Words of Truth

Ecclesiastes 12:12 says, “Of making many books there is no end….” My husband’s blog begins with this same verse. In his blog, he speaks of lending one’s voice to the whole, becoming part of the conversation, adding to the anthology of life.

It is, however, an observable fact that there is more written material in the world than could be read in one’s lifetime. But that is not to say that we cannot or should not add our words to the collection.

With such an abundance of books already available, we have the difficult task of choosing what we will write. How do we determine what we should inject into this never-ending stream?

Back up a verse in this passage from Ecclesiastes 12, and you will find worthy guidance in verse 11: “The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.”

Whether I am writing my own material or editing yours, I have taken these words to heart. My goal is to produce words that are acceptable: words that are upright and true—something that is worthy of being read. That’s a tall order, but a motivating objective!

My earliest memories of writing are of a pencil, a blank sheet of paper, and my feverish intention to fill that paper completely with my own words. As a child, I was passionate about two things: horses and writing. I filled page after page with my childish stories and poetry, mostly about horses. I still have some of those pages. I could call myself a published author, and in a certain sense, it would be true: one of my poems was published in our local newspaper when I was eight years old. Here it is:

Colts are born,

Born today.

On wobbly legs,

They run away.

The words of my little poem are still out there—maybe on an obsolete microfiche somewhere, maybe in the archives of the Columbus Dispatch, maybe in someone’s collection of newspaper clippings (mine!). And now, here they are again today, entering the stream of words for a second time!

Maybe they don’t appear to hold much significance—oh, but they do! What if they encourage another small child to begin writing, and that child goes on to write the next bestseller? What if they inspire someone to begin training horses, and they go on to win the Triple Crown? What if they motivate someone to study the physiology of running, and they go on to develop a cure for spinal cord injuries? The what-ifs could go on and on…

We don’t know where our words will go once we put them out there. But I do know that whether they are my words or yours, they matter. That is one reason I do what I do. I believe that if you have something worth telling, you should tell it well. I can help you do that.

I can help you prepare your book for publication—whether it is assistance with writing, editing, typesetting, or simply organizing your ideas and getting started. I want you to have a product that is acceptable: filled with words of truth and worthy of being read!

~Paula A. Canfield