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Ninja Blogging versus Stream of Spirit Blogging

By Anita Mathias

Painting by Fitzy

Rachel Held Evans and John Piper are Ninja bloggers. Pretty much every post is well and carefully written, and appears to have gone through multiple drafts.

I sometimes wonder if I should blog that way–producing the best writing I am capable of in every post, even if I have far fewer of them.
                                   * * * 
I produced carefully written, much revised and rewritten work for years. And also developed writers’ block–was so self-critical that writing became anxiety, self-doubt and work rather than play for me. It lost its joy.
For me to try to blog that way would be the sure way to stress and writer’s block. 
For me blogging is a way to psychological, spiritual and emotional health, as I keep current with what I am working out intellectually or spiritually or emotionally. It is deep play.
So, I have made peace with being good-enough rather than consistently excellent in my writing on this blog (as in all other areas of my life).
                                  * * * 
One of the most empowering writing teachers I had, Charlie Sugnet at the University of Minnesota, would give us really low-bar, low risk of failure assignments. I did the best writing of my life that term. (See this  or this published in my first book, Wandering Between Two Worlds).
 
Setting a low bar—being willing to open myself to the possibility of small failures on a daily basis–that is the only way I can see myself maintaining this enterprise of sharing my innermost thoughts with the world on an almost-daily basis without burning out.
* * *
What I am far more interested in could be called, I suppose, stream-of-Spirit blogging.
To hear what the Spirit is saying to me. To record it.
When I don’t know what to write about, which is often, I either look at my drafts folder for the overflow of those creative days when I have ideas for five posts, or I ask, “What is the spirit saying to me? What worry, joy, emotion, idea, insight or epiphany is uppermost in my thoughts?” And then I play with it. And as I do, the germ of the idea frequently develops into a fully-fledged 800 word blog post.
My blog will consist of other posts, of course, but this will be one way for me to maintain my own interest in it. To try to hear what the Spirit is saying to me, and to record it. (God’s ideas are limitless, and by tapping into them, we too find limitless ideas for blog posts.)
“A man’s reach must exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” Robert Browning wrote.

So I guess my perhaps far-fetched ultimate ideal for the blog is that I may overhear what the Spirit is saying to me, and saying to the Church, and record it. Can a blogger or a blog have a sort of prophetic ministry? Who knows? Perhaps!
                                          
(edited archive post)


Read my new memoir: Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India (US) or UK.
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Comments

  1. Anita Mathias says

    May 17, 2012 at 8:42 pm

    Thanks Tanya. Oh blogging is prodigally wasteful of time, and there are times I feel I hate it. I am feeling a tad burnt out at the moment.
    Today, I just rewrote a post on something important to me, “soaking prayer” which I feel I have never explained properly, and it was getting annoying to like back to a mediocre post. So I just wrote it out again!
    Blessings for health, Tanya, and on stewarding your energy with wisdom! Posts like your forget-me-not post can be used every year, you know. Your audience will keep growing, so it will be new to most of them:-)

  2. Tanya Marlow says

    May 17, 2012 at 10:51 am

    Great tips – thank you!
    (and so thankful that your biopsy results were benign…)
    T xx

  3. Anita Mathias says

    May 17, 2012 at 10:37 am

    Hi Tanya, After a year of blogging, you will have a wonderful resource–your archive. Nobody remembers posts after a year, so I often refresh, sharpen and repost archive posts after a year. The Ninja blogging, for instance, was an archive post, as was yesterday's on bringing up recalcitrant church-goers. I write fresh stuff most days, but use archive posts when I am tired or busy.
    Otherwise, I look at my drafts folder and see what is alive for me.
    The key to easy blogging for me is to keep my spiritual life alive. Then ideas flow. When it's sluggish, blogging is an effort.
    Blessings,
    Anita

  4. Tanya Marlow @ Thorns and Gold says

    May 17, 2012 at 10:12 am

    Hi there – am just catching up with your blog – loving it! I love this post. Speaking as a 'ninja blogger', I often feel intimidated in the other direction – how do you consistently keep writing and finding things to write about so effortlessly??

