Tag Archives: Jo Wanmer

Glimpses of Light Tour

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GOLCoverCan you believe it’s already blog nine for the Glimpses of Light Anthology (GOL) tour? From the first post by Nola, we’ve been treated to unique insights by participating contributors, celebrating this project inspired by the ‘International Year of Light’.

Today I’m taking the baton from author, blogger and lover of life, Mimi Emmanuel. (Don’t you love a good relay? 🙂 ) And I’m going to be reflecting on kaleidoscopes.

For many of us, the word ‘kaleidoscope’ evokes childhood memories of peering into a cylindrical tube to watch patterns of changing colours from light reflected via mirrors, through coloured pieces of glass. The patterns were often exquisite and unique. Turn and look from a slightly different angle, and there would be a completely different combination of colours.

Coincidently (or not 🙂 ), my contribution to GOL was a story titled Kaleidoscope. But you see, this is not at all what I was going to write about today. I had a fun blog about pushing through the 7K barrier all ready to upload (more on that another day), but as I sat down to finalise that post, my thoughts turned to the collective whole that is GOL. And it occurred to me what perfect a description ‘kaleidoscope’ is.

Kaleidoscope (my story that is, not the tube) is different to what I usually write. For a long time it also struggled to find a home. Yet there it is finally in print, nestled between the works of Jo Wanmer and Ellen Carr, enhanced by beautiful gems, being the words of all the other contributors, polished and displayed in such a way they catch and reflect the light in an exquisite combination of colours.

Now, Kaleidoscope’s probably not a story that will knock someone over by its brilliance, but it was fun to create and an entertaining read. Yet, set amongst such a fabulous collation (and many of the works truly are fabulous – you must read them), it brings so much more than it could as a standalone piece. Kaleidoscope has become something far more inspiring. It’s become part of a literary … kaleidoscope. 🙂

But don’t just take my word for it, as Xanthe says in Kaleidoscope, it’s like, ‘Patterns of light revealing the soul. And you, mere mortal, can catch a glimpse of it.’

So mortals, don’t miss your opportunity to purchase your own GOL copy (print or e-book), and more for your friends. All profits go to CBM, bringing sight to the blind.

And if you leave a comment on this blog post (sorry, excludes GOL contributors 🙁 ), you will have a chance to win a paperback copy of my recently released YA novel Replicate, second book in the Integrate trilogy. I’m giving one copy away to a randomly selected ‘commenter’ in celebration of this tour.

But don’t stop reading yet. On the 29th January, you can continue the GOL blog tour trail, with fellow contributor Josephine-Anne Griffiths. 50-something young, Jo’Anne, has relished writing and reading from her childhood. She has a fascinating family history, shares her world with her dream-come-true HoneyBun, and is currently working on fictional memoir Charlie Dreams. Can’t wait to read her post.

Let it Flow

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Today I have the pleasure of introducing our second ‘Write Life’ guest blogger, award winning author, Jo Wanmer. Despite a huge couple of weeks, Jo has still managed to bring us a blog with her characteristically real and relevant insights – just like her writing (which if you haven’t read yet, you should check out). I’m sure you’ll appreciate her wisdom.

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‘Just write. Stay in the creative brain. Don’t question and don’t edit as you go. The aim is to get words on the page.’

This advice relaunched my second novel eighteen months after I’d given up on the manuscript. I decided to write and not worry if the work was good or bad, right or wrong, showing or telling. The first few lines were gibberish. Too bad. I pushed on wanting to launch a creative flow. The more I hit the keys, the better the story flowed. Within six weeks, I finished the novel, typing 70,000 words.

Every time I paused to question what I’d written, I made myself push on. Deletion could happen later if necessary, but it was imperative to stay in the creative flow, to keep writing. This strategy bought unexpected surprises. I loved the story. It was exciting, interesting, fresh and … rough. Rough can be fixed, errors can be rewritten but the plot was fantastic.

Now I apply this principle in many of life’s creative pursuits. The most revelatory is when listening to God. When seeking Him, the beginning of an idea forms in my mind. I used to asses it and often discard the thought before it was properly formed. Now I try to continue in the flow, even with crazy or seemingly sacrilegious ideas. I maintain creative imagination and ask God to use it. Later I can test the thoughts, pictures and ideas against scripture and other standards. Then it is time to use my left brain.

Sometimes God says the most unusual things. Read the Old Testament or Jesus words in New Testament. He often surprised his listeners. Yet for years I have expected God’s words to conform to my judgement and expectations.

In my current work in progress, the protagonist talks to God. And God responds. As I let the words flow, God says the most unexpected things. Instead of stopping and using the delete button, I continue and have my heroine question God. The subsequent revelations have been fascinating, insightful and added depth to my story.

How much wisdom have I missed over the years by reducing the Lord’s voice to my understanding? Now I record everything I think He may have said. I read it and either listen, discard or revisit it in another season of my life when it may speak to those circumstances.

 

579658_3755813086413_1808561116_nJo Wanmer, a Queenslander, loves life, family, and God and writes from her experience of all three. Her first book, Though the Bud be Bruised, was written to share the amazing things God taught her through adversity. This true story is presented as novel, which sparked an interest in further writing. Jo has written two other novels which are being refined at the moment. You can find her on Facebook or trawl through her blog at jo-wanmer.blogspot.com.au