Looking for inspiration? Check out the new book Motivational Mondays by Northeast State’s April Allen.
A Northeast State alumna, Allen looked inward and upward when the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe. She felt called to write passages that uplifted and encouraged herself and others, especially on a frequently challenging day of the week.
“A lot of my writing’s come from personal experience,” said Allen. “It is how I process my thoughts and feelings and try to learn whatever I’m supposed to be learning, then share it with others.”
The book is a collection of insightful motivations Allen began writing in 2020. A 2018 graduate of Northeast State and co-host of the college’s Sound Bearier podcast, she started emailing motivational writings to campus friends and members of the Campus Christian Fellowship club. Those quick electronic notes compelled Allen to pursue writing more detailed entries and turn those into a book.
Allen self-published the book and designed the cover. She draws many of her motivations from personal experiences going back to childhood through her teenage years. Allen credits divine inspiration that motivated her to begin writing.
“A lot of times God lays it on my heart, and I put it on paper,” said Allen. “Life is all of it, the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
Writing became an outlet during the pandemic’s months of lockdowns and social separation. She received feedback from colleagues and friends, expressing thanks for her words. Allen admits her love of coffee proved to be a motivator for intellectual energy on many occasions.
“There’s a lot of caffeine thrown in there because I love my coffee,” she said. “It helps me as I process my thoughts and feelings and try to put things into perspective.”
The family lived in Indiana for 18 years before moving back to Tennessee. Allen’s brother graduated from Northeast State. Her mother, Glenna Allen, taught English and reading at Northeast State for several years.
The book contains writings about issues that hit very close to home for Allen and the reader. Her father, Ray Allen, retired two years ago as a beloved member of the Technologies Division at Northeast State. He taught electro-mechanical technology at the college for more than 10 years. The past four years found him battling cancer, taking treatments in and out of state. Allen’s writings reflect how people cope with health issues affecting their loved ones.
Self-publishing a book comes with a learning curve, said Allen. She took on writing, editing, designing, and formatting the text for publishing. Reformatting the text requires finding an appropriate font for both text style and cost considerations. She spent months editing her work to align thoughts and words to get the message she wanted. The editing process took time but proved to be a valuable learning experience.
Allen said knowing “why” she was writing kept her motivated. She said getting writing done and edited before trying to publish proved to be a key to success. The drive to share love and encouragement remained, no matter how difficult the words were to put in the right order, she said.
“If you don’t know your why, what you are going to write about, and why, you will not follow through,” Allen advised. “There were times I wanted to quit, but I knew it was something I was called to do.”
Allen is already contemplating volume two, with more enlightening points of view. Reading and re-reading her work gave her new ideas. The emphasis remains on being an encouraging light to her family and the world.
“I try to learn whatever I’m supposed to be learning and share it with others,” said Allen. “Hopefully it will be an encouragement to them.”
Looking for inspiration? Check out the new book Motivational Mondays by Northeast State’s April Allen.
A Northeast State alumna, Allen looked inward and upward when the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe. She felt called to write passages that uplifted and encouraged herself and others, especially on a frequently challenging day of the week.
“A lot of my writing’s come from personal experience,” said Allen. “It is how I process my thoughts and feelings and try to learn whatever I’m supposed to be learning, then share it with others.”
The book is a collection of insightful motivations Allen began writing in 2020. A 2018 graduate of Northeast State and co-host of the college’s Sound Bearier podcast, she started emailing motivational writings to campus friends and members of the Campus Christian Fellowship club. Those quick electronic notes compelled Allen to pursue writing more detailed entries and turn those into a book.
Allen self-published the book and designed the cover. She draws many of her motivations from personal experiences going back to childhood through her teenage years. Allen credits divine inspiration that motivated her to begin writing.
“A lot of times God lays it on my heart, and I put it on paper,” said Allen. “Life is all of it, the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
Writing became an outlet during the pandemic’s months of lockdowns and social separation. She received feedback from colleagues and friends, expressing thanks for her words. Allen admits her love of coffee proved to be a motivator for intellectual energy on many occasions.
“There’s a lot of caffeine thrown in there because I love my coffee,” she said. “It helps me as I process my thoughts and feelings and try to put things into perspective.”
The family lived in Indiana for 18 years before moving back to Tennessee. Allen’s brother graduated from Northeast State. Her mother, Glenna Allen, taught English and reading at Northeast State for several years.
The book contains writings about issues that hit very close to home for Allen and the reader. Her father, Ray Allen, retired two years ago as a beloved member of the Technologies Division at Northeast State. He taught electro-mechanical technology at the college for more than 10 years. The past four years found him battling cancer, taking treatments in and out of state. Allen’s writings reflect how people cope with health issues affecting their loved ones.
Self-publishing a book comes with a learning curve, said Allen. She took on writing, editing, designing, and formatting the text for publishing. Reformatting the text requires finding an appropriate font for both text style and cost considerations. She spent months editing her work to align thoughts and words to get the message she wanted. The editing process took time but proved to be a valuable learning experience.
Allen said knowing “why” she was writing kept her motivated. She said getting writing done and edited before trying to publish proved to be a key to success. The drive to share love and encouragement remained, no matter how difficult the words were to put in the right order, she said.
“If you don’t know your why, what you are going to write about, and why, you will not follow through,” Allen advised. “There were times I wanted to quit, but I knew it was something I was called to do.”
Allen is already contemplating volume two, with more enlightening points of view. Reading and re-reading her work gave her new ideas. The emphasis remains on being an encouraging light to her family and the world.
“I try to learn whatever I’m supposed to be learning and share it with others,” said Allen. “Hopefully it will be an encouragement to them.”
Share this:
Like this: