Blogging - T&R Independent Bookstore

Posted on June 6, 2023June 5, 2023 by R. Frederick & Tess Riddle — Leave a comment

An Invitation to be Your Best

This is an invitation to be your best in whatever you do, but especially as a writer. In past blogs and posts, I have talked about the School of Hard Knocks. We begin by learning about it.

School of Hard Knocks is Not Your Best

To begin with it is a different school for each person. Something like a college offering different degrees in a variety of studies. This school offers a different pathway for every student. These paths are different yet the same. They all promise much but rarely deliver. It certainly is not your best experience or result.

My Journey to be Your Best Through the School of Hard Knocks Begins

In 1968, I returned home from the Navy after serving in the Navy during the Vietnam War. I immediately sought a job and was hired by Western Electric, a subsidiary of AT&T, as an installer. My job was too either install or remove phone equipment in the AT&T buildings.

Aside from my job, it was also a time that I decided to pursue a writing career. I had wanted to write since my teen years and still wanted that elusive dream.

I received a invitation to join a Writers course that was associated with a group of famous writers. I took their entrance test which was a ridiculously easy test, passed it, and joined.

But, alas, it was shortly thereafter that I was laid off at Western Electric. This was about 1972. When I returned to work, it was to Michigan Bell, also part of AT&T. During the time I was laid off, I had no income, was forced to drop the writing course, lost my entire savings, and lived for a week on nothing but peanut butter.

Though I was no longer in the writing course, I was accepted into the school of hard knocks. This school has no brick-and-mortar buildings, no campus, no real teachers, no curriculum, and no rewards. Most of all, it had no guarantees.

The School of Hard Knocks Wasn’t My Best

Since there were no teachers or classrooms or class assignments, I was on my own. I started by visiting local libraries and reading everything I could find about writing. Also, I started writing my first manuscript!

That was exciting, until I got to the 5^th chapter and hit the Wall! The Writers Wall is just as real as a wall made of stone. It stopped me cold. I didn’t know how to handle it. In the end I tossed the manuscript into the trash.

It quickly became a trap and a source of frustration. I would get a little way into the story and hit a wall. Then the manuscript would eventually end up in a trash can.

I was miserable! Then in 1973, I met Jesus Christ and He became my Savior. This rejuvenated my life on so many levels, but while my life changed and I became a better person learning to walk with God and serve Him, my writing career was as still as ever.

The School of Hard Knocks Changed

I began reading and writing poetry. Not great poetry, mind you. But it captured the heart of a young lady and played a role in her becoming my wife. We met in January 1981 and were married in September of the same year! So, Poetry was a success.

More importantly it helped get started a loving marriage that lasted over 41 years! But my writing continued to fail. Then, in 2000 everything changed!

More on this subject in An Invitation To Be Your Best part 2.

T&R Independent Books brings you this blog post to keep you informed on the issues of today. Authors need to stay informed so that they can relate to their readers facts as well as entertain them with their imagination.

Basic Authors Training is a Basic Writing Course that explains and guides you into becoming an author. Powered by video along with PDFs and Coaching you learn the basics of writing. Each class registration occurs between the 25^th of a month and runs through the 24^th of the following month. The new class starts the following month.

To discover how you can be the writer you want to be, write to us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will respond.

Did God call you to write? If so, then you can contact me at info@trbookservices.com or use the contact form on the website.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

Don’t forget to comment below. We are always interested in your opinions. And to make sure you get our blogs, simply check the box that says, Notify me of new posts via email.

Company information:

T&R Independent Bookstore is a division of T&R Independent Books founded in 2014 by R. Frederick and Tess Riddle. TR Ministry, aka Christian Fund, is both a charge and an exciting outreach to the Christian Community.

Posted on May 30, 2023May 30, 2023 by R. Frederick & Tess Riddle — Leave a comment

God’s Call is a Journey

God’s call is a journey, no matter the nature of His call. In this instance, it is a call to write.

God’s Call is a Personal Journey

My call came while reading my devotions one morning in the year 2000. It immediately became a call to write, thus beginning my journey as an author. It was a highly personal and often rocky journey. I virtually had no idea how to write, other than a few grammar rules.

It is a Journey of Faith

When we asked God into our life it was a step of faith. Every time we obey God it is a step of faith. A journey is made up of a lot of steps. God doesn’t entrust His entire plan for our lives at the very beginning. We need to be taught.

He enables us, however. His Holy Spirit entered our new hearts, slammed the door shut, and sealed it. Not to prevent Him from leaving, but to block anyone, including the Devil, from entering in.

