On Being a Christian and Writer

Over the Thanksgiving break I did some much-needed reading. No, I didn’t pick up a novel or book of poetry. I read William Zinsser’s On Writing Well.

After 50 pages, I wondered how I’d written for so long without going back and reading and rereading how-to books. There are simple things I’d forgotten about writing. One is that writing isn’t always simple. Another is that I need to bleed for what I write. My critical eye has been closed in favor of mass production. It was demanded at my first full-time writing job, and I’ve held onto that mentality. How do I get over it? Read. And write. And read what I write, forcing myself to bench a story if it isn’t a grand slam. Or as Zinsser says, “Notice the decisions that other writers make in their choice of words and be finicky about the ones that you select from the vast supply. The race in writing is not to the swift but to the original.”

Inside Zinsser’s book was something else to think about. He said essentially, writing is all about ego. Which is true. If you don’t think you can write, you’re not going to do it for a living. You may write 5,000 words a day, but you’ll never make money at it. Because you'll never think it deserves to be published. So what is the Christian to do with this ego-driven occupation?

Pray. Pray for a quick mind. Pray for equally fast fingers. Pray for humility. And remember that while putting together sentences in a meaningful sequence is a wonderful ability, it is not earned or deserved. It is a gift.