In this episode, Belinda Pollard, Donita Bundy and Alison Joy interview Lisa Stilwell, a veteran of Christian publishing. She rose to the position of senior acquisitions editor with major Christian publishing houses, and then moved into authoring devotionals and ghostwriting memoir for Christian leaders and people from the music industry.
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In conversation in this episode:
- Lisa Stilwell, author, ghostwriter and senior editior
- Belinda Pollard, author of mainstream crime novels, writing coach, accredited editor with qualifications in theology, writing and publishing blogger at smallbluedog.com, and Gracewriters founder
- Donita Bundy, writing teacher, preacher and author of the Armour of Light supernatural fiction series
- Alison Joy, romance author, former early childhood teacher and mother of 4 adult children
Topics covered in this episode:
- How Lisa first moved into writing, unexpectedly, after stepping down from her long career as an acquisitions editor to care for her husband who had Parkinson’s.
- The initial uncertainty Lisa felt about her ability to write, despite so many years of working with words, and her tips for others who long to write but are not sure if they have the ability.
- How Lisa sets herself deadlines, which helped her cope by establishing a sense of routine during the years of caring for her husband.
- Counting back from the deadline to work out how much needs to be written per day, but also allowing grace for when things don’t go to plan.
- How Lisa – reluctantly at first! – moved into ghostwriting. Lisa hadn’t ghostwritten before and thought the timing was wrong for her to work on this project because her husband had just moved to hospice, but God knew what He was doing.
- The process of being selected to work with Helen Smallbone, mother of singers Rebecca St James and the duo For King & Country.
- The gentle and respectful process for Lisa of working with Helen Smallbone, welcomed into the home, and guiding Helen regarding how much she asked her children vs her own memories of what happened.
- How to set word count targets relevant to the project, and stick to them.
- Connection and trust as the core of a relationship when ghostwriting someone’s memoir. Having the courage and skill to ask probing questions, while respecting the person’s right not to answer.
- You have to write in their voice, not your own. Listen constantly, for key phrases and the pace of their speech, for formal vs casual expression, for seriousness vs humour and how the two moods interact.
- Transcribing interview recordings is a painful task, but it’s a process where you can really absorb elements of the story and see what extra questions you need to ask.
- Protecting yourself, because ghostwriting is draining work.
- The initially rocky and then smooth road to getting The Heavens Proclaim His Glory published – a coffee table book with Hubble telescope images combined with excerpts from authors and pastors Lisa had worked with across her editing career.
- How Lisa worked her way up to the senior position of Acquisitions Editor.
Find Lisa Stilwell online
Check out some of Lisa Stilwell’s books
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Audio
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Transcript
Belinda Pollard: Welcome to the Gracewriters Podcast – Christian Writers Changing Popular Culture. Hit subscribe on your favourite podcast player so you never miss an episode and join our community at gracewriters.com.
Today on the podcast, author, editor and ghostwriter, Lisa Stilwell.
I’m Belinda Pollard. I’m an author, editor and book coach with degrees in theology and journalism. I write award-winning mystery novels and light memoir as well as devotionals and non-fiction. I blog writing and publishing tips at smallbluedog.com and you’ll find my creative writing at belindapollard.com.
Alison Joy: Hi, my name is Alison Young. I’m a former early-childhood educator with four adult children and a passion for photography. I write contemporary romance with gracenotes under the penname, Alison Joy and you can find out more about my books at alisonjoywriter.com.
Donita Bundy: Hi, I’m Donita Bundy; speaker, teacher, blogger and author of the spiritual-fantasy novel series, Armour of Light. Find out more at donitabundy.com.
Alison Joy: Lisa Stilwell is a 23-year-veteran of the Christian publishing industry working with best-selling authors, pastors and recording artists. Her background includes the role of Senior Acquisitions Editor for a number of top publishing houses.
She has written several books and compiled The Heavens Proclaim His Glory, pairing Hubble telescope images with inspirational quotes.