But the Devil has a not-so-secret ally in our Flesh. Our Flesh hears every prayer we make, every thought we have, and knows our every temptation. Thankfully, he doesn’t have the ability to directly speak to the Devil.

Unfortunately, the Devil and the Flesh do have a communication, of sorts. If the Flesh can perform certain body signals, the Devil can read them, and thereby know what’s going on. That is why, we have to be circumspect in our outward appearance, and actions.

Even so, the Holy Spirit can influence us directly, and we can communicate through Him in the name of Jesus to the Father directly. My life bears the scars of the Devil and the Flesh disrupting my plans, my commitments to God. But they cannot stop God’s Grace and His willingness to wrap me in His arms. God may chasten me betimes, but He always assures me of His love, and encourages me to press on in the calling that He has called me to.

I had been a Christian for 27 years when He called me to be a Christian author. I loved the Lord, had been serving Him most of that time, and had grown in Him. But it became evident I still had much to learn.

It Energized Me

That call came as I was reading the Genesis account of Noah and the Flood. While it was a firsthand account, it was basically a skeleton. It told only the basic facts. God didn’t give us His Word to entertain us, but rather for us to learn His Will. Thus, it provided me an opportunity to flesh out the skeleton and tell the story behind the story.

It is a Journey of Trust

Did I truly trust God?

As I began writing my first book, Refuge: The Genesis Chronicles, I leaned on God a lot. I have a great imagination, but putting it together required more than that. It required trusting His direction. So, God led me to a verse that has governed my writing career ever since. It is Psalm 78:18, and reads, “Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every one that is to come.”

Please note that at 57 years old, I was barely old enough to be qualified as ‘elderly’, I still had my red hair, and wasn’t receiving Social Security yet. The part of the psalm I identified with was, “O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every one that is to come.”

My Journey Had a Vision

That verse motivated me, energized me, and focused me on a vision: to reach people through writing with the gospel!

That vision has carried me through rough patches. It kept me going, spurred my imagination, and opened doors I didn’t know existed. Moreover, it has been a very powerful motivator moving forward after my wife’s death. Only my faith in God and His comfort to me has been more important.

Over the extent of my career, I have written 9 novels, 4 doctrinal books, a how-to book, and others. I have also designed a writers course to help new and not-so-new writers become the authors they want to become. All of this and I am planning more books plus at least another course.

How do I do it? I have God’s enabling power. I have the following for a motto, Since God called me, and has enabled me, I can and will do His will. That motto is rather new, and it encompasses all areas of my life!

Do You Have a Call to Write?

If you do, then it is your prime motivation and should be your constant reminder that you can succeed because God has called and enabled you.

More on this subject in God’s Call is a Journey part 2.

Posted on April 25, 2023April 25, 2023 by R. Frederick & Tess Riddle — Leave a comment

Blog by Ron – Self-Improvement

Self-Improvement can be a good thing or a bad thing. The choice is yours. Let’s look at the bad side of self-improvement.

Self-Improvement is Based on Repetition

It is true that repetition can be very helpful. One of the best ways of developing good habits is to repeat chores, tasks, or thinking. However, repetition of bad actions, etc., can lead to bad habits. The latter repetition is easier than repeating good things. It is natural and often unobserved until it is practically too late.

When I started writing, I had some bad habits and I naturally kept repeating them. To develop good habits I first had to find and define the bad habits. Then work at getting rid of them.

More on the other side of this break.

It’s Your Business is a Basic Writing Course that explains and guides you into becoming an author. Powered by video along with PDFs and Coaching you learn the basics of writing. Each class registration occurs between the 25^th of a month and runs through the 24^th of the following month. The new class starts the following month.

To discover how you can be the writer you want to be, write to us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will respond.

Check us out and get your career moving.

Now back to the article.

Self-Improvement Without Professional Help is Risky

I am self-taught in many areas – some good and some bad. That is the risk of doing everything with a ‘Do-it-Yourself’ mentality. It is a choice that comes as a result of not having, and maybe not affording, professional help. Sometimes doing it myself is the only option.

But if you broaden your understanding of ‘professional help’ to include software or books, the cost can be reduced dramatically. In my early years, I bought books on the subjects of writing, publishing, and marketing. This was generally good, but over time, I discovered that not all information agreed with one another, or was helpful. Sometimes, they disagreed. When I began using the internet, this same problem occurred.

I regularly practiced these helps not knowing that some were actually hurting my business rather than helping it. And the longer I went without finding and removing them from my toolbox, the longer it took to eradicate them.

