The Ultimate Resource for Christian Creatives

We live in a LOL and emoji kind of world. Written communications have been streamlined and reduced down to mere 140 character tweets, text messages and GIFs. As a writer, if you are not careful, you can get so sucked up into this new world that you lose your writing edge. Writing is not only a talent, it’s a gift that must be nurtured and cultivated. In this blog post, I provide four simple ways you can consistently develop and improve your overall writing skills.

1. READ, READ, READ

The easiest way you can improve your writing is to read more. Don’t just read what is in your area of expertise. Challenge yourself to read something each week that is outside of your usual interests. This will expand your thinking and potentially open you up to fresh ideas that may even spark more creativity. If you don’t have time to read an entire book, look for quality blogs to follow. Feedly is a smart reader with over 40 million sources that is available as a free app for your Apple or Android device. You can use the app to collect and read news articles, blog posts and publications from all over the world. The free version allows you to follow up to 100 sources and three feeds. The paid version of the app, allows unlimited sources and integration with Evernote and OneNote programs.

2. Level up your conversations

We all do it; we use “business’ or “proper” language when we are at work and during professional settings. Then there’s the casual jargon that we use when we’re talking to our girlfriends on the telephone, or while hanging out with the guys watching the game. You can improve your writing skills by leveling up your formal and informal conversations. When you frequently utilize new words, they will become implanted into your brain’s vocabulary database. Your writing will improve effortlessly because you have a larger pool of words to choose from. The free website, Vocabulary.com is an excellent resource to assist you in your efforts. The site provides over 50,000 word lists that you can study. You can also use the “Choose Your Word” tool to learn the definitions of words that are commonly confused.

3. Get input from others

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 27:17 (NIV), “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Having someone critique your writing can be terrifying, but it is an extremely valuable tool. The key is getting honest and constructive feedback, which often requires that you branch outside of your immediate family and circle of friends. There are forums and social media groups where you can connect with other Christian writers and bloggers. Christian Writers is a free membership website where you can share your poems, blog posts, devotionals and articles with other writers. If you decide to join a group, don’t go into it just to see what you can get. You should make sure that you are also contributing to the group by providing your feedback to other writers.

4. Keep learning

I consider myself to be a lifelong learner. I believe there is tremendous value in continued education. Sadly, many people believe that once they graduated from school they were done with learning. As a writer, you should be investing your time and financial resources in honing your craft. Plan to attend a writing conference or at a minimum take a class once a year. The Christian Writers Institute’s website has provided training to over 30,000 writers. The site offers many training courses by reputable, bestselling Christian authors in the form of on-demand videos, audio recordings and PDF documents. Trainings can be purchased individually or as bundles.

If you would like to learn more helpful tips, check out my new ebook, “The Ultimate Book of Tools and Resources for Christian Writers” available on Amazon.

As promised, I’ve provided you with four simple ways you can maintain your writing edge. Which one are you committing to start today?

If you had told me, I had a problem with commitment, I would have laughed in your face. Me? No way! I’ve been faithfully married to the same man for over 21 years. I make friendships that last a lifetime. I will go down with the ship, well after everyone else has given up and jumped overboard. I’m committed to the very end.  So, I had thought. After some self-reflection, I had to be brutally honest with myself. There was one thing that I wasn’t committed to, and that was seeing my dreams through to fruition. I had this aha moment, as Oprah would call it, when I was being interviewed about my book on the “Dr. Annette West Speaks!” podcast. During the interview, I was asked about my writing process and how long it took to complete the book. Without giving it much thought, I replied, “It took about 3-4 months.” That was the truth, but I had never considered what had been different this time. Why had I finished this book, when countless others were resting in peace in the cemetery of good book ideas? As I pondered this question, the Holy Spirit dropped the word “commitment” into my spirit.

I had started many book projects over the years, and would never finish them. Typically, I would start out excited, like when a single person meets someone new and falls madly in love. I would be so enthusiastic about the idea; I didn’t have a problem finding the time to write, because it was fresh and new. The project intrigued me and captivated all of my attention, but it wasn’t long before the newness wore off, and I began to lose interest. Spending time writing the book, required that I set up a schedule and even make sacrifices. Writing a book required my complete devotion, full focus, and like any relationship, it required work. Around the time my work level increased, was typically when the flame would fizzle out. I would find myself writing less and less, until I had stopped writing completely. After about a month or two, I would get another great idea and start the cycle over again.

For me, I’ve discovered that writing a book is like being in a committed relationship. It takes work to be successful. At the beginning of the year, I set a goal that I would change the narrative of my story. I would no longer be the woman that was struggling to live the life God intended  for her to live. I would pursue my dreams and finish what I started, which included writing a book and publishing it. I made the commitment that I would invest my time and energy in writing even when I didn’t feel like it.  When I was tired, and when I wanted to veg out and binge watch t.v., I would put the work in and write instead. When I lost interest and stopped writing for a while, I would chose not to move on to something new. I made the decision to be in it for the long haul. That’s what was different this time. I made a commitment to invest in myself to accomplish one of my lifetime dreams. If you’re struggling to finish writing your book, maybe you need to check your commitment level. You may be just as surprised as I was to discover that’s what’s missing.