Listen!

By Janice L. Dick of Canada

Our pastor spoke last Sunday about prayer. He suggested that in large part, prayer is (or at least should be) listening.

I think that in order to write effectively, to make a difference in the lives of readers, we need to learn to listen. When I look around me, I fear our society has lost the elemental art of listening. It’s rare to see someone sitting alone without reading or keying on a smart phone. Groups of people at lunch will be having private conversations via handheld devices instead of listening to each other.

Right now at my writing desk, I can hear the resident birds having an argument in the snowball bush outside my window. I can hear geese forging their way across the autumn sky to warmer climes. Downstairs, my oldies station is airing the news, and soon I’ll hear my husband’s vehicle drive into the yard for supper.

All these sounds draw me from my self-imposed world of imagination and creativity, and reconnect me with reality. I want to connect with my readers in a real way, even if I’m writing fiction or fantasy. I want to help them feel comfortable in my story world or in the ideas of my non-fiction. My experiences color my writing, adding sensory details and credibility. I need grounding in the real world in order to pass this along to my readers.

As I listen to God, to others, to my own inner voice, I grow as a person and thereby also as a writer.

I believe I will set this as one of my goals for the new year: Learn to Listen!