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What Our Faith Teaches about the Writing Life 

By: Danny R. Von Kanel

Our faith is a unique adventure providing purpose, meaning, and exuberant joy. Only recently did I consider what my faith taught about the writing life. 

I have found these specific lessons are applicable to any Christian about writing issues:

·         Quiet Time Intimacy (God desires intimacy. As writers, we must spend quality time

learning our craft. We must understand the tools of the trade.) 

Ernest Hearndon, author of Nature Trails and Gospel Tales: Stories of Grace from the Wilds of Mississippi, says, “As a full-time reporter at a daily newspaper, I don’t get a lot of time for polishing. But when I do, I take full advantage of it. Those opportunities come occasionally when I have a topic I can really sink my teeth into and the time to work on it. When that happens, I write the first draft, then go through it over and over meticulously.”

Bob Adams, author of Growing Up in Charis and The Blessed Pastor, says, “My writing life is indigenous to my ministry life.  Writing is a primary vehicle for the expression of the grace of Jesus through my life.  I spend so much time “doing” that I have little opportunity to set aside time to focus on the actual craft of writing.  Due to the grace of the Lord, I am constantly at the task and therefore constantly learning, correcting, honing, and advancing in my skills”

·         Written Word Communication (God’s key way to communicating with people is through

His written Word. As a writer, I must converse with the reader.) 

Herndon adds insight here: “I write as if I am telling someone what happened. That’s the best way I know to organize my thoughts. Readers shouldn’t have to work to figure out what I’m trying to say.”

“The way I go about writing,” says Rev. Bob Adams, “ is significantly defined by the assignment.  Writing a message for Sunday morning requires a certain approach while writing my weekly letter to my grandchildren requires a different approach.   

There are a few things common to almost all my writing. First, I have to simplify the truth I am dealing with. Second, the truth my writing addresses must have its roots clearly in Scripture.  While much of my life experience is used as illustrations, my life experience is not the subject.  My God-given assignment is to help awaken people to the near presence of Jesus.”

·         Hearing No Said to Our Prayers (God rejects some of our prayers sent to Him by saying

no. We will hear no from editors. The rejection is not personal.)

“One advantage of newspaper writing,” says Hearndon, “is that reporters don’t have to market their stories. As a longtime former free-lancer, however, I’m all too familiar with rejection letters, and never learned to like them. The goal is to find what is useful in them and ignore what is not.”

 This is not a concern of Adams. “I have not really dealt with this.  Much of my writing is encased in my pastoral ministry and, therefore, not presented to editors. While I have been privileged to write multiple articles, Bible studies, devotional materials, etc, it has all been “by assignment”.  I signed contracts to write and then fulfilled those contracts.”

·         Godly Counsel (Gods counsel is available to assist with living life if we ask for it. As

writers, we have untold resources at our fingertips to assist us on any issue in writing we face. Other writing professionals are handy to offer their expertise. )

 “I have consulted many books on the writing craft over the years,” says Herndon, “ especially those that are tailored to a particular topic — such as how to write a nonfiction book proposal, types of fiction plots, and markets for Christian children’s literature.

 Bob Adams uses few key resources, “Other than the standard resources a pastor would use in his ministry,

·      Faith Journey (Our life with God is a marathon and not a sprint -- becoming more like Him

over the long haul. Writers seldom excel in their craft overnight.)

 According to Hearndon, he agrees. “Writing is a tortoise-and-hare scenario. If you’re depending on quick success, you may get worn down and drop out. Just take it as it comes and enjoy the process and the small successes.”

“My writing”, says Adams,  “is an indigenous part of my life.  I write in every area of my life, not just for publication.  I suppose if I wrote only for occasional assignments, there might be some sense of the assignment being a sprint.  However, even though I do often write for assignment, the act of writing itself is as enduring and steady as my life.”

·      Life’s Snafus (Sin trips us in our walk with God but are fixable -- gaining forgiveness and
restoration. Writing brings its own share of pitfalls and quagmires. Yet, none is without
solutions.)

Hearndon says, “Free-lance writing is like acting, music, and sports. A relative few people achieve big success. The rest toil along like any other workers — which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Adams adds, “The first pitfall is putting myself at the center of my writing.  The second pitfall is failing to be simple.  The solution to this complicated writing is to discipline myself to a simple statement and keep checking my writing to see if it stays true to that simple statement. The third pitfall is writing as if I am speaking. The solution is to ask my wife to read, out loud, whatever I write.  This quickly reveals the awkwardness and incompleteness of much of my written material.”

 As we pursue intimacy with our craft – using the printed word  to converse with readers, our  lives are primed for writing accomplishments.  When we learn from rejection from editors and writing help from available resources, we have outside assistance in our journey.  When we see our writing as a marathon and not a sprint -- forgiving ourselves when succumbing to writing pitfalls, we will endure to the end – thoroughly equipped  for long-term writing success.