    The pressures on the ninja blogger are 'what if people don't like it this week and that's the only thing I've done?' there's more pressure on the one post.

    I write down lots of ideas as I get them, and then when I come to write, I ask myself 'what is most 'present' for me at the moment?' most immediate, most pressing? I write that. Not sure if that is spirit-led or not…!

    Loving your ebb and flow – keep doing it!

  5. Anita Mathias says

    May 15, 2012 at 7:48 pm

    Sherrey, what is your blog? When I click on your name, I don't get to it?

    Ian, you write well. Don't worry about spelling and grammar. Grammar falls into place for a native speaker with practice in writing.

    I find reading things aloud is helpful in checking if you've clearly said exactly what you meant to say. Once we are doing that, we are on our way to writing well. Even after all these years, I sometimes find that my sentences are not clearly expressing what I want to say. Ouch!

  6. Sherrey says

    May 14, 2012 at 10:25 pm

    Oh, how I found myself in your words! I too wrangle with making sure everything is perfect in my writing to the point of walking away some days. Most teachers of writing say we should free write a lot in order to give ourselves the ability and yes, freedom to write comfortably this way. I fear being too far from the perfect grammarian and editor. 🙂

    Thank you for sharing your concept of Spirit Streaming. As I reach deeply into God's Word and his communication with me, I hope to find the best of my blog posts, whether pure grammar and perfect language or not. I want to serve him by dispersing the gems he shares with me. I believe this is exactly what you are saying here. And if we accomplish that, all's well and good, don't you think? I think I'll save my “worry writing” for my book!

  7. Ian Dunford says

    May 14, 2012 at 1:30 pm

    Hi Anita

    I really enjoyed reading this post this afternoon.

    Obviously as you are an excellent writer, and published authoress you probablly notice more irregularities in grammar and spelling than I ever possibly could.

    Where as with myself I have just one thought, to write it and hope I don't get caught up in the avalanche of my own writting errors.

    With the tiny hope some sense can be made of it by others after the avalanche of punctuation, grammar and spelling hits the bottom of the valley.

    And then I'm usaully totally mystified because someone has said, that they felt God or inspired or blessed by what I wrote.

    Though I am pretty sure if I tried to perfect my obvious lack of skill my writing would be even worse as I would worry about, if it sounded correct. And most likely cease to enjoy writing in my carefree way.

    I suppose it could be said, that I'm an irresponsible and prehaps lazy a writer, though I think I'm a happy one.

    I really like the thought Streams of the Spirit Writing or Blogging.

    I'm adopting that thought.

    Thank you for letting me read and comment on your blog post's it's such a lovely pleasure to do both.

    Warmest Regards
    Ian

  8. Anita Mathias says

    May 14, 2012 at 11:59 am

    Thanks Aly and Mollie. I was spending too long blogging for the first year or two, so needed to seek God about how long I should spend on it. I have settled on 90 minutes, in which I try to write a 500-800 word blog, post it, and if time remains, draft the next day's.
    Which means I am sacrificing perfection of writing, but hopefully, it will still be good enough to speak to people's hearts. It would take much longer to get it unassailably perfect–and that might not be the best use of time.

  9. Miss Mollie says

    May 13, 2012 at 11:53 pm

    We were just talking about this as my daughter and I discussed whether bluebell was one word or two. My husband thought, what difference does it make to my readers? I try to write my best, but realize with time restraints some times that doesn't happen. If my daughter hadn't been reading over my shoulder, bluebell would have been two words. Smile.
    Writing should be a joy. I couldn't agree more.

  10. Aly Lewis says

    May 13, 2012 at 11:48 pm

    Oh my goodness, I relate to this post so well. Lately, I've been beating myself up for not spending more time finessing and editing and polishing my blogs, for not being a blog ninja. But at the same time, I feel like God has called me to write and share what He is currently teaching me, not what I can make sound the most polished.

