​Where else can you find that besides the RVCW?

Written by Rev. John Carroll

One Sunday morning, I read in my local church bulletin of the Roanoke Valley Christian Writers’ Group.  There was an open invitation to attend the monthly meeting.  I had not heard of the group, although it had been going for about a year.  I put the date on my calendar, the third Thursday of the month at 6:30 PM. From the first meeting, I could see that this group was for me, exactly what I needed.  What did I find there?  Five things that I don’t think a Christian writer will find anywhere else.  As an aspiring writer, I need all of these desperately.

1.  Encouragement.  I wanted to find other writers who could sympathize with my struggles.  How do you just get a first draft done without obsessing over the exact wording of a sentence halfway down the page?  What are some practical ways to get ideas for writing?  What do you do when you get stuck? Or when you can’t get started?  The RVCW is a place to find people who have had the same problems and are willing to share their secrets or, at least, sympathize with those problems.  Where else can you find that?

1. Deadlines.  I am a deadline person.  I need a definite time and day to get a project done.  Somehow artificial deadlines (ones I set and only tell myself about) don’t cut it.  I can always just push the “deadline” back a week (would you believe a month or a year?).  Meetings of the RVCW, especially the monthly swap-meet, create a real deadline for me to aim at.  Sure, I may skid into the meeting five minutes late because I was tweaking my draft for the fourth time, but at least I have something on paper to share with my supportive friends. Where else can you find that besides the RVCW?

1. Information.  One of my favorite clichés is: “You don’t know what you don’t know.”  I can’t even list all the things I have learned that I needed to know but didn’t know I needed to know.  It might be a comment by the speaker this month. It might be an offhand remark at the snack table.  “Hey, did you know so-and-so is looking for articles like yours?”

 
Our director, Barbara Baranowski, is constantly on the lookout for material that will be helpful to some or all of us.  Where else can you find that besides the RVCW?

1. Advice.  My wife, Mary, is a faithful editor and critic of my work.  I appreciate her advice and constructive criticism.  She would admit, however, that she knows me so well after 45 years of marriage that she can finish my sentences before I even start them.  That could be a disadvantage when it comes to editing my latest creation.  It is good to have skilled and experienced friends who can look at a piece of writing and see areas of needed improvement.  Yep, you can find that at the RVCW.

1. Opportunities for Service.  I have been impressed with how the members of RVCW support one another.  One member even typed a manuscript for a senior member who hasn’t quite made the computer age.  You can find us attending each other’s book signings.  I get the distinct impression that my fellow members are not merely looking out for themselves but are ready to step up and be of help.  I hope I can be of service to others as time goes by.  Where else can you find that besides the RVCW? 

 
There are probably few who can be successful without these five benefits I have found in the Roanoke Valley Christian Writers’ Group.   I’m sure I can’t.   Come as a guest and see if it doesn’t make a very positive difference in your writing life.  If you agree, we’ll tell you how easy it is to become a member.
 
You can find a link to my book, Cover to Cover: Through the Bible in 365 Days, at  (http://tinyurl.com/pglf56d ).