Here I Write
I can do no other.
My conscience is held captive by the Word of God, the good of my neighbor, and the Oxford comma.
“Past tears are present strength.”
— George MacDonald’s Phantastes
Fiction Writing Tip #12
Write in community with others.
There is rejuvenation in a writing community.
What I mean is, the bulk of the work of writing fiction is completed alone, but it helps if those lonely hours of staring at a manuscript are complemented by good, stimulating, encouraging, refreshing interactions with other creative people.
Sometimes, all you need to unravel that pesky plot-knot is to get out of your own head. Saying the problem out loud before a group of trusted intelligent writers is especially effective, because writers are curious folk. They can ask you all kinds of questions that quickly clarify both the problem and the solution.
Or, perhaps you are simply unsure of how to get started. Maybe you have a burning desire to create a fictional world but can’t figure out where to begin. By listening to other writers describe their own habits and procedures and struggles and successes, you will be encouraged, even educated. For that’s how it works. Writing is an apprenticed art, and there is no shame in being on Page 1. We all start on Page 1, and we all learn how to write from those who already know how to do it.
If you are looking for such an encouraging, stimulating community, join me online for my 3-part webinar offered on Tuesday evenings, October 6, 13, and 20, 7:00 PM Central.
We’ve currently got writers registered from coast to coast and Gulf to Canada, and you can be one of them. Click on the image below to register and join in on the creative fun!
Barrenness, adoption, secondary infertility, miscarriages, infant loss, IVF, and all the things …
Fifteen years ago, the first edition of He Remembers the Barren was published, and that same year, Rebecca Mayes, Kristi Leckband, and Melissa DeGroot and I began blogging at HeRememberstheBarren.com.
In honor of the book and blog’s 15th anniversary, we have decided to blog every day during the month of October.
If you would like to receive our posts, be sure to subscribe to HeRememberstheBarren.com before October 1. (Look for the email subscription button on the righthand side of the blog’s home page, listed directly under “Books,” “Hosts,” “Categories,” and “Archives.”)
All glory to God for His good gifts, especially the gifts of books and blogs and faithful sisters in Christ who lean in and put their shoulders under the heavy crosses we carry in order to share the heavy load.
Thank you, Salem Lutheran!
Thank you to Pastor Jonah and Mary Schultz of Salem Lutheran Church in Jacksonville, Illinois for the wonderful hospitality at yesterday’s Pew Sisters retreat. (The elders cooked and served lunch, y’all!) The worship, the chocolate chip pumpkin scones, the sincere fellowship, all of it — what a joy!
Katie Schuermann is a baptized child of God, pastor’s wife, and author of The Saints of Whistle Grove; The Creed series, including The Big Father and His Little Boy, The Beloved Son and His Brother, and The Helper and His Apprentice; the acclaimed Anthems of Zion fiction series, House of Living Stones, The Choir Immortal, and The Harvest Raise; and nonfiction favorites such as He Remembers the Barren, He Restores My Soul, and Pew Sisters. When not writing, Katie can be found making music, reading, cooking, gardening, holding babies, or trying to climb the nearest tree.
+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +
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Here I Write, Issue 45
Copyright © 2026 Katie Schuermann, All rights reserved.
Katie Schuermann 