Saturday, March 26, 2011

Are you Called to Writing?

During a recent discussion the question came up whether writers should view writing as a calling. If you are crafting words merely as a way to make lots of money, then your writing may not be a calling. That's not to say you won't ever make money as a writer, but what is your primary purpose in writing? If it is to become rich, then you may view writing as a way to support you and your family. If you write to share your faith or help others strengthen their faith, your writing focus has a spiritual focus .

In that case, if you are called to write and fail to write that for which you are called and gifted, are you not a little like Jonah? Jonah was called to take the word of God to Nineveh, but kept getting side-tracked. God had a plan for what he wanted Jonah to tell the Ninevites. Someone may need to read that story you keep putting off until a better time comes round. Your story may not make the New York Times bestseller list, but your story may make a difference in another person's life. What you wrote even make a difference in your own life.

You'll never find out until you place yourself before a keyboard and start typing.




1 comment:

Fantasythyme said...

Thanks, Nissa. You raise a good point about writing with the expectation of getting paid.

I've read books like the ones you mention. A preachy, condescending tone in books work against the story the author is attempting to tell; no matter what the intended message.