Blessings between the lines
[2011 KRC Text In-depth Editing Camp] Highlights
Organized/Lin Wenxin
▲Under the leadership of the editor-in-chief of this magazine, Pastor Su Wen'an, the three planning editors of the "Kingdom of God" team, Jian Hailan (left), Han Jiahua (middle), and Lin Minwen (right), have a steady and broad vision of life, and their editing skills are increasing day by day.
Once an editor, a lifelong learner. Some people have the talents and gifts of writing and caring for others, but they don’t know how to use them in the church and are gradually being buried; some people have entered the field of editorial ministry, but they don’t know how to break through and improve and gradually lose their enthusiasm. Pastor Su Wen'an holds an "In-depth Literary Editing Camp" every two years in Pennsylvania, USA, so that both new editors and professional warriors can be widely inspired and cultivated. Let's listen to Jian Hailan, three senior literati and planning editors in the "Kingdom of God Magazine" team. , Han Jiahua, and Lin Minwen talked about it, it turns out that the work between the lines is so rich and blessed!
Excuse me, where do you currently serve as the editor of "The Kingdom of God Magazine"?
Hyland:I am in charge of the "KRC and You" unit, reporting on various activities and interviews of the cultural practice camp. It is also a platform for the literary writers to make their debut. We hope that through this unit we can show readers the spirit of the Kingdom of God Resources for Christ Association, so as to bring us closer to the readers.
Jiahua:I am currently the planning editor of the "Kingdom Community" section. Community refers to the church and also covers society in a broad sense. The spirit of this unit comes from the expectations of the Lord Jesus:“If you do it to one of the least of these my brothers, you do it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)"You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world." (Matthew 5:13-14) In the past, we reported on the church's ministry to disadvantaged groups, such as restaurants, clothing factories, homeless people, prisons and other gospel ministry work; or Christians take the initiative to speak out to society and promote biblical values. For example, the latest 25th issue talked about Taiwanese Christians going into society and advocating "keeping promises", "keeping rules", "keeping chastity" and "keeping integrity" in families Ethical values, and express concerns about the re-editing of "gender equality education" textbooks for primary and secondary schools.
Minwen:I am the corporate editor of the "National Relations" section, responsible for planning the unit's themes, inviting manuscripts, polishing manuscripts, verifying article content, interviewing, and writing manuscripts, etc.
How do you look back on your earliest editorial ministry?
Jiahua:I started studying the editing courses taught by Teacher Su in 2001, the predecessor of the cultural camp, Literary Camp. In previous years, a special issue will be released after the writing camp courses, which include teachers’ advice, course highlights, students’ insights, camp exercises, highlights and creative observations, etc. After finishing the editing class, the teacher actually handed over the editing work to me. I am very grateful for his trust. However, this is not only a personal passionate commitment, but also requires the cooperation of the whole family. After holding Hailan's hand and praying back and forth in the cornfield next to the camp, she realized that it was not the right time yet, so she thanked the teacher's support with tears.
After a year of waiting quietly and without complaint, the whole family was ready, and my dream took off. With the support of my teachers and friends, I started learning typing bit by bit. My husband and two daughters tried their best to protect me, a computer illiterate, from editing work. It was done very smoothly. I am really grateful to God for this year of silent waiting. My family and everything have been prosperous, and I understand that service is God’s extra grace. The 2001 Literary Camp special issue - "Writing as if there is God" was the first special issue sent to Taiwan's Tian'en Publishing House for printing. It had professional art editing and pictures. Not only did it not exceed the budget, there was still enough money. I was very honored to complete it. That job was a very wonderful experience.
Minwen:Before I officially became the corporate editor of "The Kingdom of God Magazine", I mostly assisted the editors at that time in typing, proofreading, and interview writing. To put it bluntly, I was a working-class handyman who was enslaved for two years. To put it mildly, it was the so-called "As a young man, I am also humble, so I often do despicable things." At that time, we had to flexibly support the needs of the editorial team. For example, we were the first desk in front of the household registration office to help solve various difficult problems in editorial work.
Hailan:I long for the concerted work of a group of editors of Taiwan's early "Wenxing Magazine", but I can't imagine it will become a reality. Encouraged by fellow students from the Writing Camp, Mai Xiaoying and Wang Meiyu, I participated in the editing of the second special issue of the Writing Camp in 2000 (I later learned that Mai and Wang had been praying for this matter for a long time). However, the actual hard work involved in editing was not as beautiful as I originally imagined. Fortunately, Teacher Su Wen'an continued to encourage me to face challenges, so I have accepted challenges all the way to this day.
Please use words and images to describe editorial ministry.
