After writing and sharing Women Like Us, I began getting feedback and being asked if there would be a companion book for men. It didn’t take much reflection for me to ask, “Why not?” It would mean delving deeper into Scripture, historical research, and writing, three things this biblionerd really enjoys. It would also incorporate similar voice and format as Women Like Us, but with two major differences.
- less familiarity with audience;
- writing platform.
Our very first visit to City Union Mission was extremely hard for me. I thought about my brother, Buddy, and his young daughter, wondering if the two of them had ever shown up at City Union Mission, and were separated. What an assurance that families are accomodated, like this dad and daughters, and never separated. That was an assurance I really needed to hear.
In our service to City Union Mission we rarely have an opportunity to interact with male guests. I suspected their stories reflected the same challenges as the women’s. Dear Reader, when I see unhoused people on the street, I’m embarassed to admit one of my stereotypical asuumptions had been that they do not have much education. (I’ve learned that is not necessarily true.) Nevertheless, I tried to incorporate the journalism adage to “write at a fourth grade reading level” to be on the safe side of my reading audience.
The second difference was a change that I’ve only used with a couple of subsequent books, including the Art of Laundry, and Betty’s Journal: Diving Deeper.
I mentioned in the blog post about Women Like Us that my editor suggested giving more readers access to it using a QR Code. It was a great idea, and that’s now how we distribute the book at Betty’s Giveaway each spring. However . . .
in order to generate a QR Code, I had to copy and paste the entire book from Word into Canva, painstakingly one page at a time, with its unique quirks and demands. There were times I was sure it was taking as much time to switch platforms for the manuscipt as it did to write it in the first place.
I’ve never researched or even taken a toll, but I suspect most writers have encountered challenges with their craft. Perhaps many of us have nearly reached points of giving up on the way to publication. Praise God for encouragement in His Word for writers, and everyone else.
Keep your head up, your eyes straight ahead, and your focus fixed on what is in front of you.
Take care you don’t stray from the straight path, the way of truth, and you will safely reach the end of your road.
Likewise, we can also be encouraged by words from the New Testament.
May we never tire of doing what is good and right before our Lord because in His season we shall bring in a great harvest if we can just persist.
Dear Reader, do you ever feel like God is sitting in the chair next to you? And if you hold real still, a sense of peace and understanding eventually starts to flow?
Despite the challenge of composing in a new platform, I loved writing Man Up! Most of us know about King David and his massive screw-ups, and Samson with his vanity, but I was seeking more. I deliberately researched men in the Bible “who took more than a minute to get it right.” And you know why? Because we may never be a person of stature or remembrance like those two guys.
Stick with me for a moment, please. Did you have a literature class in high school or college, and remember being introduced to “Everyman?” That’s who Man Up! was written for, verbage and stories to appeal to anyone. Sure, I’ll take it if a Rhodes Scholar wants to pick it up and read it; point is, you don’t have to be one to understand its message.
Here’s the overarching theme of Man Up! in a nutshell, no matter your gender or reading level:
God knows each of His children will screw up in some way, that doesn’t mean we have to give up. He knows some parts of life are just plain hard, and that’s why He seeks an invitation to travel with you on your journey. Your eye will not see, nor your ear perceive, nor foot touch anywhere He has not already been before you.
P.S. While Man Up! is available on Amazon in hard copy, the QR Code version makes it very easy to slip it into personal care bags for men who have to be turned away from City Union Mission due to lack of space.
Enjoy your free digital copy and let me know what you think. Which stor(ies) resonate the most with you?
Take a look at “If Books Could Talk from” August 13.
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