Lisa is married to Jeff Kingsbury and together they have seven children and seven grandchildren. She joins us today from Nashville. Welcome to the podcast, Lisa.
Lisa Stilwell: Thanks. So glad to be here.
Belinda Pollard: Lisa, may we ask you the rapid-fire five? Just some questions we have, to find out a little bit more about you before we get started.
Lisa Stilwell: Sure.
Belinda Pollard: Who is your target audience?
Lisa Stilwell: Adult Christians, male and female, both.
Belinda Pollard: And what is your main genre?
Lisa Stilwell: Daily devotionals, gift books, memoirs, Christian non-fiction.
Belinda Pollard: That’s a lovely range. When is your optimum time for writing?
Lisa Stilwell: You know, I read that question and it’s in the morning. I set this goal, “Okay, once I get my work done, then I have the afternoon free to go kayaking or whatever and I won’t let myself enjoy the day until I get the work done,” but after thinking about it, I would say when I’m really at my very best, is when I’m under deadline. Something in my mind clicks and I’m the most creative, the most efficient.
So, I’ve learnt to set short-term deadlines for myself to keep me in that mindset to go. It really makes the difference.
Belinda Pollard: I love that idea! I think I’d like to ask you a bit more about that but we’ll come back to it!
Lisa Stilwell: Okay.
Belinda Pollard: Where is your favourite place to write?
Lisa Stilwell: I have an office in my home and my own desk and I close the door. I call it my hole! It’s not very romantic sounding but I say, “Okay, I’m going to go crawl in my hole now!” Where I’m just in my own bubble of the world.
Belinda Pollard: And just briefly, how did you get into writing in the first place?
Lisa Stilwell: Well, that’s interesting, after years of editing and acquiring and compiling, I stepped down from corporate, it was about seven years ago, not knowing I was going to go into freelance editorial publishing. And DaySpring called me and said they had just launched a gift division and I’d been working in a consulting capacity with them and the publisher called one day and said, “Hey, we’ve got an artist, she wants to do a devotional, she doesn’t know how to write, would you ghostwrite it for us, a 100 Bible Promises?”
And I said, “Jason, I’ve never written before. I don’t know if I can do this.” And he said, “Well, why don’t you try. Why don’t you write three or four samples and send them and I’ll be honest. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work and if it does, will you?”
I said, “Okay, fine.” So, that night I wrote three or four devotions for him and sent them and the next morning he said, “You’re hired. That’s it, you’re great!” So, that’s literally how I started writing! Plus, I needed the money, at the time, to be honest with you. It was just the time in my life.
Okay, Lord, you know what you’re doing. He doesn’t always keep us on the same path.
Belinda Pollard: I just find it interesting that you thought you couldn’t write because I meet so many people who think they can’t write. A lot of them, because I’m a book editor, a lot of fellow editors, they think, “Oh no, that’s like a whole separate thing.”
Other people who have really interesting stories to tell and they also think, “Oh no, I can’t write. That’s this thing out there.”
So, I love that you took that plunge and it worked and it’s obviously been quite significant.
Lisa Stilwell: It has. In fact, when I finished writing that one, they asked me to do a second 100 Days Grace & Gratitude, and by the time I finished writing that one, I was in my prayer time and just said, “Okay, Lord, what do you want me to do now?” Because it’s really about how He wants to use me and that’s when He gave me the idea of 100 Days of Faith Over Fear and also, God’s Truth for Troubled Times. He gave me both of those titles, back to back, and I am not a title person. I can’t tell you how may title meetings I’ve been in and I can’t come up with a title!
So, I know it was the Lord and I sent them to DaySpring and they said, “We love them both. We’ll do them both.” And it just, kind of, has snowballed ever since. I’ve written many more prayer books and devotionals for them since.
Belinda Pollard: Do you have any tips for other people who think they can’t write, even though, maybe, there’s a little hankering to do it; they think they can’t.
Lisa Stilwell: I would say, do it. Think of what’s in your heart and just do it and see what happens. Don’t worry about editing yourself. Just write.
