Thursday, 29 March 2012

Notes from David Daly about Dawn Merrow

When I met Dawn, and shared My Testimony as God Directs me through the Holy Spirit, I didn't expect to be blessed doing this Work!.....even as I write this the Scripture below enters my heart,

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
John 14:12

God is so good!.. Dawn, even though she has called our meeting 'chance,' I believe that "by Gods Grace and His hand upon her life has directed her to me. This Wonderful, Talented established Writer/Author and deservedly Co/Partner, has been directed to me for us both to do this Powerful Testimony of God's Love and Grace through faith in his Son Jesus, to encourage others and give hope that just as I done..."One Sincere Prayer from Our heart of repentence before God can be the start of a 'beautiful,fulfilling New life Wow!!......thank you lord another Scripture below:
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:38

My life, but more importantly, My heart has changed!

May Godbless all the readers of this Book/blog

All Glory to God Amighty!
 
feel free to post questions i will try my best to answer

David

Sunday, 25 March 2012

Ghostwriter to Partner: The Writer Behind the Curtain

The definition for a ghostwriter is:
"...a writer who writes books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person." -Wikipedia

You've most likely seen some of my work on web portals, blogs, and other informational online sources without even knowing I wrote it. Many freelance writers spend a lot of time producing work that never bears their name. It's a fun and interesting way to gain experience writing professionally. I have written hundreds of articles that have helped me hone my skills and pay a bill here or there.

Dawn's "office"
When I proposed helping David turn his incredible life story into a moving testimonial memoir, I envisioned my role as,at most, ghostwriter; the lady behind the curtain, if you will. As you can see, the curtain has been drawn back and I am a named, visible writing partner on One Way to Grace. How did that happen?

David wanted to be open and honest about the creation of this book. He expressed to me that by taking my name off of the project, he would be ignoring the contributions I've made. I told him the only recognition I needed was the knowledge that his story was being shared with you all. But, he's the boss! He put his foot down on the matter and I went from the unseen ghostwriter to a co-writer.

My Role


So, you may ask this question--- If this is David's memoir, his life story, why does he need a writing partner?

After expressing to David the real potential I saw in his story, I sent him a small proposal containing some of my ideas for the look, feel, and overall message of the memoir. As a friend, I wanted him to have a good running head start on the project. In my head, the proposal could get him fired up about his ability to reach out to people. Maybe he could use me as a consultant, a small service I've provided to one or two other writers. I didn't want David's money, never wanted to charge him a fee for the help I could provide. I saw the impact David could make by telling his story, and wanted to be a part of all that good in any way possible.

David took one look at the proposal and emailed me back that he would need more than the occasional proofread or consultation. His storytelling skills are impressive; I could listen to him talk for hours. What he was unsure of was his ability to transform his stories into a readable memoir, into a work of art that can best share the beautiful message of faith and redemption his life represents. He saw my vision for the work, saw how many people my words and his story could touch.


My Words, David's Story



Next, I explained to David about the ghostwriting process. It would take a while, but through a series of conversations and pointed interviews, I was sure I could absorb the details of his life and reproduce them in a compelling manner. All of the elements of a page-turning plot are right there in the timeline of David's life. A writer couldn't have constructed a better main character. To truly capture the tension of Northern Ireland in the 1970's, the desperation of alcoholism, the struggle of a broken marriage, and the eventual surrender to Christ...this was a challenge and privilege to take on. I was thrilled to become David's ghostwriter.

Then, one day David and I were talking about publishers and book promotion. I brought up how he would need to get to know his readers. (Hi, readers!) To this point he said:
"Yeah, but you'll be there with me, so it'll be fine."

I was silent for a couple seconds. I said I was the ghostwriter, you can't see ghosts. That's what makes them ghosts. The readers won't know who I am, won't know I wrote a word of the book. It's David's memoir, after all. Plenty of memoirs are written with a ghostwriter. Celebrities and businessmen do it all the time. Nothing wrong with it. David was not happy with that arrangement. And, like I said earlier...he's the boss. So, now my name will be on the cover with his. I'll be a credited writer.
Super cool, if you ask me, and very unexpected. It's been an honor to work on this project, it'll be an honor to stand beside David as the world gets to know his life story.

That's how I went from ghostwriter to partner, how the curtain got pulled back, how a hopeful agnostic from the U.S. wound up co-writing the memoir of a born-again Christian man from the U.K.

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

David's Testimony

Once I heard David's testimony, I knew it had to be shared with the world.
During a trip to Israel in 2004, David told his testimony live in front of 60 million people in the UK from the Sea of Galilee. You can see in the video that his body was gaunt and recovering; his sobriety was new and the healing had just begun both physically and spiritually.
Here are the words that inspired me to begin work with David on his testimonial memoir, One Way to Grace.   (The video quality isn't awesome, please bear with us.)


Monday, 19 March 2012

Ah-Ha Moments

The first time I turned down plans with a friend because I had Bible study with David I was met with slight chuckles and disbelief. You see, I've never been a religious or faithful person. My usual verbiage for my beliefs is that I'm a "hopeful agnostic." The idea of a higher power lovingly watching over us was comforting and reassuring in times of crisis. I've been known to throw around a "Thank God" or two when something great happens. Was never moved to commit to a particular sect, always had too many questions and doubts. I've never been very good at following rules, either. True faith takes dedication and exuberance I've yet to find in my own life.
So, it came as a bit of a shock to my friends and family when I started devoting several hours a week studying Scripture with a Christian man an ocean away in the United Kingdom. It was important to David and I when we started the memoir that I develop a better understanding of the Bible, what it teaches and what it means to Believers. I now have my own King James Bible, given to me by David. I've also made a promise to my partner and teacher that I would spend time reading from it every day. He's made no effort to "convert" me to his beliefs, only to show me the path that is there for me if I choose it. His faith has so completely lit up his life and spirit, he cannot help sharing that with others.
The first piece of Scripture David and I studied together that truly moved me wound up being used in the memoir:

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:
but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;
 but will with the temptation also make a way to escape,
that ye may be able to bear it."
-1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV
David and I were comparing stories of things we have gone through that tried our resilience. This passage from 1 Corinthians perfectly expressed David's perspective on this topic.
"God will never give you more than you can handle," David said to me, as I remembered the hard times I had been through. 
The idea of this stayed with me for days. I considered how many times I had taken the escape offered by harmful temptations. The list of regrets I kept carefully cataloged could all be connected to moments to escape. Perhaps these could be lessons, not regrets.
There have been so many of these "Ah-ha" moments as I absorbed the  lessons presented in the Bible, lessons made clearer by David's faithful interpretations.

-Dawn

Note from the Writer About David Daly

I met David Daly by chance. He wouldn't call it chance, though. He would say God lead us to one another. His story inspired me from a writer's point of view as one of triumph, recovery and hope. Little did I know that working with David would move me to pray, push me to learn about Scripture, and open my heart to faith...if only just a crack for now.
David believes that every soul, no matter how lost, can be saved. His ability to confront disbelievers with calm and joyful faith convinces me to shut up and listen to the lessons he had to teach.
The stories are his, the words are mine. Together, we can spread his message of redemption through faith.
-Dawn