I love Abe Lincoln and I’m blessed that the Lincoln Library and Museum is only an hour from my house. I’ve been there a dozen times.
Honest Abe said, “Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I’ll spend the first 4 sharpening the ax.”
What does that mean for writers? I’ll say it this way: “
Give me 6 hours to write, and I’ll spend the first 5 1/2 getting into a spiritual state.
Why? Because what I write from that place is readable. Everything else is average or bad.
Sometimes I can write my way into that place. I heard a famous author say the first thing he does when he sits down to work is write 200 words of garbage; then the good stuff comes. That might work. (By the way, if you know who said that, please drop it in the comments.)
But we Christian writers have a secret weapon: The Holy Spirit. Paul and others tell us in the Bible to walk by the Spirit, not by the flesh. I’ll say this then…
Write by the Spirit, not by the flesh…
It’s not a sin to write by the flesh, but when you write by the Spirit, you get 3 benefits:
You have God’s help. He is the one who has compelled you to write, so being able to hear His voice and discern His nudges is paramount.
Getting into the Spirit is also getting into a flow state. Flow is like magic, and is primarily a function of the brain (and spine and heart and all sorts of science that is mysterious to me). The difference between being in a normal state of mind and a flow state of mind is the difference between an Apple 2e computer and the very latest government supercomputer. It’s the difference between a dial up modem and 5G. I have found that the same doorway into the Spirit also leads to a deep state of flow.
You finish writing without the usual self-doubt. You say, “Wow, thanks, God. I didn’t know I could do that.”
After a while, you won’t even want to write an email without being deeply connected to God.
Come to think of it, is this not the secret of everything? This reminds me of an old book I have always loved, Practicing the Presence of God. If Brother Lawrence could get into a blissful ecstatic state peeling potatoes, surely you and I can while writing!
“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit…” — Ephesians 5:18
Pray, meditate on the Word, wait, be still, and know He is God…You’ll know when it’s time to write.
Can you imagine how the world would change if all of us could write in the Spirit and publish the truth? I’ll pray for you to do that, and please, pray for me too.
Oh, and by the way, I had an idea and wanted to ask for your help. The vision I have for my life is to help 100,000 people write and publish their books. If everyone with a truth to tell would write, can you imagine how much wiser the world would be? Let’s do this!
I’m asking for your time.
What you would need to give me: 30 minutes, and your advice on where writers like you need the most help.
What I would give you: As much free advice about your book as I can squeeze into the time (I’ve learned a lot as a ghostwriter of over 100 books). I’ll also give you a free pdf of my book From Heart to Page: A Short Book on Writing Your Christian Book.
If you would be interested in that Zoom call with me, email me at Jeff@ChristianGhostwriting.com
Thanks! I'll check it out.
This all makes sense. Spirit-led/inspired writing is what makes my writing good and seems to be what makes an impact on people. Much more than not writing from that place.
I have become quite hesitant to write anything biblical when I am not in that place.