Introduction: Drum Roll Please
Hello, welcome to She Writes With Purpose, my handle is She Writes Her Life and I'm a millennial blogger from the Midwest. If you ever followed me over the on any of the other social media sites you know that I love, love, love to write. I especially love writing poetry. Writing was my first tween passion way before drill team competitions or painting pictures of a crepuscular sky came into play. In fact I began to indulge in the art of writing as an outlet for the overactive imagination I had as a child. Heck, I even enjoyed writing light years before I ever discovered that froyo was a thing.
Speaking of things. There are a few things good writers need: A good thick dictionary/thesaurus; a speedy word processor that syncs your thoughts from your phone to your computer effortlessly; the ability to sip a cup of masala chai while sitting next to a big bay window, in the afternoon sun; and of course a foot massage because let's face it writing is a grueling, emotionally taxing hard days work.
Writing is super personal. Writing is a way for an author to make a positive difference in the world through the glide of her pen.Through writing we inspire and motivate others and ourselves. Through writing we reach our greatest potential. This is especially true for us women who have had our voices silenced for as long as can historically be remembered. Writing our stories is a way to reconnect with our God-given womanhood.
But this blog is not just meant for the Christian author and her struggles but for aspiring writers of any faith and gender. Even the greatest writers of all time have been discouraged at times. Maya Angelou once said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” I know personally I have felt frustrated and blocked when trying to write my own story. Sometimes I feel pinned up against the limits of my talents. Sometimes I look at my writing and wonder will I ever find an elegant way to craft my prose?
God Chastened My Heart
For me this blog is my first selfless writing attempt. In doing so my goal is to put pen to paper for Christ instead of my own lofty needs. Instead of my normal run-of-the-mill high-school-musings on Kylie Jenner's Instagram, I was prompted to create She Writes With Purpose by my best friend who is currently a Junior at Harding University. As an aspiring pastor she encouraged me two whole summers ago after we took an inner-city mission trip together to start logging what God was saying to my heart. One day while sitting in her room uninspired as usual my friend turns to me and says, in a voice that possess a good balance of humor and seriousness, ”when writing place your fingers on the keys and let God do the rest.”
I never took her words to heart until now. Honestly, I didn't want to until now. Two summers ago I wanted to be a rebellious child. I wanted to be a socially accepted suburbanite (more on this later) instead of a woman of whole-hearted spirituality. This pitfall in my character made it very difficult to get my hopes and dreams back on track, so I stopped writing altogether.
A few weeks ago God, once again chastened my heart and gave me this mighty inspiration to write uplifting post and words of encouragement through my own introspective personal story. Because in the end my writing should be less about myself and more about glorifying the kingdom of God through understanding others. Annie Dillard phrases it best in her book The Writing Life:
One of the things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now. The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now. Something more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water. Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.
Let’s Get Down to Business
Crafting fine literature is a stellar way to win souls for Christ. By writing it all down and letting the truth proclaim the gospel to a sick and drunken world we honor our calling. Judo-Christian poet Denise Levertov even went as far to say that “In certain ways writing is a form of prayer.” Jesus even reflects this observation in scripture before standing up for a woman who would be stoned on accusations of adultery. John 8:6-8 says “But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.”
Now whether Jesus was doodling in the sand to stall until he properly collected his thoughts for the cross-x, or whether he was etching the sins of each Pharisees into the book of life who wish to come against someone who may have been guilty of the same crime as them is unclear. What we do know is Jesus lived the writer lifestyle as a master parable and storyteller as highlighted in Matthew 13:34. “Jesus did that day was tell stories—a long storytelling afternoon. His storytelling fulfilled the prophecy:”
Jesus didn't speak plainly but used great metaphors and similes. Through his parables he told a good turn of phrase that “fulfilled the prophecy.” Does this sound like a technique we should embark upon and embrace? Do we need to tailor our assumptions to fit our imaginations? The answer to these questions is simple. From speaking in parables to speaking in tongues like Jesus we as writers should make sure that our work includes a creative spectrum of thoughts and insights.
Take some time daily from your morning routine to spend time with God and journal. Don't be afraid to use devotionals and scripture to affirm the writer's calling in your life. Before we get caught up in the desire to be good writers we must FIRST put our relationship with God in perspective. As writers we should make it our daily application to tell our stories not just for fellow Christians but for anyone who has ever dreamed of putting pen to pad. In the quiet sacred space of what we have written we should strive to inspire readers and writers alike. I for one, hope you will be inspired and encouraged by what you will read here.