It’s amazing how, as soon as I get a topic and a Scripture and get the concept in my head, I can write in five minutes. I just can’t stop it. So, come up with the idea that’s in your heart, Scripture verse, prayer and just do it and see what happens and, I think, most people would be amazed.
Belinda Pollard: Do you do it on screen or by hand?
Lisa Stilwell: On my computer. Yes, I do it on my computer.
Alison Joy: You mentioned 100 Days of Faith Over Fear was personally transformative for you; in what way?
Lisa Stilwell: My late husband suffered from Parkinson’s as well as other health issues for 10 years. In fact, that’s why I stepped down from corporate, to care for him, and it got to where I could not leave him anymore.
And so, I stepped down in faith, a lot of prayer and support from other people and here I am, you know, going from this senior level corporate position that I’ve been in
for 20 years, stepping down and, “Okay, what, Lord? I need you now! Okay?”
And that’s when DaySpring came along, just two weeks after I’d stepped down. And when, by the time I wrote Faith over Fear, his health had deteriorated so much that I just was treading water every day, pretty much, and not knowing what my future held. How am I going to care for him? How am I going to pay the bills? It was really a time of faith and overcoming my fear, at the time, of the unknown. Just day to day, not knowing how to handle when he had an episode or if he fell.
And every day just took so much courage and faith to face, to get through until the day he passed. So, and it was during that time I wrote that book in particular. So that was why.
Actually, and I would say when they asked me to write 100 Days of Grace and Gratitude,
I was like, “Right Lord, you’ve got a real sense of humour here!” because I was not feeling
grateful, at all, for my situation.
And yet, by the time I finished writing the book, it transformed my life in that sense too. There’s always something to be grateful for no matter what you’re going through.
Belinda Pollard: So, you said before that you found setting yourself deadlines really worked because that’s when you tend to write. How did that interact with that issue of being, you know, working during that difficult time with your husband’s illness?
Did you use deadlines then or was that more a thing for other times when things are going
more smoothly? How does it work for you?
Lisa Stilwell: I absolutely did use that. I needed as much routine as I could possibly get in my life because caring for him wasn’t so routine.
Some of it was, but you just never knew what was going to spring up that day. And so, it just, the routine was so, I think, vital for keeping my eyes focused on just moving forward, taking the next step.
Belinda Pollard: Give us some tips how you actually set these mini deadlines for yourself.
What do you say? Do you create carrots, you know, that if you do this, you can have that?
Or how do you convince your brain that it’s a real deadline?
Lisa Stilwell: Well, first it’s on paper. I’ll take the whole book.
If it’s 100 devotions and I know when the deadline is, I figure out how many do I have
to do a week to meet the deadline. And so, I have that.
Of course, you have to give yourself some grace because you can’t necessarily write every
single day. It’s just, life doesn’t work that way and so I’ll incorporate a little grace in there but that’s how I do it.
Or if it’s just one long book, it’s word count. If the target word count is 50,000 words and I know the deadline, the ultimate final deadline, I back up and see how many words do I need to write a week because I tend to do best with a weekly goal. And by the end of the week, you know, hopefully I’ve met it; most of the time I do.
That’s when I’m like, “Okay. I’m going to go kayaking today. I’m going to go shopping or I’m going to go hike or whatever.” So, in that sense, it’s a carrot. Yes, I definitely reward myself.
We all need that, right?
Belinda Pollard: And do you write them down visibly somewhere?
Lisa Stilwell: I do. I write them down and keep a schedule. I write down how many words I write each day. And so, I know exactly where I am and what I need to do.
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Belinda Pollard: If you enjoy the Gracewriters podcast and would like to see it continue, please donate at gracewriters.com.
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Alison Joy: Lisa, I recently read Behind the Lights by Helen Smallbone, the mother of singer Rebecca St. James and the duo For King & Country and I saw that you helped tell her story.
So, we’re intrigued to know, to find out more about the role of a ghostwriter. Like, what is a ghost writer for a start and how did you end up in this role?
Lisa Stilwell: Well, that’s another big God story.
