I have no authority to write a post giving tips for would be writers.
That’s why I’m re-posting a few of Doug Wilson’s tips that I found particularly good.
1. Know something about the world, and by this I mean the world outside of books. This might require joining the Marines, or working on an oil rig, or as a hashslinger at a truck stop in Kentucky. Know what things smell like out there.
2. Read. Read constantly. Read the kind of stuff you wish you could write. Read until your brain creaks. Tolkien said that his ideas sprang up from the leaf mold of his mind. These are the trees where the leaves come from.
5. Be at peace with being lousy for a while. Chesterton once said that anything worth doing was worth doing badly. He was right. Only an insufferable egoist expects to be brilliant first time out.
I haven’t entered the world of trying to be published. I write for my own enjoyment, for record-keeping of life, and to be helpful in a God-exalting way to others. But these are good tips for everyone, and if ever I do endeavor to be published, I’d definitely take these to heart.
And even though I have no authority to give a tip, here’s mine anyway:
1. Be passionate about something. Have an opinion. Feel things strongly and let that come through. It isn’t enough to know a lot, you have to have ideas about what you know. For Christians this should be easy.
Sidenote: Go Sara G0!
Thanks for the surprise smile at the end! So what do you think…should I join the Marines or head for Kentucky? I do know what things smell like in my own yard, so I’m sticking to that for now.
Ha! I think raising 9 kids gives you the corner on “knowing something outside the world of books.” You probably know more from one day of living, than most accumulate over years and years. :)
Although, if you decide to join the Marines, let me know, I’d come along for the ride.. :)