Those of you who know me know that my writing passion is dealing with the deepest issues of the human heart.  I do this primarily through writing fiction, but I also address heart issues in my non-fiction and in my poetry.

For the past several months, I have been working with a publicist to establish a brand for my writing.  After much prayer and discussion, I have decided that, in order better to reflect my writing passion, I will need to shift the focus of my blog from tips on writing fiction to matters that deal with the human heart.  All of my writing—whether fiction, non-fiction, or poetry—deals with matters of the heart, especially the deepest matters of the heart.  So it is fitting that my blog should deal with matters of the heart as well.

I did not make this decision lightly.  As you know, I love teaching writers. At the same time, there are numerous blogs out there that focus on fiction writing, while there are fewer that focus on those matters of the heart that affect not only our writing but also other aspects of our daily lives.  With my new focus, I will be able to reach not only my fellow writers, but also those who read my books and others who are interested in matters of the heart and how they affect daily life.

So, beginning this month, I will be writing a weekly blog called “Matters of the Heart” that will appear on Wednesdays.  In this blog, I will discuss issues of life that all of us face at one time or another. Together, we will explore the human heart in relation to Scripture, and we will learn how to overcome those matters of the heart that lead to failure and cultivate those matters of the heart that lead to life. 

We live in an age where the heart must be restored to its original place of submission to Christ and to His ways. I trust that you will join me on this journey and that you will tell others about “Matters of the Heart.”

Thanks and Blessings,

MaryAnn

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Copyright 2014 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.
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Are you in over your head with social media and marketing? If so, take heart. Countless writers are struggling with the seeming demands of marketing their work while trying to write new material. If this is you, listen up.

Years ago, I heard Gloria Copeland make a profound statement.  She said that whenever she is faced with assuming a new activity, she asks herself one question:  Will taking on this activity enhance or detract from my relationship with Jesus Christ?

This is a great question for us to ask ourselves when it comes to getting involved in social media. Too often, the Christian writer allows social media to rob her of intimate time with Christ.. Yet, nothing is more important for us than our relationship with Jesus. Out of that relationship flows everything we write. If the relationship is weak, our writing will be weak.  And I don’t necessarily mean our writing style, our story structure, or the wonderful way we put sentences together. I mean the heart of our writing.  Unless we are intimately connected to Jesus, our writing will lack life.

So let’s examine our writing lives. Have we fallen into a “keep up with the Joneses” attitude when it comes to social media?  Must we be on every single platform in order to succeed?  Obviously, the answer is no.  We have only one question to answer: Will getting involved in this social media platform enhance my relationship with Jesus or detract from it?  If we can answer that single question, everything else will fall into place.

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Copyright 2014 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.
Dr. MaryAnn is the author of WHO IS JESUS?,  a delightfully heartwarming children’s picture book that presents Jesus as Love Personified.

Choices. We make them every day, and even several times a day. But do we make them fully aware of their consequences? Sad to say, more often than not, our choices are made without a second thought as to their consequences.  Especially our little choices.

Yes, it is the little choices that usually have the most serious consequences.  How so? Well, little choices add up to big consequences. For example, the choice to eat a chocolate bar every day can add up to several pounds gained in the course of a year.  The choice to sleep in every morning instead of getting up to write can add up to several books that you could have written but didn’t.

Choices matter. Not only the big choices, but especially the little ones.  As someone I know once said, “It’s the little things in life that are the big things.”

Treat your little choices like big ones, because that is what they really are!

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Copyright 2014 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

Humility is a much and often misunderstood concept. To understand what humility is, let’s look at what it is not:

1) Humility is not putting yourself down.

2) Humility is not comparing yourself to others.

3) Humility is not denying your talents.

4) Humility is not refusing a compliment.

5) Humility is not taking no credit.

Now let’s look at what humility is:

1) Humility is agreeing with God that you are who He says you are and that you can do what He says you can do.

2) Humility is recognizing that you are a unique person of great worth to God, just as every other person is unique and of great worth to God.

3) Humility is acknowledging your talents and being grateful for them, understanding that they are gifts from God for the betterment of humanity.

4) Humility is graciously accepting a compliment with a simple “thank you,” knowing that without God you would have no talents.

5) Humility is acknowledging that you have cooperated and co-labored with God in creating a work of art.
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Copyright 2014 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD.  All Rights Reserved.