Always Writing

(This is excerpted from my booklet, Day by Day: 30 Devotions for the Christian Writer.)

I love this quote; “If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don’t remove it. I might be writing.” (Danzae Pace)

Writers are always writing. They are writing when they are asleep; they are writing when they are in the pick-up line after school; they are writing when they are on vacation; they are writing when they are on their lunch break; they are writing when they are in a church service; they are writing when they are talking to friends; they are writing when they are taking a shower.

I don’t mean that you, as a writer, are always literally writing with a pen in your hand or a computer next to you. But I do mean that you are always in a state of writing. You are always open to whatever is happening around you, and how that might evolve into words on a page.

I will make a confession here and say that some of my best writing has been done in the bathtub! I am a big fan of long, hot, bubble baths and I have completed articles in my head while lying in that tub.

I have also come up with some of my best ideas ever while I’ve been driving down the interstate. Thank goodness I had a notebook in my car so that I could write them down (as soon as I stopped driving!).

If you are a writer, you want to always be aware of things around you. Notice what other people are saying, notice what that billboard says, and notice the feelings you have as you experience events and moments. I truly believe that writers (and other artists, as well) are much more aware of their surroundings than “normal” people.

And then, be sure and chronicle those things that become meaningful to you. Don’t expect the words to only come while you’re at the computer; be open to them at any time. And if you come up with an idea in your sleep, write it down as soon as you wake up.

To think and write about:

*Buy a notebook that you can keep in your purse, your car, by your bedside, anywhere that inspiration might strike you.

*When have you been inspired in the past week? Write a few paragraphs describing how and what inspired you.

The 2008 SCWC

I will be speaking and working this weekend at the Southern Christian Writers Conference in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. My parents founded this conference eighteen years ago and it's hard to believe it's been so long and it's still going so strong! The conference is really a family affair with both my brother, Christopher, and I both speaking at the conference and helping our parents any way we can.

The conference is always so rewarding. I always meet so many great writers and aspiring writers, and I am always humbled by their responses to my workshops and talks. I always return from the conference all pumped up and ready to get writing again!

This year, I will be presenting two sessions on the basics of writing for magazines. I will discuss such topics as coming up with ideas, writing query letters, marketing your work, writing your article, working with editors, and other issues that are important in doing freelance work for magazines. I will also do my best to encourage and motivate the aspiring writers who come to my sessions.

I plan on popping back in here with some instruction and inspiration from the conference.

Welcome to my writing life..

I have written for my personal blog, Life with Cheryl Wray, for several years now and finally decided to use the blog world to promote my writing and to encourage other aspiring writers.

This blog...Writing with Cheryl Wray... will provide you with information about my writing activities (articles I publish, writing conferences I will speak at, writing services I can provide, etc.); will let you know about upcoming releases; and will provide you with encouraging words and motivation in regards to your own writing aspirations. I also plan on providing some writing challenges along the way. Just check in often to see what's going on in my writing life!