Word Praize

On Days Like These by Stanice Anderson

Download 01_on_days_like_these.mp3 (Performed by Stanice Anderson,bathed in music)

On days like these,

the dream seems so big

and the resources so few

and the confidence so null and void.

On days like these,

the Holy Spirit reminds me

that the cattle on a thousand hills

are God's--just as I am.

The Lord is my Shepard,

I shall not want...

on days like these.

I pray pass the circumstances

and rest in the pastures of faith.

The Lord is my Shepard,

I shall not want...

on days like these…

on days like these.

(c) 2007, Stanice Anderson

Stanice Anderson is an author, inspirational speaker, trainer, and playwright.  She has two published nonfiction books, I Say A Prayer for Me: One Woman’s Life of Faith and Triumph (Walk Worthy Press/Warner Books) and 12-Step Programs: A Resource Guide for Helping Professionals (out of print).  In between her speaking throughout the US and the Caribbean, singing and writing, she conducts workshops and readies her one-woman show, Walkin’ On Water When The Ground Ain’t Enuf. This out-of-the-box one-woman experience premiered in its first form in January 2007 to a packed house.  Stanice is a founder of Feast on The Word Gathering and Fellowship, as well as a member of Black Women Playwrights’ Group and the African-American Playwrights’ Exchange.  Transparency, joy, hope, excitement, healing, humor and life stories are the gifts she brings to life’s table.  Says Stanice, “There is power in telling our stories.  We get to see that we are not alone and that together--we can get through anything. With God and each other we are never alone--never again.” A 4th generational Washingtonian, she has a son, Mike Tucker, and three grandchildren, Michal Zoë and the twins, Nya and Arin.  To book Stanice, contact Leris Bernard at (202) 234-0312 or email leris@lgbprod.com .  Visit her websites at www.stanice.com and myspace.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

A note from Camy:

Well, it’s been fun for the two years I’ve been doing this column, but life (in the form of a debut novel releasing in September) has a habit of getting in the way of things. This will be my last column. Thanks for joining me these past couple years. Write on!

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Learning to get into the writing zone

I talked about left and right brain roles for writing in a previous article.

Left brain is more analytical, right brain is more creative. It's often very difficult to switch between the two completely. Usually when you switch from analytical to creative, you're not 100% into your creative mode--there are vestiges of analytical thinking going on.

That's why it's often difficult to be as creative when writers switch between editing and writing, editing and writing. The analytical side--editing--doesn't fully relinquish brain energy to the creative side for writing.

However, switching quickly--and more importantly, more completely--between sides can be trained, to an extent. This is especially important for busy writers who juggle different duties and tasks.

Set an alarm clock (your watch alarm, phone alarm, PDA alarm) at odd hours during the day. When that alarm goes off, drop everything and write for 8 minutes. Grab whatever's handy--pen and paper, computer, word processor. Immerse yourself in some scene in your current WIP.

It will be really hard, at first. If you have to write nonsense or the same words over and over, then just do it. But eventually you'll shift into right-brain creativity. And the more often you do it, the faster you'll be able to automatically switch.

Keep writing!

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick lit novel, Sushi for One?, releases in September.