Since I began writing my first novel after I retired, some have asked me about my writing experience. Most of my life, my writing has been limited to normal business activity. I have written many business proposals and the like.
From 2005 to 2011 I was a Youth and Family minister at a church in Plymouth, MN. During a portion of that time, I created a newsletter that went out to people who were not members of our church but had been asked to be on our mailing list. Every month I would write an article to be included in the newsletter that shared God’s Word in some fashion, typically taking a topic in the news and developing a Christian message around it. Those articles never took a position, rather they would use current events as metaphors for our relationship with Christ in some way.
My goal was not to “whip up the base.” I saw no need to ‘preach to the choir,’
In 2015 I became involved in the Draft Ben Carson for President movement. I would write political pieces, in support of Carson, for placement in online news or for conservative news websites. I would occasionally send in letters to the editor in our local newspapers. I enjoyed writing in support of Ben Carson because I have always been so impressed with him. When Carson dropped out of the race, I continued to write articles that supported conservative efforts. My approach in writing was always to explain issues and talk about consequences of the liberal agenda compared to the conservative agenda. I have never been a flame-thrower. My goal was not to “whip up the base.” I saw no need to ‘preach to the choir,’ because there were plenty of people doing that on both sides. I would rather write for those in the center, politically, and try and educate them and draw them toward a conservative viewpoint.
After the 2016 election, I wrote very little. I did some writing for a gubernatorial candidate in Colorado. I also wrote some opinion pieces in 2020 through 2021. However, it became more and more difficult to find outlets that would publish my writings. They all have become so partisan that they aren’t interested in publishing anything that doesn’t throw red meat to the base. I won’t do that, and I really didn’t have the time or inclination to seek out other outlets to publish my articles.
I am writing more about my experience as an author.
In 2022 I began writing this blog, targeting people in the middle or people who were so frustrated by the fiery rhetoric on both sides that they have tuned out of the political discussion altogether. When I started the blog, I would take a topic, research it, and try to objectively lay the opinions of those on the right and those on the left. My goal was to provide people the information and let them decide. I was actually confident that most people would lean toward the conservative side. The blog didn’t really take hold in the manner I had hoped. Anyway, now that I am about to publish my book, I have changed things up and, though I am still posting weekly, I am writing more about my experience as an author.
When I began writing Wayward Patriot: Preserving the Vote, I made the conscious decision to avoid using my books to make political statements.While there may be some political elements to the stories I write, I am careful not to present one point of view as superior to another.Different characters have different points of view.Sometimes a liberal may be a “good guy” so to speak, and sometimes a conservative.The story line is never intended to push an agenda.I do try to incorporate current issues in the news.I hope is that readers find my stories thought-provoking.
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