A ghostwriter is someone who helps someone who has a story to tell but doesn’t know how
to tell it. A ghostwriter has the role of getting to know that person’s heart, find out what their story is, be courageous enough to ask probing questions and then commit to prayer and discernment, how much of what goes in the final manuscript and what isn’t necessary.
So, it’s all these things in tandem going on at the same time, I would say. It’s not just asking questions and writing. It’s a much bigger picture for me.
Anyway, I got into it again. I got an email. K-LOVE launched a book division and they needed a writer for Helen. Michael W. Smith’s book was the first one and hers was the second one on their schedule. That’s how new to K-LOVE it was. But the guy running this division used to work at Thomas Nelson and I knew him. We used to work in the Max Lucado brand together.
Anyway, they were trying to think of writers to contact for her to interview and my name came up and so, I got a random email. “Hey, we’re trying to find a writer for Helen Smallbone.” Honestly, I didn’t even know she was. I had to look her up briefly to say, “Oh, okay.”
“She needs someone to write her memoirs.”
And my initial response, which is not uncommon, was, “Oh, no, I can’t do that.”
And I took it to the Lord and the Lord just very clearly said, “I want you to interview.” “No, I don’t want to interview.” “I want you to interview.” It’s like this little battle. So, I said, “Okay, I’m happy to interview,” and did a resume.
And I gave her absolutely every reason the world not to hire me. I said, “I’ve never done this before.” I literally said everything but “don’t hire me” because I really didn’t think I could do it, plus the timing seemed wrong. My husband had just gone into hospice at that point. And I’m like, “Lord, the timing is not right. This doesn’t make sense.” And He clearly said, “My timing is perfect. Just don’t worry. I’m here with you.” So, I said, “Okay.”
So, I interviewed and I didn’t hear anything for about six weeks. And I was fine with that, right? Getting on with my life. And then got an email from the publisher saying “Helen chose you to work with her.” And of course I about had a meltdown, “Oh, no, what am I going to do now?” Because I had not done someone’s memoirs before and it was not a week or so later that my husband passed away. Which was interesting timing.
And the publisher, Dave, he saw my post on Facebook and he reached out right away with condolences and he said, “We’re not on any tight schedule, take as long as you need, okay?” And I said, “Okay, I will.” And I needed some time and I took three months just to self-care, to grieve and just work on all that’s involved with loss.
And I woke up one morning and I just thought, “Okay, I’ve got to get back to work. I’m ready to get back to work.” So, I reached out on a Monday to Dave, I said “I’m ready” and by Thursday, I was in Helen’s home with my phone.
I had never recorded an interview on my phone before.
I literally called my old boss at Howard and said, “How do you write someone’s memoirs?” I’d edited a ton, right? I’d edited them but how do you write? It’s a whole different process. And she told me what she does and she just kept saying, “Oh, you’re going to be fine. You’re going to be fine.”
Okay. So that’s what I did and it was really quite interesting and fun with Helen because they have a lot of animals. They live on a farm. Lots of animals, inside and outside the house, and we’re sitting in the living room trying to start the interview. She has so many birds and they kept squawking and there was so much noise that I couldn’t do it. It just wasn’t coming through very well so, she suggested we go down into her basement with it. And Helen, if you watched this or listened to this, please forgive me!
I loved this. There were piles of laundry everywhere. We had to move them over on the couch and we were just sitting; talk about informal and casual. And we spent about nine hours that day, just me asking questions. And by the time I left, I was definitely in a panic mode because I thought it was going to be her memoirs, not realizing she was going to include the stories of meeting her husband and all of their kids’ lives, all incorporated into the book.
And I literally was, “Lord, help me.” And so that was baptism by fire, as they say.
Alison Joy: You did very, very well.
Once I read the book, I sort of was looking everywhere for interviews or anything I could get some more information about the book and I just saw one particular interview with Helen.
And she said she had asked if she should show the work in progress to her family, but was
advised not to. So why was that?
