Do you apologise for writing? My guess is that around half of you are happy to write and tell everyone you do, with no thought of apologising for this noble activity, and the other half can’t help adding a note of apology in your voice when speaking (admitting?) what you do in your spare time.
I have friends who go sailing, friends who do Zumba, friends who belong to book clubs, friends who sew, a friend who has a horse . . . none of them are in the least apologetic about their leisure activities! In fact, in some cases, their hobby is expensive as well as time consuming. And they don’t really care if they are that good at it – they do it because they love it!
It’s a good thing we are all different, but I wonder why some of us are so apologetic about our hobby?
Could it be that:
- we suspect our writing may not be any good
- as the remuneration is very small or non-existent we feel it must be unworthy activity
- we are a bit overawed by the title ‘writer’
But if you enjoy writing, be proud of it! What an awesome hobby! So what if you have been rejected by a publisher or two? It’s not a rejection of you! Keep writing, keep learning, keep reading and keep writing for the people who love to read what you have written. I have said this before – God has made us in his image and he is a creator. If you enjoy creating with words, don’t let anyone else’s opinion matter; hold your head up high when you tell them you write!
If you are reading this, you probably write for children and young people with the ultimate reason of sharing your faith. Don’t think you have to reach the world’s idea of success with your writing (publication by a big publishing house). If your Sunday School children love your stories, if your grandchildren/nephews/nieces are delighted that you write for them, if only one child is touched by your message, you have achieved something truly wonderful. Eternal even. Not even some of the best-selling authors of our day can say that.
May your words sow good seeds!
Janet
P.S. Please leave a comment if you have found this post helpful – I need encouragement too! Thank you 🙂
Hi Janet, I’m enjoying reading your posts. Although I’m not really writing for children at the moment, there’s still stuff that I’ve found helpful. Thanks!
Thank you so much for your comment Fiona, it’s really good to know that the posts are helpful – I’ll keep going then! What do you write?