So, Christian writers, what is your next step? If you need a door to open for you, maybe one of the following keys might help! Here are five keys for every aspiring writer:
- Keep learning
- Keep reading
- Encourage and be encouraged
- Write (practice makes perfect!)
- Give freely.
1. Keep learning
If we want to go to the next level in our writing, we need to keep learning. This is true with every area of our lives, whatever our level of expertise. There is always something new to learn! When my husband and I moved into our new home, the garden was a mess – we have had fun deciding what to do with it and learning a thing or two about plants. Being beginners, no doubt we will make mistakes! Writing is no different – there’s always more to learn. We’re only gardening for ourselves, but if you are serious about writing for others, please consider taking a course, or at least signing up for our free monthly writing tips (fill in the boxes above) – you will be amazed how much you will learn! Click here for the Write for a Reason course.
2. Keep reading
Reading is a great way to see how other authors have approached their stories. What can we learn from them – the good and the bad? What has worked and what could be improved on? Reading also increases our vocabulary, teaches us what our target readers are enjoying, and gives us something to aim for!
3. Encourage and be encouraged
Writing can be a lonely task, and we all need encouragement. Why not join a writers group in your area, or a postal group? The Association of Christian Writers run a selection of groups . . . might one of them suit you? If you want to be encouraged, the best way is to encourage others, so consider how you could do that. Perhaps you could start a group in your home?
4. Write
Just about everything we do in life improves with practice, whether it’s swimming, playing the piano, sharing our faith or writing stories. So it stands to reason that the more you write, the better your writing will be. I have been baking cakes for years and I have to say my sponge cakes are pretty good :-.) Skills like cake-making rarely arrive overnight, though – I had a good few disasters when I first started, and still do sometimes! So keep writing – every day if you can. Keeping a journal and entering writing competitions are great ways to get some good writing practice.
5. Give freely
We would all love to be published and make money from our work . . . but while we are working on that, why not write letters to prisoners of faith, send words of encouragement to missionary friends, or write stories for nephews and nieces? 🙂 There is nothing wrong with small beginnings, and you will get lots of practice at the same time!
So there you go – five keys for aspiring writers. Get that key fob out and start opening some doors!
If you have found this post helpful, please comment below and share on facebook and twitter. Thank you for giving back. 🙂
Janet
Good suggestions! I do think reading is immensely useful for writers: I h ave learned a lot through reading, and also for ‘reading for the dictionary’: for years I was one of the OED project’s outside readers, which meant I read a large a range of books I would not have read otherwise, earned a bit while the kids were small, and have some of the quotes I took ‘published’ in the dictionary! Also, love your suggestions: all writing is writing, whatever! (Think Beatrix Potter…)
Thank you for kind comment. Wow, reading for the dictionary . . . what a great way to be paid! When I was a teenager I’d just read whatever was on our bookshelves, which meant that I read a lot of spy novels (my dad’s books!). I didn’t like the westerns so much though :-).