The first book I ever read about writing was not so much about the craft of writing as it was about God in your writing...as your purpose, your inspiration, the object of your worship and the maker of your dreams.
For the Write Reason, by Marybeth Whalen is a collection of 31 profiles of people in the publishing industry sharing their thoughts and experiences in the business, and always pointing the way back to the Creator of our talent and the maker of our dreams. After each entry there is a brief Bible study by Marybeth making this book an ideal one to use as a month-long devotional.
You will find entries by Allen Arnold, Lysa TerKeurst, Mary DeMuth, Sharon Jaynes, Rebecca Ingram Powell and Janet Kobobel Grant to name a few. And you are certain to find several that touch your heart and speak to your personal journey, no matter where along that road you may find yourself.
You will hear the authors write of success, failure, rejection, inspiration, managing life and using your writing as ministry. This collection is one that I will continue to read again and again as a reminder to me of the One who directs my path and my writing journey.
You don't have to delve too deeply into the world of publishing - even Christian publishing - to know that distraction and misdirection wait around every corner. The desire to succeed, the constant temptation to compare yourself to another writer, and the overwhelming amount of information available can quickly become the center of your world and that road leads only to disaster and heartache.
If you need some encouragement on your journey, or have been looking for something to remind you of your priorities I encourage you to pickup a copy of Marybeth's book. Read it, mark it up, pray over it. Then pass it along to someone else who needs it.
Let me know what you think.
Following the plan,
Sherri
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