Because my family first heard of Christian Science through some stray copies of the Christian Science Sentinel and The Christian Science Journal left in a house we were temporarily renting many years ago, I have always felt a special love for these magazines. Although I was only seven years old at the time, the healings that followed our family's introduction to Christian Science caused me never to question the healing power of God. Also, my gratitude for these periodicals motivated me early on to begin writing for them—when I was in college, actually.
Over the years I developed the custom of keeping a folder on my desk marked "articles." Whenever an idea occurs to me that I think might be usable as the basis for an article, I put it into the folder. This way, ideas don't get away from me. And I find that once a line of thought for an article begins to unfold, I see references (in the current Bible Lesson or other reading) that seem appropriate possibilities for the article, or articles, that I'm considering. When I see a free block of time, I open the folder, sort out the notes, and begin to write.
I've found, too, that often at a clear point of inspiration in my thought, the entire framework of an article unfolds to me. And, again, this is an important time to make notes immediately, so that I'm prepared when I'm ready to write, maybe much later. I might add that I have always found the greatest hurdle is to get started on an article. I may have the notes, the outline, and the time— but I've always had to pray to overcome resistance simply to start writing.
