Helps for Writers

I’ve always wanted to be a writer, I just never had the guts. But in my late thirties, I began to experience an intense and impossible-to-ignore inner urging to write. With the encouragement of family and friends, a God-sent writing partner, and lots of prayer, I resigned from my teaching job and began to write. You, too, can write and publish. Just don’t expect overnight success…writing for publication requires:

• hard work
• sacrifice
• a teachable spirit
• surrender to God’s will
• and, lots of help!

Below are some of the key tips and resources that have helped me in my writing journey.

1.    First, put together a prayer team. Writers face lots of discouragement, frustration, loneliness and opposition. Ask God to bring people into your life who are prayer warriors. Share with them your vision for writing, and ask them to pray for you. Keep them updated on your successes and challenges. Don’t write alone! For encouragement, pick up Write His Answer by Marlene Bagnull. It’s a powerful devotional book for writers.

2.    What does it mean to be a spiritual writer? Hmmm… I’d love to sit down and discuss this with you over a cup of tea. But if we can’t, here are some great books that will help you on your way.

• Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott
• An Introduction to Christian Writing, by Ethel Herr
• The Writing Life, by Annie Dillard

3.    Attend a local writer’s conference. My two favorites are:

The Redwood Chapel Christian Writer Seminar (held annually in February)
Geared more to beginning writers, this Castro Valley conference, located in the East Bay just across from San Francisco, California, is a low-stress, encouraging and educational place to begin to learn the business and make friends with local writers. Held in mid-February, don’t miss the Redwood Chapel Christian Writer Seminar. (For info, contact conference director Jon Drury at jdrury@redwoodchapel.org.)

Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference (Palm Sunday weekend, annually)
Fear Not Da Vinci, my first book, was born at Mount Hermon in the Santa Cruz Mountains, just south of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. The gold standard for writers’  conferences, the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference features lots of inside information on the publishing business, plus the chance to meet editors, agents and much-published authors. One highlight is the worship services, especially the Palm Sunday service. Another plus is the opportunity to submit two projects for publication or critique.

4.    For writing how-to’s, check out editor Terry Whalin’s site, Right Writing. I’ve enjoyed Terry’s workshops at Mount Hermon. Very practical, great tools if you’re writing a nonfiction book, a children’s book, a grant proposal, a newsletter, a novel, a magazine article, a cover letter or a resume.

5.    Read blogs written by agents. You can get some incredibly helpful advice and straight-talk from people who pitch proposals for a living. I recommend three: Terry Whalin, Chip MacGregor, and Rachelle Gardner. There are other blogs, but I have found these to be the most useful.

6.    Two good writing tools from Randy Ingermanson. Famous for his writing, sense of humor and teaching, Randy Ingermanson is a physicist, writer, and conference speaker who offers good, practical advice for writers. Don’t miss:

• “Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Author!”

• “The Snowflake — how I design my novels and how you can too.”

7.  Find a home for your article or book with the Christian Writers’ Market Guide by Sally E. Stuart, in its 21st edition. Every Christian writer should own one.

8. Join or start a writers group. Two suggestions:

• The Writers View: A terrific online group for working writers, The Writers View, features 16 diverse Christian professionals as panelists, along with 600 members who are published working writers and ICRS professionals (authors, freelance writers, editors, journalists, ghostwriters, agents, publicists, publishing reps, etc). The topics are advanced and explore the perspective of the entire publishing process.

• Jon Drury’s writing critique group at Redwood Chapel, Castro Valley, California. Meets Sunday afternoons, monthly. Email jdrury@redwoodchapel.org for more info.

9. Learn to speak. If you want to write, you’ll need to master public speaking to help get your message out there. One of the best speaker training organizations in the country is CLASS. I went to a CLASS seminar a few years ago and loved it!