Category: Meeting Summaries

Our meeting on April 9th was a success even though a few members could not attend. We worked in our new “Writers in Residence” books by Debra Bell which were published by Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. and purchased from http://www.christianbook.com for an amazingly low price. These books may be going out of print, I don’t know for sure, but were offered at a great price for as long as they last. We are working in the beginning level book. Though the books teach things we have learned before, they have new tips and information as well. These books are great for reminding writers about the rules and for using as a resource.

We have worked through Module 1 and are beginning Module 2. We reviewed verbs and learned that using vigorous verbs make our writing more interesting by creating a word picture in the minds of our readers. In Module 2 we are looking at nouns. We are learning about general and specific nouns, common and proper nouns, and seeing how correct word choices can improve our writing. Though our writers are long out of school, some of these lessons were not emphasized when we attended school.

A few of our writers have published books and poetry. Three of our writers are presently working on books for future publication. There are a great many testimonies of God’s work in our lives to be told to our audience.

One of our writers participated in a contest held at our local library. Most of the writers who entered the contest were youth but a few adults competed as well. Our writer told me she was blessed to hear the written works of these young readers.

Our next meeting will be April 23, 2022 at the East Bonner County Library in Sandpoint, Idaho, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Anyone over age 16 who is interested in improving their writing is welcome to join us.

We are looking at the possibility of putting together a booth or table at the upcoming Christmas Fair this November. More discussion and research about this is needed before a decision can be made.

We are all praying for the situation between Russia and Ukraine. We are saddened by destruction and loss of lives. We are also praying for comfort for families who have lost their family members and homes.

For more information about North Idaho Christian Writers you can email me at getrobinu@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Robin Ulbredtch

Our second meeting, though we only had two attending, turned out well. God met with us and did some healing work in our hearts and minds. We discussed the Christian writer is a Christian and all of our writing endeavors are worship before God. We also discussed various purposes for our Christian writing including, but not limited to, sharing the gospel, sharing testimonies of work God has done in our lives, and encouraging others.

We also reviewed choosing specific words over general words. We discussed how you can bring the five senses (sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch) into your writing to add life and variety to it.

In our discussion of improving our word choices, we also discussed using adjectives sparingly and not loosing our readers in too much description. A writer can often cause the reader to lose track of the story line if they put in too many descriptive words.

A handout was given out discussing the responsibilities writers have when making word choices. Words can be powerful and dangerous when used in the wrong context by the wrong person. Anger, malice, and mob mentality can be sparked by choosing the wrong, exceptionally intense words. Expressing opinion should be done with carefully planned word choices to avoid creating or encouraging angry people to do bad things. We have all witnessed, on television or in real life, how an emotionally charged speaker can stir up anger in a crowd, often resulting in violence and even death. As Christian writers we need to make responsible word choices.