Where Do I Fit in the Wide World of Writing?

When you feel God nudging you to write, the most natural assumption in the world is that He wants you to write a book. After all, isn’t that what writers do? They write books.

But when you make this innocent assumption you limit God.

More than any other generation, our options for spreading the word are boundless. A book is only a tiny fraction of the ways you can publish the message God has put on your heart, and it’s probably the most difficult to achieve.

Before you head down a path that may take years of your life, years that might otherwise have been spent getting your message into the hands of those who need it, stop and ask God the path you should take. You have no guarantees that your book will ever be published, at least not in the traditional sense. The competition is stiffer now than ever. Granted, if God has called you to that road, He will make a way, but don’t be too hasty in assuming that is your chosen path.

Instead, consider book publishing as one, but only one, of your many options. Pray also about blogging, building a website, creating a newsletter or e-zine, guest blogging, writing magazine or newspaper articles, self-publishing. But don’t limit God to even these.

When God nudges your heart to write simply say, “What do you want me to write? And what do you want me to do with it when it’s written?” This takes God out of a box and gives Him free reign to direct your path.

Often His answer will be, “Start writing and I’ll show you.” Let Him do just that.