Belief is essential to writing success. Not just any belief, but belief in what God says about us. Far too many Christian writers believe what the world says about them instead of what God says about them.
Here are a few wrong beliefs that I have heard in my work as a writing coach .
1) It takes luck to succeed as a writer. I dislike the word luck. It implies chance and happenstance. To believe that luck is essential to writing success is to believe a lie. What the world calls “luck” is really hard work and perseverance.
2) Only big names make it. Another lie. All big names were once little names or no names. Succeeding as a writer depends ultimately not on one’s name but on one’s writing. Learn all you can about writing, then create a product that wows the public.
3) Success destroys writers. It’s not success that is the problem. It’s a writer’s attitude toward his success. The humble writer will understand that his success is meant to glorify God.
Now here are a few right beliefs about writing:
1) My writing is all about Jesus and not at all about me. We writers are instruments in God’s hand for the building of His Kingdom. Once we get this straight, we will have established the right foundation for our writing.
2) Excellence is not the same as perfectionism. When we strive to be perfect, we can ruin our writing. Like the painter who paints one brush stroke too many and destroys her painting’s freshness and spontaneity, so is the writer who wants her work to be perfect. Strive for excellence, not perfection.
3) Holy Spirit is guiding me as I write. This truth has been a great comfort to me in my own writing. When we trust that Holy Spirit is guiding our pens, we can rest that He will accomplish His purposes through our writing.
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Copyright 2014 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA. All rights reserved.
Photo Source: Google Images
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Dr. MaryAnn Diorio writes compelling fiction that deals with the deepest issues of the human heart. Her latest release, A CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING, is a story of the power of forgiveness to heal a broken family. Visit MaryAnn at www.maryanndiorio.com.
