A sure-fire recipe for failure to make positive changes in my life is for me to make New Year’s Resolutions. Why is this so? Hmmm, if I could figure it out, then I could fix it!

            What if I changed it to New Year’s Intentions? Well, you know about the road to hell being paved with good intentions . . . not going down that road!

            But what about New Year’s Possibilities? Now that sounds doable! No pressure to succeed . . . and because it doesn't involve goals, exactly, I can't fail. Possibilities seem intriguing. Kind of like the “what if” game. I could ask myself, “Is it possible to do this, or to change that?” Then if I attempt the possibility and can’t pull it off, I won’t feel like I’ve failed. Rather, I can tell myself, “Well, that didn’t work, so what if I try this?”

            Yep, I think I’ll toss New Year’s Resolution making and go with New Year’s Possibilities. The possibilities are endless . . .

Why write? What’s the purpose of writing?

• Communicate ideas

• Explain

• Teach 

• Persuade

• Tell a story

    Nonfiction methods are typically used for the first four methods. The fifth, tell a story, employs fiction.

     Much of our culture is entertainment driven, so weaving storytelling into nonfiction aids in communication, explanation, teaching, and persuading.

     What do you want to accomplish with your writing? If you ask yourself what you want to take away from reading a book, your response becomes the answer to the initial question.

     As a copyeditor and three-time Christy Award judge, I am amazed at what gets published. To me much of it is substandard. It’s second- or third-rate writing. By that I mean several things, some of which include: The plot is not compelling, and/or the conflict is not challenging, ever growing. Often the characters are stiff or flat. Word choice might be boring, even full of mistakes. Maybe the point of view is all over the place.

    One well-known author said this about her work: “Write truth. Sometimes it hurts a great deal to peel away the layers of self-deception . . . but it draws us closer to Jesus. It also ministers to others who are struggling with the same issues. Just as Jesus used parables to explain the kingdom of God, I would like to follow his example by writing stories that show what these things mean in practical, day-to-day living.”

     I believe she has focused on the noble purpose of writing: a tool to help others who may be struggling with issues in their lives; not just to entertain, though it certainly can do that, but to open our hearts to the truth.