Four Things Every Writer Should/Must Do

Source: Wikimedia Commons

So it's not a perfect world, and you're probably not always going to get to all these things every single day. But in a perfect world,(and keeping in mind that I certainly haven't arrived at writing perfection myself) a Christian writer would be wise to do the following:

1. Pray. Profusely. 

You should pray as much as you write. Adore Him. Let Him know you’re glad He’s Who He is. Praise Him for the struggles because that makes you a better person, a better writer. Praise Him for the grace to handle rejection, for the peace to trust Him with your career. Confess your weaknesses and sins. Thank Him for His mercy that endures forever. Then ask Him to enlarge your territory, to give you words that will reach those He longs to reach. Just pray.

2. Read. Profusely.
You should read as much as you write. Read what’s popular. Read the classics. Read awful stuff. (You can learn from awful stuff.) Set time aside each day to read even if it’s for 15 minutes. Don’t have time to read a lot of books? Then read a smattering from a lot of  them. Just read.

3. Live life. Fully.
You should live life more than you write. I have a Boston Terrier with an extra dose of crazy. This dog has no clue that there’s a life outside of his ball. He even sucks on the ball as he falls asleep. He is one with the ball. We can get that way about our work if we’re not careful. Yes, writing must be a priority, but it shouldn’t be everything. Life will pass us by and we will miss out on some really good stuff if we ignore the simple everyday pleasures and are too task oriented. It’s the daily stuff with loved ones that matter. Your books will not attend your funeral. People will. Live life. Fully.

4. Write. Profusely.
Okay, I know of a Newberry Award-winning author who limits herself to two pages a day. I suppose if you’re an author who has sold millions of copies and has had two movies made of your books, you don’t need to write more than two pages a day. But if you’re just starting out, you must write every single day and you must write a lot because you’re going to write a lot of lousy stuff before you arrive at something worthy to sell.

Trust me. I know.

Just. Write.

 Karla Akins is a pastor's wife, mother of five, grandma to five beautiful little girls and author of O Canada! Her Story. She lives in North Manchester with her husband, twin teenage boys with autism, and three rambunctious dogs. Her favorite color is purple, favorite hobby is book-hoarding, and favorite food group is cupcakes.