It May Require Taking a Course

I love to read and was willing to seek out books that would guide me in the way I was to go. But the world is filled with Do-It-Yourself gurus. They develop systems that work for them and may work for others. However, all to often these systems don’t work well with other systems. The result is chaos and failure.

In my quest to improve myself I looked for a mentor, but mentors are hard to find and sometimes expensive. Courses can be expensive as well. But courses often require commitment because of their high cost. That is a problem, but you might want to consider that the results can be worth the cost.

Although I have written over 10 books and have a course for writers, I find that even I can make use of a course. Practically speaking, we are never to the point where we can’t learn something new.

Self-Improvement Requires Research

When looking for a good course you need to examine the ones you are considering. To begin with, you need to research what you need. That requires you searching your own needs. It is really helpful if the course helps you identify those needs. For example, my course on writing gets you focused immediately upon business needs, and helps you understand there is more to writing than putting down words. You are a businessman or woman, and you need to know what that requires. Another course may focus on your personal needs. That is why the better courses start out with the basics even if they seem unimportant.

Self-Improvement Courses Require Commitment

Ugh! Doesn’t that sound like hard work? Yes, and you need it. It is said that anything worth doing is worth working hard at doing. One of the advantages of spending money for a course is the expense almost demands commitment. You don’t want to spend money and end up throwing it away.

Then there are the lessons to take and complete; homework to do, and perhaps interaction with your coach. If you don’t already have a degree of commitment, you soon will; and that is a good thing!

It is a Journey

In the long run, self-improvement takes you on a journey from lacking the ability to be a good author and becoming an excellent author. Writing is part skill, part talent, part knowledge, and a hefty percent of good, old-fashioned sweat.

Have a wonderful, promising, and fruitful journey!

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

Don’t forget to comment below. We are always interested in your opinions. And to make sure you get our blogs, simply check the box that says, Notify me of new posts via email.

Company information:

T&R Independent Bookstore is a division of T&R Independent Books founded in 2014 by R. Frederick and Tess Riddle. TR Ministry, our missions minded outreach, is both a charge and an exciting ministry to the Christian Community.

Posted on March 8, 2023March 8, 2023 by R. Frederick & Tess Riddle — Leave a comment

Don’t Allow Your Grief to Stop Your Writing

Don’t Allow Your Grief to Stop Your Writing is a follow-up to my blog When Life Gets in the Way pt. 1. That blog was written as Tess and I faced her illness together, but this blog is written after her death.

Then I had hope and believed she was getting better, but now I am facing grief at her loss. She is in Heaven, but I am left behind to deal with my grief. Perhaps you are dealing with grief. It is my prayer that this blog will help you.

Don’t Allow Your Grief to have Leeway.

Tess passed away on February 19, 2023. It was the very Sunday morning she had been looking forward to for weeks. Tri-City Baptist Church would be holding services once again in its own sanctuary.

But that Sunday morning sometime before 7 am she breathed her last and was ushered into Heaven. I am so thankful that the last words she ever said to me were “I love you.” And the last words I spoke to her were, “I love you.”

Grief took place immediately. Grief is not to be avoided. It is alright to cry, and I did several times as I waited for people to arrive. But it is also important to not let grief have leeway in your life.

God sent me help in the form of family, friends, and the Christian community. That helped and if you, a born again believer in Jesus Christ, are facing grief, He will you help as well. Seize it and don’t let grief have the upper hand.

More on the other side of this break.

To discover how you can be the writer you want to be, write to us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will respond.

Check us out and get your career moving.

Now back to the article.

Don’t Allow Your Grief to Wear You Down.

I discovered that in spite of all the love, and care I was getting, that I was already grieving. I already mentioned I cried. Another thing I have done is allowed myself to talk about her death. It has been therapeutic, and kept me from getting despondent.

I thought I was doing fine, but I began noticing I was getting tired every day. More than usual. Part of it was taking over chores that Tess had performed and combining them with chores I was already doing. But I had help to do some of the hard things. In fact, that help came in a variety of ways and I thought I was going to escape grief.

So, I dived into the work that needed to be done. I began making changes in the apartment, my shopping routine, and other necessary adjustments. But tiredness struck and began dragging me down. I noticed in the last few days that I was getting very sleepy. As time slipped by, I wondered if I was tired because of the hard work, or because of grief.

God led me to an article that dealt with that very subject. Yes, grief can lead to lethargy and a lack of energy. And it gave pointers on how to fight it. I believe in getting daily exercise, but I had let it slip away.

