God’s grace, Spurgeon was used by Him mightily. I’m thankful for Spurgeon’s service and praise God forever. As the apostle Paul puts it: “It was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.” Amen!

#ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #LeadersAreReaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain #CharlesHSpurgeon #PrinceOfPreacher #ChristianBiography

Here are a few other related #1Book1Week reviews:

1) Spurgeon on Leadership (2010) by Larry J. Michael, CLICK HERE

2) C. H. Spurgeon and the Modern Church: Lessons for Today from the ‘Downgrade’ Controversy (1985) by R.J. Sheehan, CLICK HERE

3) Words of Counsel: For All Leaders, Teachers, and Evangelists (Updated 2018) by Charles H. Spurgeon, CLICK HERE

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Simple Book Review: On Writing; A Memoir of the Craft

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000) Stephen King

This is a non-fiction book on the subject of writing or more accurately, a personal stories of how the King ‘become’ the king of fictional novelist – the good, the bad and the ugly. It is an instruction manual for both aspiring and seasoned writers alike, and it is also an autobiographical account of King's life. He who has sold more than 54 books of fictions. If you’re not a reader, probably you’re movie-goer who may have watched some of his novels turned movies such as The Mist, Stand by Me, The Shawshank Redemption, Carrie, The Green Mile, etc. If not, how about TV series such as Under the Done and Mr. Mercedes? If none of the above, then you probably have heard his name, at least… please…

“This is a short book,” writes King for his second forward of his 297 pages book (short?!), “because most books about writing are filled with bullshit. Fiction writers, present company included, don’t understand very much about what they do – not why it works when it’s good, not why it doesn’t when it’s bad. I figured the shorter the book, the less bullshit.” I have fun reading this book because of his casualness and conversational tone in writing it. One particular part when he told the story of how he struggled to finish ‘The Stand’ is quite interesting: “For weeks I got exactly nowhere in my thinking – it all just seemed too hard, too fucking complex. I had run out too many plotlines, and they were in danger of becoming snarled. I circled the problem again and again, beat my fists on it, knocking my head against it… and then one day when I was thinking of nothing much at all, the answer came to me. It arrived whole and complete – gift-wrapped, you could say – in a single bright flash. I ran home and jotted it down on paper, the only time I’ve done such a thing, because I was terrified of forgetting.” [P.s: Forgive his language in these quotes]

At the end of this book, Stephen King advices: “Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy. Some of this book – perhaps too much – has been about how I learned to do it. Much of it has been about how you can do it better. The rest of it – and perhaps the best of it – is a permission slip: you can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will. Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up.” Good book.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

My Top 17 Book on Innovative and Creativity Lists

“Creativity is a characteristic given to all human beings at birth” (Abraham Maslow)

Christianity must be creative because first and foremost, we follow a creative God. There is nothing more needed in Christianity today than creativity. We don’t need more doctrinal precision and biblical knowledge, more conferences and programs. We don’t need more identical youth groups copied from the megachurch on TV. We don’t want to hear another worship song with the same beat, the same tempo, the same words, and the same three chords as every other worship song. We don’t need to follow Planet Shakers or Hillsongs or True Worshippers. We need to be original and contextualize! Thus, creativity is needed.

Best example of creative person and Lord is Jesus. The Scripture says, “He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make” (John 1:3) If you think that the universe is wonderful and it is an act of creative Being – think Jesus, the Author of the universe! We are also made in the image of Him, so we’re at some point – creative people.

There are people who are good at writing books on creativity. We should read it. Reading books on creativity doesn’t mean you will be creative instantaneously. You are God’s creation, you already creative. But to be more creative, you need to cultivate your creativity through reading and applications. Here are some of my books recommendation for you to consider reading with caution, prayer and wisdom (Why top 17 books? Because top 10 or 15 or 20 is so mainstream):

1)    You Are Creative: Let Your Creativity Bloom, 3^rd Edition by Dr. Yew Kam Keong

2)    A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative by Roger von Oech

3)    Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius by Michael Michalko

4)    How to Get Ideas, New Expended Edition by Jack Foster

5)    How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day by Michael J. Gelb

6)    How to Think Like Einstein: Simple Ways to Break the Rules and Discover Your Hidden Genius by Scott Thorpe

