MY WRITING PROCESS – BLOG TOUR

Thanks to Traci MacDonald for letting me be a part of this blog tour. It's my first time at this so please be lenient with me if I mess up. Thanks.

1)     What am I working on?

At the moment, I'm promoting my most recent book called How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity. As the subtitle suggests, it's my testimony of being in a toxic house church and how God led me providentially to the correct understanding of himself as well as the Bible. Because nobody mentored me, I knew nothing about dangerous false gospels. No one invited me to church either. I found my spiritual nourishment through radio shows, particularly The World Tomorrow. When a friend finally did invite me to a Bible study, it was led by a self-proclaimed prophet with decidedly unorthodox views of Scripture. Now I want to warn naive believers away from the false gospels which the apostle Paul spoke of in Galatians 1:6-9.

2)     How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Instead of a didactic exposition of the wrong doctrines I learned and the correct ones biblically-literate teachers taught me, I believed that showing how I was deceived and then corrected would be a better way to instruct people. Unfortunately, various apologetics radio hosts and teachers didn't help me promote my testimony. Neither have many Christians expressed interest in my story.

3)     Why do I write what I do?

I've always liked telling stories. As a boy, I couldn't play sports with the others due to my poor vision. So I ended up telling funny stories to the girls at recess. I love the process of converting ideas into articles, reviews, and stories. Fiction is particularly exciting for me since I can let my imagination loose. It saves a lot of research work.

4)     How does your writing process work?

I usually get an idea and let it ferment in my mind. If it seems exciting enough to write about, I type a rough draft on my PC. Then I listen to my screen reader speak what I've written aloud and make corrections as needed. Once I've used the spell check function and made it as cohesive as I can, I submit it to a publisher or upload it to my blog. I also query editors before I write articles so I won't have a great bit of prose with nowhere to send it.

Next Monday (June 23) I have author Deon Lyons lined up to present his writing process answers here.  Deon Lyons, with his lovely wife of 32 years, lives in Central Maine, where he had been gainfully employed as a successful regional sales rep throughout Central Maine for over 25 years.  Mr. Lyons lost vision in his left eye in 1960 from a bout he waged with infancy retinal cancer. He maintained vision in his right eye until 2010, where at the age of 50, suffered from a central retinal arterial occlusion, which robbed him of his remaining vision. Shortly thereafter, Deon made the commitment to learn touch typing, and with the help of assistive technology, has enthusiastically rediscovered the digital world, along with a lifetime passion for writing. His creative works revolve around fiction, poetry, personal essays, short stories and a personal blog  . In the past year, Deon has self published a novel entitled Sully Street, along with a collection of poems. He has also recently taken steps to enroll in a community college in the fall of 2014.

Deon's writings have been published in local newspapers, online magazines, and have appeared in periodic online publications associated with both blindness organizations and his writer's groups. His constant message of inspiration and hope has appeared in local newspapers, on several Internet radio shows and has rewarded him with enormous insight from these opportunities.

Over the past four years, Deon has also been afforded vocational and independence rehabilitation, again  through the state's DBVI program. He has received extensive training in independent living, as well as orientation and mobility lessons. Through his life's experiences these past few years, he has entered this next chapter in his life with optimism,determination and hope.

With incredible inspiration from family,friends and the amazing folks in the blind community, he strives to continue moving forward with his new found aspirations for many years to come.

On June 30, I hope to have Ruth Snider, a member of the InScribe Writers Group, with her replies to the questions for this blog tour. Ruth L. Snyder was privileged to spend the first 10 years of her life in southern Africa where her parents served as missionaries. From there her family moved to Canada, settling in Three Hills, Alberta. Ruth enjoyed her years as a "staff kid" at Prairie and is grateful for the biblical grounding she received there. She now resides close to Glendon (the pyrogy capital of Alberta, Canada) with her husband and five young children. Ruth enjoys writing articles, devotionals, short stories, and Christian fiction. She is a member of The Word Guild and The Christian PEN. Ruth currently serves as the President of InScribe Christian Writers' Fellowship.

On July 6th, I hope to have Michael B. Birtchet's answers here. Mike is a musician living in Portland Oregon. He also is the author of Slow Time, a science fiction novel. I don't have the link for his book at this time but I'll be sure to put it here next week.