I pushed my chair away, stood, got my hat, and followed the advice to go for a walk. It was refreshing! And about ten minutes later I was back at my desk writing this blog.

Don’t Allow Your Grief to Stop Your Writing.

I had a ton of excuses for not writing. Until a few minutes ago, I was suffering from being tired, had an apartment to reorganize, people to contact, and a memorial to organize. But the truth was that I was allowing grief to stop me from writing. Since Tess had gone into the hospital my writing had slowed down and, after her death, it had virtually stopped.

But that is a mistake. Don’t let that happen. If God called you to write, He did so while knowing full well that this day would come. And He had already planned for how you, or in this case I, should act. I have walked with God for 49 years and I knew He had called me to write. And He had called me knowing that I would lose Tess now!

I am now back writing this blog and ready to get back to work on other writings. I thank God for sending people into my life to help me through this episode. There may be times in the future when grief will bring tears again to my eyes. That is ok with me, but I won’t let the grief define me.

God called me to write books so that “…when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shown thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.” (Psalm 71:18) The call is as real today as it was then so many years ago. Tess’s home-going was unexpected, but it reminds me that He is not done with me yet. Nor is He done with you!

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

Don’t forget to comment below. We are always interested in your opinions. And to make sure you get our blogs, simply check the box that says, Notify me of new posts via email.

Company information:

T&R Independent Bookstore is a division of T&R Independent Books founded in 2014 by R. Frederick and Tess Riddle. TR Ministry, aka Ministry Services, is both a charge and an exciting outreach to the Christian Community.

Posted on February 1, 2023February 1, 2023 by R. Frederick & Tess Riddle — Leave a comment

When Life Gets in the Way pt.1

When Life Gets in the Way is a blog series. We know the basics or should be learning the basics of writing, but what do we do when life takes a sudden turn?

When Life Gets in the Way Suddenly

This is the story of Tess (aka Teresa) Riddle. Tess, as you know her, is an author and co-owner of T&R Independent Books. She has had cancer three times: the first was in 2018 and was advanced. It required heavy doses of Chemotherapy and Radiation. But she continued her duties as President of the business, besides that of housewife, choir member, and soul winner.

The second time was in 2019 where she had more chemotherapy and radiation. Somewhere in this she also had surgery. But work went on.

More on the other side of this break.

To discover how you can be the writer you want to be, write to us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will respond.

Check us out and get your career moving.

Now back to the article.

Her third bout with cancer began last year while she was in the beginning of her new writing career.

But none of these deterred her. During this time she rewrote a novel, plus wrote and published two Ladies Devotionals, plus was working on her third.Then came the sudden life turning event!

Then Life Got in the Way

It began on an early Sunday morning. It was still nighttime when she suddenly called out to me. She was bleeding and couldn’t get it stopped!

I quickly got out of bed, got dressed and took her to emergency at the local hospital. They put her in ICU and sent me home.

That was sudden and frightening. But the worst was yet to come.

But through it all I knew I had to continue on. In such times as these you turn to God and let Him take care of matters. In future blogs I will address this in more detail.

But if God called you to write, He did so knowing that this obstacle, tragedy, or whatever would befall you. So, His call is still valid and active. Simply seek His will in all of this.

When Life Gets in the Way, Call Upon God

Your problem may be different than Tess’s problem, but to you it is huge. There are a lot of things that Christians can you on a Do-it-Yourself basis. But that doesn’t mean leaving God out. He cares for you, including the tiniest or greatest needs. God listens to our prayers and already has an answer.

Jeremiah 33:3, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

That is a promise you can cling too, whether as a person, or a writer. He called you to be a writer and will see you through this.

That is what Tess and I have done, and He has answered.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

Don’t forget to comment below. We are always interested in your opinions. And to make sure you get our blogs, simply check the box that says, Notify me of new posts via email.

Company information:

Posted on December 3, 2022December 3, 2022 by R. Frederick & Tess Riddle — Leave a comment

Hurricane Ian Winds of Providence & Provision

As the author of Hurricane In Winds of Providence & Provision, I want to share the excitement that it brought me.

When Hurricane Ian struck there was widespread damage done. My wife and I had evacuated and were without WiFi for awhile. It was during this time that the events in this book took place.

The story, which is told in the words of several members of the Sheppard family, began with simple preparation for extremely high winds and surge. Pastor Jay Sheppard felt that he and his family had prepared their home for the expected surge as they lived next to the Peace River. But they did not know they would be facing a flash flood!