Lisa Stilwell: That was not a plan. That just came up.
She said she couldn’t remember some details and different stories and so she reached out to Rebecca or one of the boys to ask them. Something she said triggered in my mind, being the mother of three grown daughters. When you get together with your adult children, and you start talking, and then an old family story comes up, and one of them starts to tell the story, “Remember when such and such happened,” and then another one will say, “No, that’s not the way it happened.” And then I’m over here saying, “No way, that’s not the way it happened.”
So, everybody’s got their own perspectives of the same story and I could just see a train wreck coming. And she wanted to just be so obliging to and considerate of all, I say kids, but I mean adult children.
But I finally said, “You know, Helen, I think it’s best to remember that this is your story. You can ask one of your kids, and then it becomes their story but this is your story. And I think just for that purpose alone, let’s guard your space,” including her husband, David, who’s has a very strong personality. Just it’s important to let’s just stay focused. I wanted to hear from her and her heart, not the rest of the family. So that was why.
And it worked and she thanked me so many times. She said it, just like freed her up.
It had lifted the burden of feeling like she had to make sure everything was right with her
kids and it just freed her up and she was able to just talk. And it was not knowing that was going to be a key point for her, but it was.
Alison Joy: One of the interviews I saw with one of the boys when he read the book, he was interested to know why she picked certain stories and not other aspects.
Obviously, you couldn’t put everything in the book because you’d still be writing it.
Lisa Stilwell: Yes, there were a lot of stories. And I did ask her, which ones do you absolutely want in the book? And then the rest, she gave me carte blanche.
And it’s really just the leading of the Holy Spirit and what made sense to help highlight point to point as all their stories built in the book, because that’s what happens. It builds up and, finally, when it becomes For King & Country and how everyone’s working together.
So, I would say too, there’s a kind of a joke when we were done, that I probably know more about that family than each of the family members do because there were so many stories
told, but you just can’t put them all in.
Alison Joy: No, it’s like you need a couple more volumes follow up!
Lisa Stilwell: Yes!
Donita Bundy: I’m interested to know when you enter a project like this, and like you said, you gave her free reign. Do you have, in your head, a rough word count that you’re aiming for?
Like, is there a sweet spot that you’re targeting when you’re compiling a memoir or do you just write and get that information until the story is complete? Like, how do you determine that?
Lisa Stilwell: A good average word count for a trade book is about 45,000 words, 40 to 45,000. Just my experience in publishing, the longer the book gets, the less likely the reader is to finish. And with her, I think we went over that but it still works well.
And the last book I wrote last year, we went over, but not by a lot, but starting out,
you really don’t know because I don’t know what they’re going to tell me. Just, kind of, going with it and keeping track of the word count as you write and saying, “Okay,” and try to project how many I’m averaging per chapter to get a feel along the way.
So, it’s not like I just write and then I lift my head up later and count the words. I’m constantly monitoring.
Donita Bundy: So, when you entered that project, you said you weren’t aware that you were actually telling her children’s stories as well.
Lisa Stilwell: Yes, I think that was really more my naivety. My past in editing memoirs, it’s been this football player or this pastor with their stories on the side.
I didn’t see it coming that it was, this is going to be the whole family because her family is her story.
Belinda Pollard: I find it interesting that she chose you, even though you felt your interview was less than stellar. She chose you and I’m thinking maybe that’s because she felt a connection with you?
The people out there who are maybe interested in becoming ghostwriters, you know, what
you might have to say about that in terms of the importance of being able to get inside the head and the heart.
Lisa Stilwell: Very important and that stems from my editing. It’s so important that they trust you first and foremost.
And during the interview process, there was a definite connection with Helen, I think, because we’re both mothers and we both love the Lord. One thing that she thought was that since I hadn’t done it before, she thought I was going to work all that much harder to succeed.
And I think she’s right. You know, this is my first time. And she’s right.
When I interview for writing jobs now, I am also, they don’t know of it, but I’m interviewing
them to make sure I connect with them because if I don’t feel it, they’re not going to feel it with me. And bottom line is it’s so important to have that connection and mainly a heart
connection.