Hailan:Once I was praying with a teacher's wife, and she had a vision of me knitting. I suddenly realized that editing work is just like knitting a sweater, right? From designing the pattern to finishing the weaving, it is like the editor's process from planning to manuscript invitation, review, and revision. You need to be patient when making a sweater. If it is not good, you have to tear it down. The same is true for editing work. You need to remove the junk and retain the essence in order to have a good finished product.
Jiahua:The most important thing in editorial work is the team. The team is a circle and everyone is indispensable. The editorial team of "National Community" is like a group of wild geese flying south. The team is led by Mr. Su Wen'an, the special editor-in-chief, and the editors, authors, and reporters are arranged in a herringbone shape to fly together. There are three work characteristics: 1. Taking turns to lead. 2. When landing to recuperate, if a member takes a break due to family or other needs, his teammates will surround him and work on his behalf. 3. Make croaking sounds to cheer each other up.
▲Pastor Su Wen’an’s humorous interview made the editing camp classroom full of laughter and entertaining.
What has been your most enjoyable experience as an editor so far? What aspects need breakthroughs the most?
Minwen:Compared to writing, I have relatively little experience in editing, and I have to learn more about topic selection, in-depth reporting, writing works that move readers, and communicating well with authors. In particular, how to express inner expectations so that the author can understand them, remind the author to submit the manuscript on time, understand the author's personality, and find the right way to interact and work with the author. These are the directions I want to work hard on.
Jiahua:Minwen is good at grasping the key points that readers like to read. She is the main author of the recent series of reports "Creating Worship with Hands" in the "National Talents" section. The titles are eye-catching and the articles are wonderful. She is also good at proofreading, and her big eyes are particularly good at catching mistakes. She once experienced a bottleneck, struggling between interview work and literary creation. Later, Teacher Su encouraged her to write interview scripts in prose and find another way.
Hailan:I had my manuscript rejected eight times in a row by Professor Su Wen'an, and I learned a lot of valuable knowledge and experience. I printed out the articles before and after the revision, framed them with red pen, and compared them carefully. I gradually made progress, and found that Teacher Su had changed the order of the articles, which gave the articles a different look. I am very grateful to have Teacher Su care and guide me like a parent on the journey of writing. I deeply understand the truth of the saying "Once a teacher, always a father".
I pay less attention to the things around me. After I joined the editing work, I like to look for stories. Even when chatting with people when seeing a doctor, I will pay attention to whether there are any story themes. But what I need to break through is to "ask" good questions, not just chat. In addition, we must also strengthen our professional knowledge and pay attention to details, because the slightest error can make a huge difference, and the editor should bear the responsibility for the authenticity of the content of the published article.
Jiahua:I require every word in the article to withstand the challenge, pay special attention to verification, and be prepared to face the test at any time. After I cooperate with anyone, I always become friends with the other person. This is the coping method I learned from Teacher Su and Teacher Li. In the execution of theme planning, there are often surprises that go beyond what we asked for and imagined, and we find gold mines. This is the grace given by God after fasting and prayer. What I want to break through is the difficulty of writing and American grammar, and my writing skills need to be improved; I also need to expand the pattern and look at readers in Taiwan and mainland China. Of course, this is not something that can be achieved overnight, it is a long-term goal.
What do you think you can learn and reflect on from the "editor's" mentality and character? How does this affect life and ministry?
Jiahua:Editors should appreciate the author's merits, not hesitate to praise, use a gentle attitude to guide the author to write articles that are relevant to the topic, and do not criticize or complain arbitrarily. Sometimes you may learn personal secrets at work, so you must have a moral awareness and the moral courage to take responsibility. I remember the first time I edited a special issue of the Literary Camp. Teacher Su gave me immense trust and shared the responsibility for the quality of the publication with me. This made me unforgettable and conscientious. I also really appreciate Ms. Li Li’s intention to speak out her shortcomings directly in the editorial meeting and hope that the editorial team will strive for excellence. When the editorial team faces external challenges, her courage to stand up and take responsibility makes us regard this team as family. .
Since I am engaged in editing, my children say that my temper is getting better, my expressive ability has increased, my whole life is different, and I am closer to my family. This is my greatest joy.
Minwen:I have a strict personality and like everything to be done step by step and completed within the planned time, just like a bus that arrives on time. However, field editing will face many unexpected situations, often unexpected, more like a taxi that must stop at any time to pick up a customer. How to adapt to changes and arrange time appropriately in manuscript appointments, Bible reading, prayer and daily life has always been my homework.
I think editors are sometimes like firefighters, who need to put out fires at critical moments to complete each theme plan. Many times I thought I could control the progress and master the process, but being an editor helped me learn to rely on God at all times, because everything that happens is in God's hands. In order to do a good job in editing, I learned to pray for the author more seriously, and I also learned to be brave enough to accept new challenges. Even if it is something that I cannot control, I can rely on God to complete it.