After the Lord laid it on my heart to write this book, I contacted Pastor Jay, who is my pastor, and told him of the burden. He suggested an idea I was already entertaining. Namely, that I get him and his family members to tell the story in their own words! It took persistence on my part to get those stories included in the book and to arrange them in a manner that made sense, but it was worth it.

Hurricane Ian Winds of Providence & Provision is the culmination of those efforts. I purposely only did light editing as I wanted each contributor’s voice to come through. The result is a book where the reader hears from each contributor and can identify with them. I know I am biased, but I believe this is a timely book showing God’s love and providence, and belongs in many personal libraries or bookshelves.

Right now it is in print form only but will soon be in eBook as well.

Posted on November 15, 2022November 15, 2022 by R. Frederick & Tess Riddle — Leave a comment

Blog by Ron – Researching Ian

Researching Ian took me down a different road than I have been following. In the past, my research has been primarily looking up facts from online and written resources. That is the normal route to be taken as an author develops his plots.

But my new book, Ian and God’s Providence, requires something more; getting firsthand stories form the very people involved in that day’s activities. This was new, but I dived into it.

Complicating Researching Ian

The primary person to be interviewed was the fact that the primary person being interviewed is a pastor, who was very busy coordinating the Hurricane Relief program that Tri-City took on. But when I approached him with the idea of a book detailing the Sheppard family’s trial by storm.

Another complication was the need to get the information as soon as possible. This is because stories of disaster usually have only a small window of opportunity to reach the people while they are still interested.

Still another complication to Researching Ian

Each person I contacted I told not to worry about grammar, etc., as I would be editing their contributions, but to write about the events as they remembered them. This is important because it adds the personal, firsthand touch providing the reader with different views of the events.

Everyone was excited about the project and their opportunity to participate. But the complication that arose was the fact that all of them were busy. Ian impacted everyone to the point that there daily routine was now filled with additional work.

More on the other side of this break.

To discover how you can be the writer you want to be, write to us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will respond.

Check us out and get your career moving.

Now back to the article.

Personal Interview with Pastor Jay

None were busier than Pastor Jay. He still had his daily care of the flock, but he also was the Coordinator of receiving and distributing the supplies that soon were arriving in the church parking lot. This required a great deal of time.

In addition, he was constantly receiving phone calls from pastors around the country who wanted to help. It was an amazing example of the Christian family coming to the aid of other Christians.

Researching Ian Bears Fruit

Pastor Jay finally made the time to sit down and talk with me about the research I had already done, and what he could provide. He graciously discussed all of this, plus he made other suggestions and contributions.

One of the suggestions was for me to contact everyone that was involved and get their own stories. This would provide multiple views of the same events and allow the reader to get a fuller, more personal intake of the events. I recognized the importance right away.

All of this has led to a book that is a personal, and powerful read!

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

Don’t forget to comment below. We are always interested in your opinions. And to make sure you get our blogs, simply check the box that says, Notify me of new posts via email.

Company information:

Posted on November 1, 2022November 1, 2022 by R. Frederick & Tess Riddle — Leave a comment

What’s True About Revival

What’s True About Revival is my latest book that I have published. This short 88-page book is packed with information about America’s:

History of revival
Need for revival
Opportunity for revival

What is Revival?

Let me start by saying what is not revival.

Your church decides to invite an evangelist to come and have an old-fashioned revival meeting under a revival tent. That is not a revival, although revival could break out.

Your pastor issues an altar call with an invitation to get right with God. That is not a revival, although a revival could break out.

You read a book about revival. That is not a revival, although revival could break out.

More on the other side of this break.

To discover how you can be the writer you want to be, write to us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will respond.

Check us out and get your career moving.

Now back to the article.

Revival Requires Commitment to God

2 Timothy 1:12 – “…for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”

In each of the scenarios mentioned above revival could breakout because believers responded and committed themselves to God. That might turnout to be the start of revival, but it isn’t revival yet.

Revival Requires Sanctification

James 4:8 – “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

You’ve committed yourself to God, but the Lord also wants you committed to the sanctifying, cleansing power of the Holy Spirit. You are almost there.

Revival Requires Confession

1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

I do not mean confessing to your pastor, priest, or accountability partner. I am talking about a heartfelt confession to God of your sins.

Revival Requires Turning Away from Sin

2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

It is possible to have favorite sins. That is, a sin that is hidden from our loved ones, our friends, our pastor, and everyone else. To truly be revived you need to turn away from that sin and from whatever triggers it.