7)    Buzan's book of Genius: And How to Unleash Your Own by Tony Buzan and Raymond Keene

8)    Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step by Edward De Bono

9)    Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono

10) How to Have a Beautiful Mind by Edward de Bono

11) The Art of Thinking: A Guide to Critical and Creative Thought by Vincent R. Ruggiero

12) Becoming a Life Change Artist: 7 Creative Skills to Reinvent Yourself at Any Stage of Life by Fred Mandell

13) On Creativity: Awakening the Creative Mind by Leo Ann Mean

14) What Would Apple Do?: How You Can Learn from Apple and Make Money by Dirk Beckmann

15) Business Creativity: A Practical Guide by Jodie Newman

16) The Power of Innovative Thinking by Jim Wheeler

17) Creative Bible Study: A Manual for Training Bible Study Leaders by Ada Lum

If you want to read any of this books, but you can’t find it in bookstores near you (Poor thing!)
Then come and borrow the book from me ya. God bless you with creativity. Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Every Journey Begins with a First Step

Do you want more time but don’t know where to begin to achieve your God-given dream in life? Make an effort to rise earlier! Or if you’re like me – late riser, early morning sleeper – make an effort to intentionally set aside extra time before you sleep! This one step can add one or two hours to your productive day and years to your life. Take on something you have been meaning to do – writing, reading, inventing, creating, etc. – and do it in your spare time. Would you like to be an expert on some subject? Everyday study or practise for a half hour and you can become an authority person on the subject. If not, at least you’ll become better and more ready for God to use. That’s all it takes. It’s so simple. It escapes the majority of people who keep chanting, ‘Someday I would like to…’; ‘One day I must… but I never seem to have the time.’

Just because you never started the work, practise, play or study that really interests you is no reason why you can’t start right now. Time doesn’t count us out. We only imagine it right now. It’s never too late to begin. Time is impersonal. It is the same every moment. It imposes no limitations upon us. Our only limitations are self-imposed. All you have to do is to caught God’s vision for your life and begin the journey with a first step. What God have spoken to you lately in the Scripture by the Holy Spirit and through godly people that you trust the most? What keep running through your mind and moving your heart passionately? What is your talent, your joyful labour, your heart desire that can bless others if you do it? Do it! Every journey begins with a first step.

Admittedly, it is difficult in this frenzied modern world to avoid being caught up in a sense of urgency and hurry. We can often stuck in the pressure by throwing our minds and hearts into neutral and coasting here and there to the land of nowhere day by day. Don’t do it! Do this: take on something you have been meaning to do – that God-given dream in your life – and study or practise it in your intentional-set-aside time. Trust God, be diligent. Rely on Him, work hard. By God’s grace and acting faith. Are you ready for a new journey in your life? Begins with a first step. God be with you.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Merlin Mann's Advice for Me on Blogging (New Bloggers take Notes)

Merlin Mann is the editor and primary contributor for 43 Folders, a small family of websites about personal productivity, “life hacks” and simple ways to make your life a little better. I love to watch and listen to his witty talks on YouTube. In Brian Bailey’s book The Blogging Church (John Wiley & Sons, Inc: 2007) here Merlin gives some encouragement words for bloggers, especially new bloggers, to keep on writing, to “just get fingers in motion, and fear not the crappy first draft.” He writes,

“The most exciting and difficult time for a new blogger is the barn-raising period after the new blog is launched and the daily dash for new and interesting content begins. As perhaps thousands of ostensible bloggers discover – sometimes as early as their site’s inaugural week – this can be surprisingly hard work.

            It’s hard not simply for the obvious reasons – that regularly scheduled writing (or photography, or even linking) takes time, preparation, and care. You may also have days where you have nothing to say and are tempted to meta-whine about how you have nothing to say. You may find yourself padding pages with the results of online personality tests or the latest funny-once meme du jour. Resist this with extreme prejudice.

            Remember that your blog is only incidentally a publishing system or a public website. At its heart, your blog represents the evolving expression of your most passionately held ideas. It’s a conversation you’re holding up with the world and with yourself – a place where you can watch your own thoughts take different shapes and occasionally surprise you with where they end up.