    I love the idea of Stream of Spirit blogging. I think it is a wonderful guiding vision for blogging, and I think you do it quite well. You are blessing people with your words, thoughts, and vulnerability. Thanks for writing from your heart and not just what the blogosphere wants to hear. Keep it up!!

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If you'll forgive me for adding to the noise of th If you'll forgive me for adding to the noise of the world on Black Friday, my memoir ,Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India, is on sale on Kindle all over the world for a few days. 
Carolyn Weber (who has written "Surprised by Oxford," an amazing memoir about coming to faith in Oxford https://amzn.to/3XyIftO )  has written a lovely endorsement of my memoir:
"Joining intelligent winsomeness with an engaging style, Anita Mathias writes with keen observation, lively insight and hard earned wisdom about navigating the life of thoughtful faith in a world of cultural complexities. Her story bears witness to how God wastes nothing and redeems all. Her words sing of a spirit strong in courage, compassion and a pervasive dedication to the adventure of life. As a reader, I have been challenged and changed by her beautifully told and powerful story - so will you."
The memoir is available on sale on Amazon.co.uk at https://amzn.to/3u0Ib8o and on Amazon.com at https://amzn.to/3u0IBvu and is reduced on the other Amazon sites too.
Thank you, and please let me know if you read and enjoy it!! #memoir #indianchildhood #india
Second birthday party. Determinedly escaping! So i Second birthday party. Determinedly escaping!
So it’s a beautiful November here in Oxford, and the trees are blazing. We will soon be celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary…and are hoping for at least 33 more!! 
And here’s a chapter from my memoir of growing up Catholic in India… rosaries at the grotto, potlucks, the Catholic Family Movement, American missionary Jesuits, Mangaloreans, Goans, and food, food food…
https://anitamathias.com/2022/11/07/rosaries-at-the-grotto-a-chapter-from-my-newly-published-memoir-rosaries-reading-steel-a-catholic-childhood-in-india/
Available on Amazon.co.uk https://amzn.to/3Apjt5r and on Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3gcVboa and wherever Amazon sells books, as well as at most online retailers.
#birthdayparty #memoir #jamshedpur #India #rosariesreadingsecrets
Friends, it’s been a while since I blogged, but Friends, it’s been a while since I blogged, but it’s time to resume, and so I have. Here’s a blog on an absolutely infallible secret of joy, https://anitamathias.com/2022/10/28/an-infallible-secret-of-joy/
Jenny Lewis, whose Gilgamesh Retold https://amzn.to/3zsYfCX is an amazing new translation of the epic, has kindly endorsed my memoir. She writes, “With Rosaries, Reading and Secrets, Anita Mathias invites us into a totally absorbing world of past and present marvels. She is a natural and gifted storyteller who weaves history and biography together in a magical mix. Erudite and literary, generously laced with poetic and literary references and Dickensian levels of observation and detail, Rosaries is alive with glowing, vivid details, bringing to life an era and culture that is unforgettable. A beautifully written, important and addictive book.”
I would, of course, be delighted if you read it. Amazon.co.uk https://amzn.to/3gThsr4 and Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3WdCBwk #joy #amwriting #amblogging #icecreamjoy
Wandering around Oxford with my camera, photograph Wandering around Oxford with my camera, photographing ancient colleges! Enjoy.
And just a note that Amazon is offering a temporary discount on my memoir, Rosaries, Reading, Steel https://amzn.to/3UQN28z . It’s £7.41.
Here’s an endorsement from my friend, Francesca Kay, author of the beautiful novel, “An Equal Stillness.” This is a beautifully written account of a childhood, so evocative, so vivid. The textures, colours and, above all, the tastes of a particular world are lyrically but also precisely evoked and there was much in it that brought back very clear memories of my own. Northern India in the 60s, as well as Bandra of course – dust and mercurochrome, Marie biscuits, the chatter of adult voices, the prayers, the fruit trees, dogs…. But, although you rightly celebrate the richness of that world, you weave through this magical remembrance of things past a skein of sadness that makes it haunting too. It’s lovely!” #oxford #beauty