And part of the connection process is being comfortable enough to ask questions, to ask and not being afraid to probe. And most people want to talk, but they don’t know where to begin and they need someone to do that for them.
I would say, from my years of editing, I’ve honed that craft. I’ve honed that skill. And I’ve gotten to the point where I’m not afraid to ask anything and trust me, I’ve asked some very personal questions, not knowing. And I’ll say, feel free not to answer if you’re not comfortable and I’ll ask very personal questions and, you know, they’re just waiting to share. But, yes, the connection and the trust, there has to be trust. That’s sort of the core of the connection.
Belinda Pollard: And you’ve got to be actually writing in their voice, haven’t you? How do you do that? You have to be almost to chameleon.
Lisa Stilwell: Listen, listen and listen. Constantly listening for key phrases and words that they might use. Are they fast paced talker? Are they slow?
I guess I’m just listening and absorbing all of that part of their personality. Are they speaking seriously and they might regularly jump off on a joke and then come back? I’m listening for all of those keys and remembering that. When I transcribe the recordings – I really hate transcribing, it’s my least favourite part, but it is one of the most important parts because
that’s when I really internalise a second time what they’ve said. And if I’m typing and I have a question, I can go back and ask and get clarity, but that helps as well. It’s just the process of it, but really listening to them.
If they’re informal and casual, I’m not going to use formal language, right?
Donita Bundy: So, do people come to you now that they’ve seen your work or do you look for clients to write for?
Lisa Stilwell: I have not looked or advertised once. It’s literally, “Okay, Lord, how do you want to use me now?” And that’s 100% it.
And being willing, even when it doesn’t make sense, but being willing. So, that’s how I’ve got my writing jobs. Each time has come through an author I’ve worked with in the past.
There have been people where I’ve said, “I’m not sure I’m the best person to serve you,”
but God has provided just enough, which is about two books a year is about it for me. I’m not semi-retired, but I’m not working every day like you do when you’re in corporate either.
Belinda Pollard: Is it draining? How do you protect yourself?
Lisa Stilwell: Oh, that is how. Yes, make sure I give myself space on the calendar in between projects because I’ve made the mistake of back to back. It’s just been trial and error and learning that the hard way.
So, right now, I’m very blessed because I took a sabbatical over the last six months. The Pastor I’m getting ready to work with now contacted me last fall and I prayed before speaking to him and I didn’t tell him I was on sabbatical. I just listened to his heart and thought, “This is someone I would really like to work with.”
And I finally asked him, “What is your timeline?” And he said, “Oh, I don’t want to start until next spring.” I’m like, there you go. It’s perfect and that’s exactly when I wanted.
So, I know that God is in that for sure.
Donita Bundy: We would like to know a bit more about The Heavens Proclaim His Glory. How did that come about? And how did you choose the contributors?
Lisa Stilwell: When I worked at Thomas Nelson, I commuted 45 minutes each way and I listened to worship music. I love music and there’s a song by Third Day. They no longer are Third Day, but they sing a song called All the Heavens and I listened to that song over and over and over because it would just expand my heart and mind into the vastness of God’s creation up into the heavens.
And at the same time, I love Hubble telescope pictures. Whenever I would see a headline, I would go right to it and read about it. I spent time on the website and was just so in awe of the beautiful photographs that the telescope took. And that’s when I started getting the idea of, gosh, between the inspiration from the song and seeing the photos, I thought, what a beautiful idea for a coffee table book, having some very inspiring excerpts by a whole range of authors and pastors I’ve worked with. I’ve worked with so many.
And I actually tried to get the idea passed at work at Thomas Nelson for two years and they kept turning it down. And I couldn’t let it go. Couldn’t let it go. Finally, I asked my boss at the time, “Look, can I have the designer create a couple of spreads on PDF or PowerPoint? Let me pitch it to our Edboard group,” which is all the VPs in the company. They have to approve any book that we want to do “and if they decline, I won’t ever call you again.” And she said, “Okay,” thinking it wouldn’t pass!
