I have had a passion for writing since the first day I can remember learning how to write my name. When I was a child, I would stay in my room writing whole notebooks full of stories. My grandmother recognized my gift early, she told me it was a gift from God. My school teachers also recognized it. They often praised my creativeness and generally great handwriting. While some children wrote a couple page papers, I had a hard time stopping once the pen met paper. I would write five and ten page papers in second grade.
In college I was able to pass all of my grammar tests without practice. Besides writing I can also read all day long. With all of that stated, I never used my talent. The only time I have a reason to write is when I am writing in my journal. I have never won a contest I have entered my writing into. I have applied to writing jobs and was denied a position. It is like I have a gift for no reason that I know of. Now I have a criminal justice degree and I hoped to use the degree to improve the knowledge of my writing but to what end?
...to what end?
I gained an MA in English Literature in 1992 when I was a teacher but never got to use it so I wondered for a number of years whether I had wasted my time getting it. But it was an achievement and overcame my sense of inferiority because I was a high school dropout. When I left school I learned to type and ended up as a Post Office telegraph operator using teleprinters, so my typing was pretty fast. When I was a teachers college I did a secretarial course (ambitious for a male!) and increased my typing speed. In around 2006 I joined CF and started posting to it. After a couple of years I realised that I could express myself in writing on Christian topics, and because I had some pretty interesting doctrinal views that could be of help to people, I started writing articles for a prophetic magazine founded by a long-time friend. He published my articles and sent them around the world to members of his magazine's mailing list. Because I discovered a faith-based, no hype based set of steps to receive the gift of tongues, I wrote a booklet explaining my belief in the purpose and use of tongues as a prayer language, coupled with the steps of faith to receive it. This became very popular as a guide and I was asked to speak on it at prophetic conferences and to take workshop groups on receiving the gift of tongues. I know I can talk about that without censure from some who don't believe that way because this is a spiritual gifts forum. Then I decided to write a larger book including information about the gift of prophecy, an exposition of 1 Corinthians 14, and a rebuttal of cessationism. My friend was an expert at proofreading so I sent it to him and he suggested editing changes. I then self published it, and recently have put it on Amazon as a kindle and paperback book.
One thing I have learned from some of the most famous and successful authors is to write about what you know. Agatha Christie wrote about environments that she was familiar with and set her murder mysteries around them. Jane Austin lived in a particular social environment and her Pride and Prejudice was set in that environment and dealt with the customs that she intimately knew. Alistaire Mclean had a background in the Royal Navy, so he wrote his books with a sea flavour. Ian Fleming had an espionage background in the second world war, so these influenced his James Bond books. So, because I have been a committed Christian for many years and had knowledge and wisdom in the Spirit that could help people, I have been able to use my knowledge to write helpful books on aspects of the Christian faith. I have several books on Amazon now, and although I have given away more than I have actually sold, I have the satisfaction that I have been able to record in writing some of the things the Lord has shown me over the years.
I trust that I have given you some things to think about that might help you stir up your writing gift. I think that the key to good writing is to be a prolific reader. I find it difficult to choose action and adventure books in second hand bookshops now, because I have read so many of them over the years. When I wanted to know about the prophetic, healing and deliverance, I went to my favourite Christian second hand bookshop, and over a year bought up several hundred books of all the authors I could find in those topics.
I have several large bookcases of books now, because I had to buy a whole lot more books to enable to me study for my Mdiv, which I started at the age of 66 and finished after three years. I gained a 95% in my essays, and I am sure that the Lord stirred up my writing gift to enable that.