A needed Look at Ourselves

What’s True About Revival is a book that challenges us. Are we on fire for God? Do we pray for revival? Do we measure up to what I have talked about in this blog?

This book is currently in paperback and is available on Amazon, plus it is in our store at a discounted price. Check it out, and get your copy today.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

Don’t forget to comment below. We are always interested in your opinions. And to make sure you get our blogs, simply check the box that says, Notify me of new posts via email.

Company information:

Posted on October 24, 2022October 24, 2022 by R. Frederick & Tess Riddle — Leave a comment

Blog by Ron: What is a Writer’s Journal

A Writer’s Journal is a valuable tool that you can use as you pursue your writing career. But what is it and how does it work?

What is a Writer’s Journal?

There are different types of journals, but this one is designed to exclusively for writers. I will be using the Christian Writer’s Journal as the example. It is a product of T&R Independent Books of which I am the Vice President.

What’s the purpose of a Writer’s Journal?

Generally, the purpose is to provide a single record or depository of your writing ideas. In the Christian Writer’s Journal there are suggested usages, such as, cliches, details, maps/floor plans, outlines, story ideas, and Other. Chances are you will have a use that falls under Other. That’s great, because there are as many uses as their people.

More on the other side of this break.

To discover how you can be the writer you want to be, write to us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will respond.

Check us out and get your career moving.

Now back to the article.

A Look at the Book

The picture you see with this blog is our Christian Writer’s Journal. It looks nice on the outside, but the real beauty is inside.

We designed this book to be used by and for writers. My wife (Tess Riddle) and myself (R. Frederick Riddle) are authors and we discovered that journaling is ideal for an author. It can replace napkins, paper towels, newspaper, scrap paper, loose paper, and a host of other impromptu tools. I have probably used all the methods mentioned and more.

But I have already used mine to record possible story ideas, creation of a writer’s tool chest for my students, ideas for blogs/posts, ideas for a newsletter if I decide to publish a newsletter, branding ideas, biographies to be used in published books, keyword research, and much more.

Why is a Writer’s Journal so valuable?

I mentioned earlier that it replaces tools such as napkins. Often, when I go out to lunch or dinner, I grab a napkin and start writing down story ideas, plots, or even scenes for my books. When done, I stick them in my pocket hopefully to be retrieved later and incorporated wherever needed.

But the problem is that paper napkins are fragile and can be ripped, torn, or mangled. They can also be lost, especially if time lapses between when I wrote my ideas down and when I tried to retrieve them.

I don’t think any have ever made it into the laundry, but it could happen. But if I transfer that information into my journal as soon as possible then I have a resource that is easily available and in one place.

I recently had a date with a girl called Ian (e uhn). She wasn’t particularly nice dare, but she did give me a story to tell. And that story found its way into my journal and is now in my computer as a work in progress.

Another Feature of the Book

Some writers use spiral notebooks to write the ideas down. But a writer’s journal, at least the Christian Writer’s Journal, is better than a notebook. Only 6”x9” in size, the book is easy to use yet hard to lose. And with over 200 pages available it is large enough to contain a lot of information.

If you are or plan to be an author this is must for your tool chest, and you can get it right here.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

Don’t forget to comment below. We are always interested in your opinions. And to make sure you get our blogs, simply check the box that says, Notify me of new posts via email.

Company information:

Posted on September 6, 2022September 6, 2022 by R. Frederick & Tess Riddle — Leave a comment

Blog by Ron Do You Watch Your Word Usage

Do you watch your word usage?

Word usage plays an important role in writing. Consider the following:

Short words tend to speed up a story
Long words tend to slow down a story
Some words are more difficult to understand; use clear, concise words
Some words have different meanings in different contexts
Some words are more difficult to pronounce than others
Use verbs and adverbs wisely (check grammar book)
Don’t use long sentences unless necessary
Short sentences tend to speed up a story
Normally try to stay at or below 8 sentences in a paragraph
Check your spelling

Word Usage means more than Grammar

While grammar and spelling are important factors, you should consider other things as part of word usage. For instance, keeping track of a character’s speech characteristics.

That may sound odd, but if a character first appears as one who stutters, then you need to have that character stutter throughout the book. Which means, you will need to track the character’s speech to make sure he or she always stutters at least up to the point to where the stutter is cured.

What else should you track? How about a character’s:

Favorite slogans
Difficulty pronouncing certain words
Use of slang
Overuse of words and/or phrases

These may seem minor, but getting them right can make all the difference in your writing.

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