So, I am not going to become a book-bore, I promis So, I am not going to become a book-bore, I promise, but just to let you know that my memoir "Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India," is now available in India in paperback. https://www.amazon.in/s?k=rosaries+reading+secrets&crid=3TLDQASCY0WTH&sprefix=rosaries+r%2Caps%2C72&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_10My endorsements say it is evocative, well-written, magical, haunting, and funny, so I'd be thrilled if you bought a copy on any of the Amazon sites. 
Endorsements 
A beautifully written account. Woven through this magical remembrance of things past is a skein of sadness that makes it haunting. Francesca Kay, An Equal Stillness. 
A dazzling vibrant tale of childhood in post-colonial India. Mathias conjures 1960s India and her family in uproarious and heart-breaking detail. Erin Hart, Haunted Ground 
Mathias invites us into a wonderfully absorbing and thrilling world of past and present marvels… generously laced with poetic and literary references and Dickensian levels of observation and detail. A beautifully written, important, and addictive book. Jenny Lewis, Gilgamesh Retold 
Tormented, passionate and often sad, Mathias’s beautiful childhood memoir is immensely readable. Trevor Mostyn, Coming of Age in The Middle East.
A beautifully told and powerful story. Joining intelligent winsomeness with an engaging style, Mathias writes with keen observation, lively insight and hard-earned wisdom. Carolyn Weber, Surprised by Oxford 
A remarkable account. A treasure chest…full of food (always food), books (always books), a family with all its alliances and divisions. A feat of memory and remembrance. Philip Gooden, The Story of English
Anita’s pluck and charm shine through every page of this beautifully crafted, comprehensive and erudite memoir. 
Ray Foulk, Picasso’s Revenge
Mathias’s prose is lively and evocative. An enjoyable and accessible book. Sylvia Vetta, Sculpting the Elephant
Anita Mathias is an is an accomplished writer. Merryn Williams, Six Women Novelists
Writing a memoir awakens fierce memories of the pa Writing a memoir awakens fierce memories of the past. For the past is not dead; it’s not even past, as William Faulkner observed. So what does one do with this undead past? Forgive. Forgive, huh? Forgive. Let it go. Again and again.
Some thoughts on writing a memoir, and the prologue to my memoir
https://anitamathias.com/2022/09/08/thoughts-on-writing-a-memoir-the-prologue-to-rosaries-reading-secrets/ 
#memoir #amwriting #forgiveness https://amzn.to/3B82CDo
Six months ago, Roy and I decided that finishing t Six months ago, Roy and I decided that finishing the memoir was to be like “the treasure in the field,” that Jesus talks about in the Gospels, which you sacrifice everything to buy. (Though of course, he talks about an intimate relationship with God, not finishing a book!!) Anyway, I’ve stayed off social media for months… but I’ve always greatly enjoyed social media (in great moderation) and it’s lovely to be back with the book now done  https://amzn.to/3eoRMRN  So, our family news: Our daughter Zoe is training for ministry as a priest in the Church of England, at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. She is “an ordinand.” In her second year. However, she has recently been one of the 30 ordinands accepted to work on an M.Phil programme (fully funded by the Church of England.) She will be comparing churches which are involved in community organizing with churches which are not, and will trace the impact of community organizing on the faith of congregants.  She’ll be ordained in ’24, God willing.
Irene is in her final year of Medicine at Oxford University; she will be going to Toronto for her elective clinical work experience, and will graduate as a doctor in June ‘23, God willing.
And we had a wonderful family holiday in Ireland in July, though that already feels like a long time ago!
https://anitamathias.com/2022/09/01/rosaries-readi https://anitamathias.com/2022/09/01/rosaries-reading-secrets-a-catholic-childhood-in-india-my-new-memoir/
Friends, some stellar reviews from distinguished writers, and a detailed description here!!
https://amzn.to/3wMiSJ3 Friends, I’ve written a https://amzn.to/3wMiSJ3  Friends, I’ve written a memoir of my turbulent Catholic childhood in India. I would be grateful for your support!
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