“You can make anything by writing.” C.S. Lewis
Not everyone is cut out to be a writer, but I know a good portion of the readers of this blog are. If you are someone who is on the fence about writing, if you know someone who wants to be a writer, or if you are a writer who needs a reminder of your why, then this post is for you.
1. It’s fun! Fun isn’t everything, but we all should take some time out of our busy schedules to do things we enjoy. God gave us things to enjoy and as long as they are pleasing and glorifying to Him (which writing can be) we honor Him by taking joy in them. Like C.S. Lewis said, you can make anything by writing. When you write, you can be transported to far away lands or back in time. You can think deep thoughts that provoke your interest. You can tell your story and the stories of others. You can write what you know, and if you only do that, you will have a lot to say. If you are cut out for writing, you will love it.
2. It’s a way to share your stories with people and make a difference. In John chapter 1, Jesus is described as “the Word.” God created the world in Genesis 1 with His words. Our lives are to be saturated with God’s word (the Bible). Do you think words are important to God? God made us in His image so He gave us the ability to share our words with each other. This is something unique to humans. Animals cannot share words! Words can change people and while this sounds cliche, words can change the world. When we write, we can influence the world around us for God. This can be done through any kind of writing. Stories for children shape the way they see the world. Stories for adults and teens do the same thing. My last post was about how cultural stereotypes affect relationships. By straying from cultural stereotypes and writing stories in a God glorifying way, you cause people to think differently even if your writing isn’t explicitly “Christian.” Of course non-fiction is another way to shape the people who read your work. The way you portray and describe something matters. Use the words and stories God has given you and make a difference.
3. It’s a way to stay imaginative and childish. Jesus said that we must become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3). While writing stories isn’t what He was referring to, we can learn a lot from children. Children are imaginative and creative in ways that adults often lose through the toils of life. Writing is one way to keep your imagination and creativity flowing. We can so easily get caught up in work and worry and lose our senses of joy and beauty. Writing helps you mature enough to know when to be childish.
4. It’s a legitimate career. If you love writing then why not do what you love for a career? While many writers dream of just sitting and writing books all day and making six figures, a true writing career is rarely that glamorous. However, it can be done! Writing is often downplayed as a “real” job, but it is totally possible! It just takes a lot of hard work, so you need to be willing to put that effort in, just like you would with any other career.
5. It can be done in a variety of ways by a variety of different people. There is not just one kind of writing, which means no matter what type of writer (or reader) you are, there is a place for you! Journalism, blogging, movie scripts, short stories, novels, biographies, history, theology, and more all take different personalities and experience to write well. If you like writing, but aren’t interested in writing the next best fantasy novel, that’s okay! Find what you love to write then write it!
6. The world needs more good stories. I just mentioned that there are different types of writing, so I’m using “stories” broadly here. A story can be in the form of fiction or nonfiction and it can be short or long. Everything written is a story in one way or another. And the world needs more good stories. The world needs more articles that are not tainted by modern opinions and agendas. It needs more books for teens that are appropriate and have some actual essence to them. It needs more powerfully told history books and biographies and it needs more movie scripts that tell a good story in a good way. The world needs more good stories. And if you’re a writer, then you can be the one to tell them
Stay tuned for my next post: 5 reasons NOT to become a writer!