Make the Write Connections

Holiday celebrations may have had you swamped the past couple months, but have you managed to scratch out some thoughts onto a document recently? The goal wasn’t to produce anything pretty, but any progress you’ve made has begun to transform those formerly invisible thoughts into visible ones. Scrambled as they may appear, at this time, I commend you for oodging them into the light of day.

In my experience, even when my words are strewn about like jigsaw pieces freshly dumped from the box, they become more manageable when I can see them. I find it easier to discern which of them are worth keeping and which need more fleshing out when I’m able to look at them.

If you’ve made it through this initial wrestling match, it may be a good time to ask the Lord whether He wants you to write or become a writer–has He put the pen in your hand for a single project or to begin a new calling?

How can you tell? Did you experience a surprising satisfaction in wrangling your thoughts from their hiding place and throwing them onto the page? It could be God is highlighting a talent you weren’t aware He’d given you.

Your Next Step

Your next step is important. You need to connect with other writers. They’ll be able to give you the critical encouragement you’ll need. They’ll be sharing similar battles with you–against procrastination, uncertainty, rejection and, let’s face it, tricky grammar. You’ll be fellow students in the school of developing into an increasingly better writer.

Even authors of multiple best-sellers don’t cultivate their gift alone. Networking brings us into contact with those better at writing and editing, with gurus in social networking, with all the specialized encouragers, comforters, admonishers, trainers and teachers we’ll need on the journey.

Discovering our gift is only the starting place. In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 shows us the importance of taking that gift to the next level. The master in the story entrusted three servants with different amounts of money. Two of them doubled his investment in them. When the master called them to account, they received praise for their diligence. The third was given a gift he refused to develop and earned a rebuke for his negligence.

If you don’t know of any writers groups near you, you can certainly check Google or Meetup or other online sources. Allow me, however, to offer a few resources I recommend.

Suggested Resources

To help you discover whether you’re called to be a writer:

• read this article by Mary DeMuth
• or this blog by Kathy Harris.

For training in writing:

• try Jerry B. Jenkins’ website
• or join his guild during one of his open season.

To find or start a local or online writers critique group:

• check out Word Weavers International.