Called to Write: Reflections of a New Writer

Today Terese Belme, another of our first-time contributors to the Inspire blog, will be sharing some of what she’s learned as a new writer. So please give Terese a warm welcome.


Our life experiences are simply words waiting to be beautifully strung together for the benefit of others. God has called you to write about your experiences that He has intricately woven together in an elegant tapestry like the ornate coat of many colors Jacob made for Joseph.

As beautiful and exciting as that sounds what comes next? In this article we look at practical suggestions that will help you in your new career as a writer.

Pray

This seems obvious but there are times we can forget to invite God into the process of the writing He has given us to accomplish. As you practice meeting with God before you write, you will learn to recognize the difference in your writing when you try to proceed on your own versus when you’ve asked the Holy Spirit to give you His words and the order in which to write them. Additionally, ask God to place a circle of prayer around you with people He has hand-picked and who are committed to intercede for you as you commit to writing for Him.

Carry a Notebook

As writers, we become acutely aware of the world around us, which becomes a virtual playground of writing experiences waiting to be acknowledged. We never know when inspiration will shine upon us. Making notes of life around us and the inspiration that comes gives us the ability to go on with our day and come back to our notes when we’re ready to sit and write.

Writer Conferences

I cannot express enough the valuable resource writer conferences* are and I encourage you to attend as many as possible throughout the year. Conferences give you the opportunity to make connections with publishers, editors, agents and other authors. You will have the opportunity to attend a plethora of workshops and you will wish you could attend all of them! Workshops are taught by industry professionals who were once new to their career and have paved the way before us with a collective combination of wisdom, knowledge and encouragement. Conferences are also a great place to learn industry jargon, such as, elevator pitch, proposal and query letters, to name a few. Having business cards available is an easy way to stay connected to all the wonderful people you will meet. Even if you don’t have a published work, carrying business cards helps present yourself as the author God has gifted you to be.

Submit, Submit, Submit

Take every opportunity to submit your work even if your submission won’t earn you a monetary outcome. Continuous submissions are a wonderful way to practice writing and an opportunity to have your work published. Only God knows who He will cause to read your work that can turn into a paid project.

Write Daily

Triathlete’s do not reach their end goal overnight. They train and practice a little every day adding on more and more training until they reach each event’s required distance. The same is true with writing. Set a daily word count to write. If this task seems overwhelming start small with 50-75 words per day. Once you’ve reached this goal add another 50-75 words continuing with this method and before long you will be writing more than you thought imaginable. If you find it hard to make time to write schedule time in your calendar like you would any other appointment.

Market Guide

Investing in the current year’s Christian Writers Market Guide is a wise choice. This guide is filled with important, useful and constructive information from self-publishing, periodical publishers and specialty markets (with submission guidelines), support for writers and writing contests.

Self-Care

Writing is a solitary job and the enemy would love nothing more than to take something beautiful and put his ugly twist on it by using your good work for God and keeping you isolated from your community and fellowship. Make time for yourself by meeting a friend(s), mentoring someone new to their faith, joining a weekly Bible study or community group, regular visits to the gym or a weekly prayer meeting.


Whether you are a seasoned author or new to your calling I pray these simple and practical steps encourage, inspire and motivate you! Like Jacob’s gift to Joseph, God’s gift to you is a beautiful, multi-colored coat filled with His essence, creativity and His desire for you to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ through your writing. Wear your coat well because you are a writer.


* Inspire works alongside West Coast Christian Writers, which is hosting its next conference in Feb 2019. Inspire also hosts quarterly workshops, which are free to Inspire members.

About Terese Belme 1 Article
Terese’s passion is to come alongside others and encourage them in their identity, authority, and inheritance in Jesus as ambassadors to the kingdom of God. Terese is a contributing author to Inspire Christian Writers' "Love Anthology" (2017) and "Kindness Anthology" (2018). Terese lives in the lower Pacific Northwest.

10 Comments

  1. Very nice reminders. I love the imagery of our writing being a multi-colored coat God has given us. It also reminds that His arms are around us. Thank you for the challenge to get out of our solitary seclusion as writers staying involved in community and ministry. One of my friends always reminds us that God didn’t call anyone to be a hermit.

  2. Praise God, thank you Terrie for your comment. Isn’t God’s imagery delightful?! I can spend hours in my office writing and have to remind myself that I need to be poured into as well. Your friend’s words are very wise! God bless.

    • Debbie, thank you for stopping by to read and comment. I finally placed a notebook in my car just for this reason! I also use the note app on my phone.

  3. Thanks for these tips, Terese! It’s a great reminder to always start with prayer to ask God to guide us in our writing.

  4. TERESE, thanks for writing this for me. I have committed myself to writing a weekly blog in a month or so, start a podcast cast a few months after that then start a vlog and then write a book. As of today, I have done none of that. I am determined not to panic and I keep reminding myself that, ”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. This is not exactly a self-imposed mandate or at least I don’t think so. I believe that over the past 18 to 20 years this is something that God has placed on me. But . . . Now my website is nearing the end of the launch countdown. I believe within a month or possibly two the expectation is that I will have at least 10 blogs for the archives plus writing a new powerful blog each week. I thank you for what you wrote and the compassion that you expressed in it. I am going to a writers conference for the first time at the end of October. I’m nearly out of money and I know my way forward will require faith over fear.

  5. Hi Dan,
    Thank you so much for stopping by to read and comment! You have some wonderful goals and congratulations on your website launching! Writers Conferences are key. I’ve made so many awesome connections and friends through conferences. I am currently a regular contributor for SoCal Christian News, an on-line magazine. God connected me with the editor at a conference I attended in June. I hope you can join us next February at the West Coast Christian Writers Conference. Check back at Inspire often in the next few weeks. They will be posting about the conference. God bless you!

  6. Hi Teresa,
    Thank you for these good tips. I wish I could attend Writers’ Conferences but it’s impossible for me as I live in S.Africa. I have been blessed to attend two US conferences through sponsorship but even then the cost is prohibitive. Good article for newbie writers and indeed for us all!

    • Hi Shirley,

      Thank you taking the time to read and comment. S. Africa, how wonderful. We have some friends who used to live there and have very fond memories of there many years there. Conferences are one of my favorite things about writing. I have made so many new friends and have gained many collective years of knowledge and wisdom. I pray that our gracious and abundant Father blesses you with more conferences to attend in the very near future! Blessings!

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