Well, when I walked in all prepared for the presentation, it’s the one and only time the CEO of the company was in that meeting. Usually, it’s just the VPs. Well, the CEO, Michael Hyatt, was there and my heart beat pretty fast and it got to my turn and when I presented it, he loved it.
There was no declining. He loved it and so I was able to press forward.
And what I did was I just started reaching out with our database of pastors and authors and started sending out emails and almost everyone I reached out to said yes, and they
sent me something.
So, it was really a blast to work on, a labour of love. It took me about nine months and it’s basically my magnum opus.
Belinda Pollard: That’s lovely. You’re also an acquisitions editor, which is a fairly high position. Did you work up to that? Did you come into that? How did that happen?
Lisa Stilwell: Well, I definitely worked up and after editing and editing and I just needed more of a challenge. And so that’s when I just asked, “Hey, do you mind if I reach out to this person or that person?” “Sure, we need titles that work,” and I liked the new challenge, a lot. I really did.
And at Thomas Nelson, I was in the gift book division, but when I went to Howard, it was
trade book and that was full-fledged into the trade book acquisitions and I loved it. I absolutely loved doing it.
Belinda Pollard: It’s almost like a progression, isn’t it?
Lisa Stilwell: Well, yes, it takes confidence knowing a good idea when you hear it and is this the right person to write about it? It just takes a lot of intuitiveness, I guess, and leading of the Holy Spirit.
And I really, really got a charge out of it, but it took time to develop that. You know, it took years actually to develop it. That part was not as natural for me.
Belinda Pollard: And God was moving you in that direction.
Lisa Stilwell: Yes
Belinda Pollard: You can see that.
Lisa Stilwell: Which is really what it’s all about, He doesn’t develop us and just keep us there. “Okay, you’ve learned this now, I’m ready to graduate you to the next thing.” And isn’t that the way He works? At least it’s been the way for me.
So, it is not boring being a servant of the Lord, by any means!
Belinda Pollard: The Gracewriters slogan is Christian Writers Changing Popular Culture; what are your thoughts or reactions to that?
Lisa Stilwell: It’s never been more needed.
I mean, look at our culture today and the chaos and the division and I think it’s so important as ever, not just through the written word but by what you’re doing now, because not everyone likes to read. They would rather listen to a podcast or watch a video.
And I think it’s wonderful what you’re doing. In a sense we’re all just part of God’s
Kingdom working together, however we can, to get His message of hope and encouragement
and His love and forgiveness and eternal life, all of it, to anyone that we can.
We never know how far reaching what we’re doing right now will be.
Belinda Pollard: Thank you so much for all of those thoughts, Lisa. I wish we could just keep on talking, but we’re out of time.
How about I pray for you before we finish?
Lisa Stilwell: Thank you.
Belinda Pollard: Heavenly Father, we thank you for Lisa.
We thank you for all the wonderful aspects of her life and work with you that she has
shared with us today and with the Gracewriters out there. I pray that you will bless her abundantly, that you will empower her by your Holy Spirit for this writing project that she’s starting now and for all that lies in the future.
I pray that you will speak through her, that you will minister to those that she writes
with and for, and that you will lead her in your ways to be your person, in your time, in
all the different situations.
And I pray for all the Gracewriters out there too, who are maybe thinking that they would
like to try getting into ghostwriting. And I pray that you will open the right doors for them and help them to be able to take it one step at a time and to find the way forward into what your plan is for them and for their subjects.
And we ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Lisa Stilwell: Amen.
Belinda Pollard: Lisa, where can listeners find you online?
Lisa Stilwell: My website is loadstoneliterary.wordpress.com.
Belinda Pollard: Thanks so much, Lisa Stilwell. Thank you, Donita Bundy and Alison Joy.
I’m Belinda Pollard and we will see you next time on the Gracewriters podcast.
Continue today’s conversation on our blog and find useful tips, resources, encouragement
and fellowship at gracewriters.com.
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