Hally’s Writing

Growing up, it never occurred to me to be a writer.

I always found that writing papers and essays came easily, but I didn’t have fantastical and fun stories running through my mind, and I was not a reader. In fact, listening well and taking copious notes are the skills that got me successfully through high school, college, and graduate school while reading very (with a capital “V”) little. Listening and taking notes were also a huge help in my career as a counselor.

And, while I was not a writer of stories, I did enjoy writing poems and verses as a kid.

I enjoyed the rhyme—perhaps the order and symmetry of it. I liked finding clever ways to string words together. That’s my adult take on it. I remember vividly writing a Christmas poem as a young teen. It was several stanzas long, and my parents displayed it on the fridge, sharing it with family and friends throughout that holiday season. I still enjoy writing poetry, but I’m sure my little ditties fall short of being proper literary verse.

Seasons of writing…

During my first stint as a stay-at-home mom, I took a creative writing class through St. Louis Writers Workshop. That was 2001. In the last nearly twenty-five years, there have been times of regular writing and those when my writing was limited to planner notes, workplace assignments, and checks connected with children.

Life is rarely orderly or symmetrical.

Water drops and ripples

My writing resume consists of work under both my previous name, Hally Franz, and my current name. The links below will connect you with examples of my freelance writing for the Salem Web Network, as well as devotions, blog posts, and articles written during those unorderly and uneven years. I hope you enjoy them. I don’t know how my writing journey will evolve, but I know that I want to connect with readers. I want to share some of what I’ve learned about children and kids, mental health, parenting, and faith. I want to hear about your journeys, too. I sure hope you’ll join me!

By the way, somewhere along the way, God gave me the ability to focus long enough to read and comprehend. Though not a fast reader, I can now slow my mind in order to both concentrate and savor a good book. That has been a blessing and a joy! 

GodTube and GodUpdates

I’ve written hundreds of freelance articles for Salem Web Network’s GodTube and GodUpdates brands, and many of those stories have been shared on SWN’s other brands, Crosswalk and Life Audio’s Story Behind. It has been a joy to learn and write about courageous people, funny animals, medical miracles, and incredible events, as well as to preview and write about great videos of inspirational music, hilarious and wholesome comedy sketches, and so much more. The stories that I, and other contributors at SWN, share bring hope and light and a little fun into the lives of readers, and I am very proud of that.

My recent articles for GodUpdates include:

Find the full list of all of my Salem Web Network writing here:

Other Articles

The Joy of Pulling Weeds, and more

Hally’s articles for The Christian Pulse include The Joy of Pulling Weeds, Waging War on Immorality, and Turbo Teaching.

Daily Devotionals

Hally’s Daily Devotionals for The Wesleyan Church.

Tree and ocean

Plant a Tree

Hally’s article for The Book Club Network: Plant a Tree, Grow a Memory.

Pick-Up Game

Hally’s tip as part of advice on How to Get Your Children to Pick Up Their Things, published by Focus on the Family.

More of Hally’s writing