            By focusing on the themes that interest and inspire you most (to the exclusion of topics that are simply fashionable or widely held), your creativity will be re-stoked and your writing will become a more accurate artifact of the way your mind and your heart want to operate. Accept that the process of writing is also the process of thinking and of realizing what really matters to you.

            A lot of people say writer’s block is your brain’s way of letting you know it needs the help of your hand – so just get fingers in motion, and fear not the crappy first draft. Bad days pass, and as long as you’re writing as honestly and with as much focus as you can muster, the process will seem less foreign and painful every day.”

As a blogger myself, I know that encouragements above are true.

I hope this words will encourage you to start blogging (or to write blog again)

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Gary Lamb's Advice for Me on Blogging

"Make sure you have thick skin" just like elephant. 

Gary Lamb is the founder and lead pastor of Ridge Stone Church in Canton, Georgia. The church started in 2004 and is known for its creativity and emphasis on those who don’t normally attend church. In Brian Bailey’s book The Blogging Church (John Wiley & Sons, Inc: 2007), Gary shares three advice that are very helpful for us to remember as we write blog:

“Blogging has become a huge part of my life in a very short time. I can’t put a price on the friendships and networks that I have formed through blogging. This sounds funny, but my church wouldn’t be what it is today without these relationships.

            I have three pieces of advice. First, be aware that the written word shows no emotions. People many times can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic, funny, or whatever other emotion you are trying to portray. I have offended many people without ever meaning to when what I wrote was read differently than what I meant.

            Second, make sure you have thick skin. Anyone can read what you write. Unfortunately, that includes critics who want nothing more than to destroy and tear down the work God has called you to do.

            Finally, remember that the people in your church are reading your blog, not just other pastors (Richard: I also must remember that students are reading my blog). They are reading between the lines, trying to figure out who you are and what you are talking about. Sometimes, they misread things and think they know the ‘inside scoop.’ This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s something to always remember as you blog.”

First, be aware that the written word shows no emotions

Second, make sure you have thick skin

Lastly, remember that people do read your blog

I hope this words will encourage you to start blogging (or to write blog again)

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Kem Meyer's Advice for Me on Blogging

As communications director for Granger Community Church, Kem Meyer spends her time finding creative ways to clear the clutter that keeps people from engaging. She’s not afraid to break marketing rules and change how people think the “church” is supposed to interact with the world. In Brian Bailey’s book The Blogging Church (John Wiley & Sons, Inc: 2007), Kem writes about blogging that encourage me so much – especially in the area of what to write –  and I hope it will have the same positive effect on you too:

“What is the thing you are most passionate about? The situation you can’t walk by without doing something about it? The subject matter you can’t seem to get enough of? The thoughts filling your mind that keep you up at night and wake you up in the morning? The thing you are most knowledgeable about, have the most experience with, or the most discontent? What solicits your heightened opinion, frustration and joy? What problem are you seeking the solution for? The spot you keep going back to again and again through every season?

Blog about that.

If you do, your content will be authentic, emotional, purpose-driven, and engaging. Posts will be natural, unmanufactured, original, and inspired. Your blogging will be a spontaneous extension of your life. It won’t ever be a chore. Readers know where to find you and you will engage their interest. The hardest thing for you will be knowing how and where to stop once you start. Avoid clichés and soapbox at all costs to remain trustworthy. If you ramble, you will be your only audience and the significance will be lost.”

I hope this words will encourage to you to start blogging now (or to write blog again)

Let’s blog for the Glory of God. Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Free Book: Eat this Book (The Art of Spiritual Reading)

“I don’t like to read long and boring theological books. Yet, Eat This Book is a deep theology book disguises as storybook to me. I ‘hate’ the truths in this book, but I love the way Eugene says it and I’m persuaded to read it anyway - and be changed. Reading this book makes me want to read and living the Book, the Bible ever more faithfully. I fully recommend this book!”

(Richard Angelus)

Eugene Peterson is convinced that the way we read the Bible is as important as that we read it. Do we read the Bible for information about God and salvation, for principles and "truths" that we can use to live better? Or do we read it in order to listen to God and respond in prayer and obedience?

Peterson's Eat This Book challenges us to read the Scriptures on their own terms, as God's revelation, and to live them as we read them. With warmth and wisdom Peterson offers greatly needed, down-to-earth counsel on spiritual reading. In these pages he draws readers into a fascinating conversation on the nature of language, the ancient practice of lectio divina, and the role of Scripture translations; included here is the inside story behind Peterson's own popular Bible (paraphrase) translation, The Message.

Countering the widespread practice of using the Bible for self-serving purposes, Peterson here serves readers with a nourishing entree into the formative, life-changing art of spiritual reading.

[Description is taken from: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/97852.Eat_This_Book]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

FREE BOOK OF THE MONTH

If you want a copy of this book for FREE, you can e-mail me your name and postal address to Adam_son_no7@hotmail.com. All information given is strictly for delivering the book only. For Malaysians ONLY. Thank you.

A Timorese Student Explore the Art of Reading

I rewrite this article from a Timorese student name Natalia Reali because it is very good written. I have asked for permission from Jovem Bravo Magazine (First Edition I/XI/2012, page 13), a Timor Leste English-Tetun magazine, to post this article in my blog.

Now, I know that when we get to this certain age in our teens, most of us tend to think that reading is boring, or is just homework, but I hope to prove you wrong. I am already a teenager and I love reading! Reading for me is a way to broaden your vocabulary, to learn new things and even to be able to travel without needing to leave your room! Some books can captivate you on the very first page. They sometimes include characters that are going through the exact same thing as you. Books can make you feel all the emotions the characters are going through, they can invite you in to live the fairytale along with them.

Books can allow you to travel the world at every page, they can make you smell things, feel things, hear things and see them. I personally find reading a book way more effective then watching a movie. A book is more personal and it allows you to leave some things to the imagination. Books are also great for other things, books for one inspired and still inspire me to do great things, like I am sure I want to become a published author one day. Books can teach you lessons, give you ideas and tell stories at the same time!

Nowadays getting a book is so easy! There are public libraries in Dili such as ‘Xanana Gusmão Reading Room’ or ‘Camões Institute’ at UNTL, where you can borrow a book for a few weeks. You can also download books for free from the internet and read them in any computer. It is easy to access them online, so we have the freedom to do so, and already be able to have a book in a few minutes. There are also already a few public places in Dili where you can get free internet (like the ‘Lecidere Garden’).

There is a really good website where you can find over 36,000 books for free (www.gutenberg.org/). This website is named in the memory of Johannes Gutenberg, a famous German inventor who made the first book that wasn’t handwritten. He was born in 1398 and died at around 1446 (approximately 70 years old). This was a very famous discovery because before that, only the rich were able to afford books, because they were handwritten and cost a fortune. The first book he made using his invention was the Bible (known as the Gutenberg Bible).

Now I challenge you to immerse yourself in a fantastic world of reading and discover how much fun you can get from home with a book in your hands!

I, Richard, challenge you too!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Getting Started as a Writer



rachelidzerda.tumblr.com

“If you want to be a writer,

you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”
(Stephen King, On Writing. Sell your iPhone and buy this book!)

I once read and record about novelist Sinclair Lewis was supposed to deliver an hour-long lecture to a group of college students who planned to be writers. Lewis opened his talk with a question: “How many of you really intend to be writers?”

All hands went up. “In that case,” said Lewis, “my advice to you is to go home and write.”

With that, he left.

People often asked me how to write. My answer is the same as Sinclair Lewis “go home and write” or simply put – start to write. True that getting started is the hard part of writing. You may stare at your notebook or computer monitor for hours and the right words doesn’t seem to come out. But just like learning to ride a bicycle, at first it was so hard and impossible to do: falling, bleeding, crying and standing up again. Then after awhile (added with encouragements and determinations) you begin to mastered balancing, handling and paddling. Lo and behold, you ride a bicycle! You get the firsts of everything and take time to learn a skill but once you mastered it (or know just how to do it) the rest come out easily.

What to write? You can start to write from what you see, smell, hear and feel. Hendry David Thoreau suggests, “The forcible writer stand boldly behind his words with his experience. He does not make books out of books, but he has been there in person.” Now, get a pen or keyboard and start to write! J

Remember this rule of writing:

“Never try to impress people with the profundity of your thought

or by obscurity of your language.

Whatever has been thoroughly thought through can be stated simply.” (Unknown)

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.