Hailan:Editors should be humble, accepting, and tolerant. I used to criticize the author for not being serious, but later I found out that it was a misunderstanding caused by not understanding the author's writing process. I think editors also need to have the mentality of obedience and working together, because editing is a team work. Only one order is given and everyone is mobilized to complete each task. As for the impact of participating in editing work on personal life, it is that I will become more considerate of others.
▲At this year’s cultural practice camp in Pennsylvania, the editorial team of Kingdom of God magazine took time to hold meetings as usual. Even in the outdoor BBQ, they still did not forget to build editorial consensus and pray for each other.
What is your most memorable experience as an editor?
Minwen:I am most grateful to have two seniors in this team, Sister Hailan and Sister Jiahua, for their encouragement. Jia Hua's encouraging words are the Taiwanese saying "Be careful not to be frightened". To be frightened means not to be afraid. From their steady attitude towards dealing with things, I became more aware of my own limitations and encouraged myself to learn to rely closely on God.
Jiahua:I once interviewed Brother Yu Chaohua, the secretary of the Agape International Deaf Love Association. The tall man was talking on the other end of the phone and weeping for the huge number of deaf people who had never heard the gospel. Sister Lin Jiale, the skinny and frail founder, While traveling in China, he preached the gospel to deaf people and was willing to go to jail. Their love for the silent people deeply touched me, and I wrote that interview article with deep emotion. I became friends with them, and often prayed for them and the Deaf Love Association.
Hailan:I am most grateful to Teacher Su for guiding me step by step. When I was first writing the special issue of the 2000 Literary Camp, I was faced with the difficulty of not being accepted. Teacher Su immediately prayed for me on the phone and changed the theme of the special issue originally titled "I don't know why" to "Finally I know why." Learn to view everything from a positive perspective. Later, I was writing a review of the relationship between father and son in the movie "The Farewell". The title was originally "Being an Absent Father", but Teacher Su changed it to "Listening to the Story of the Stone" and asked me to learn how to make the title more literary and artistic. and more meaningful.
What tips and advice would you give to people interested in becoming editors?
Jiahua:First, being an editor requires a lot of time. You should keep your life as simple and low-maintenance as possible. Go shopping less, buy less decorative items, and donate whatever you have at home. Second, due to the large number of editorial duties, church services will be relatively reduced. In addition, we must always maintain harmonious interpersonal relationships with core church colleagues, interact with brothers and sisters with a humble attitude, and avoid giving people the impression of "arrogance"; thirdly, we must obtain support from our family members, especially husbands and children, and edit work. Only then can you be competent for a long time and be blessed.
Hailan:Tolerance is a great attitude. Read more books on a daily basis and are encouraged to participate in the cultural camp’s monthly aerial reading club. When encountering writing bottlenecks or looking for planning topics, you need to fast and pray and ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In short, we must train ourselves to improve our spiritual life, and manage our lives with an attitude of enthusiasm, tolerance, acceptance, humility, and learning.
Minwen:First of all, practice more basic skills (such as Teacher Su’s Qiyi exercise) to improve writing sensitivity. Only when communicating with the author can the author understand the highlights of the article that have been changed by the editor, so that the author can respect the editor’s opinions more. Second, receive the confidence to serve as an editor from God and don’t think you’re smart. Don’t be afraid of controversial topics when planning. As long as you confirm after prayer that it is what God wants you to do, then go ahead and do it bravely. Finally, business relationships matter:
1. Manage the relationship with the author, there are so many trivial matters that editors have to deal with, where should they invest the remaining time? From my experience, after seeing the time that my predecessors invested in themselves, I slowly learned that as an editor, I have to invest time in authors in order to do better editorial work.
2. Management team relationship, editing a magazine requires teamwork, and it is essential to make phone calls, pray for each other, and keep in touch with your work partners on weekdays, because one face-to-face visit is worth 10,000 emails. For example, last time I returned to Taiwan, I took the time to visit the executive editor Fei Ru and the art editor Xuan Mei of Tian'en Publishing House. Not only did I strengthen my relationship with them, I also received a lot of help from them. Since then, our work communication between the two places has become smoother because of that meeting.3. Manage your relationship with God, this is also the most important thing. Once, when the deadline for writing an article came, I was debating whether to go to the BSF Bible Study Fellowship or to quickly sort out the incoming articles. I chose to study the Bible, and then used the free time before dinner to sort out the articles and send them out by email. It happened to be the time during the day in Taiwan to receive the articles. There was no delay at all. It also made me understand better that managing the relationship with God is the most important thing in everything. Give priority and God will bless you.
Author profile
Lin Wenxin is from Hsinchu, Taiwan. She and her husband now live in Minnesota, USA, living a simple and rich life. I like beautiful things, touching true stories, and capturing the wonders of nature with my camera. Now I am learning to use my pen to serve and embark on another journey full of blessings.