In his book Shattered, Shaken and Stirred: Reconnecting with What Matters Most After Loss and Adversity, author Gilbert Ahrens tells the story of how a devastating car accident upends, disrupts and derails his seemingly ordinary family. In the wake of devastation is where recovery and, ultimately, redemption are found. Shattered, Shaken and Stirred explores and embraces the process of brokenness and healing in a way that is honest, heartfelt, and yet at times reassuringly humorous.

Ahrens offers his own journey not so much as a prescription for adversity, but as a comforting guidepost for how we might cope when confronted with life-altering challenges…when what we thought was safe and secure is suddenly taken away. He reveals how God’s love and grace appear not necessarily when we want them, but certainly when we need them.

This book is a real-life example of the power of reconnecting with what matters most. It offers hope and encouragement to anyone feeling the strain of life’s struggles.

Now, Ahrens has written a small companion guide for his book, Reconnect: A Practical Guide to Overcoming Adversity. Reconnect picks up where Shattered, Shaken and Stirred left off as more of a “how-to” for reconnecting after loss and adversity. “It is very short and, hopefully, equally efficient and practical for those who don’t have time to wade through a long book,” Ahrens explains.

WOW – what a testimony! Check out our interview…

Ahrens is offering Reconnect as a free download on his website. Check out www.gilahrens.com for more information.

Positano Press/October 2009

When you are starting to write or get writer’s block, the smartest idea is to write about what you know about.  Otherwise, you are going to be doing a lot of research.  While research is something you may want to consider in the future, novices should begin with writing about what they already have experienced or know best.  It helps you to improve your writing skills, while not worrying so much about the subject as you begin to improve your craft.

Get to know your best writing self.  Do you write best alone or with others in the room?  Can you concentrate with music and television blaring in the background or do you need dead silence.  I write best when it’s quiet, but my husband writes more words an hour with his favorite inspirational music playing softly in the background.  Not me! If I hear a song while I’m writing, I am thinking about the words of the song, not the words on my computer.

A lot of people have asked me about my writing process. I always tell them, “writer’s write.” Most people talk about writing and don’t actually write; but to complete a book you need to write, write, write. As my daughter says,  “a book is a lot of words!”  Writing is not easy nor for the faint of heart.

I believe God gives the heart and vision for the story or article. It also takes talents and gifts, but you can’t pull off an article or book without determination and discipline. You write one word at a time just like you play the piano one note at a time. You can do it, if you put your mind to it and overlook other distractions.

Practical Ideas to become the next Pulitzer Prize Winner:

Treat writing as special as you do reading.  I act as though my writing time is very important. Give yourself big challenges in the writing area, perhaps you are asking too little of yourself. Do you only believe you can do what you have already done or do you truly believe you can do more?  You need to believe you can climb some higher mountains than what you did the last time up the slopes.

Give yourself a reward for each writing completion each week or each month.  Sometimes I let stay at the pool for an extra hour in the sauna or buy a coffee mug that looks like a Hemingway mug.

Make lots of great stories available to yourself in a variety of ways. Do everything from checking out from the library old Fibber McGee radio shows to buying tickets to that community playhouse you always drive by.  Tell stories to your children each night to keep expanding your creativity, vocabulary, and fun quotient.

Always edit your work the next day, never the same day. A fresh perspective always helps. Keep reading books about writing so you learn all the tools you need for writing, not just the mechanics of writing. For example, you also need to be an expert on other things, like your audience and how to understand the genre.

It is a writer’s joy to fan the flames of the written word within themselves and others.  Do you have a mentor in the writing field and are you mentoring new or young writers?  Both keep you honest and fresh.

Cheryl Moeller
Stand up comic, syndicated humor columnist, and author
Check out some writing samples or buy books at www.momlaughs.blogspot.com