Are You a Ready Writer? by Terri Weldon

Terri Weldon

When I sat down to write this post I didn’t have a clue what to write. It’s late enough in the month that all the great posts about the New Year have already been written. Valentine’s Day is approaching, but I couldn’t work up any inspiration for that topic. I asked my Westie, Nolly Grace, what she’d like for Valentine’s Day. I didn’t get a bit of help.

So I decided to turn to the Bible to see what I should write about. Psalm 45:1 seemed to leap out during my search, “My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.”

The part of the verse that touched my soul is the pen of a ready writer. Am I a ready writer? Is my pen, or computer, prepared and ready to go?

Christian authors either feel called to write or they write as an offering to the Lord. Giving to Him from the talents He has blessed us with. Either way we are writing for God. So what exactly is a ready writer and how do I prepare to become one?

To me a ready writer is always prepared – meaning they listen for the stories God gives them to write. Whether those ideas come to us while reading, dreaming, or through a good friend who says, “Have I got the perfect story for you.”

A ready writer spends time writing. They hone their craft. They put their backside in a chair and their fingers on the keyboard and get busy writing. Sounds easy, I know, but I’ll tell on myself. My sister is my accountability partner in many areas and she just had to ask me if I’d been writing my blog post or staring at Facebook. Whoops – busted!

And last but not least, a ready writer doesn’t make excuses. She doesn’t say that she’s tired or doesn’t have time, or she’s working out a story issue not napping. A ready writer is professional, whether she’s published or not, and makes time – tired or not. I have a friend with two young sons who gets up an hour early in the mornings and writes. Now that’s a ready writer.

Since I’ve confessed all my lazy ways to you, how about sharing some habits you’ve honed over the years to make you a ready writer. Because after reading this post a second time it is obvious I need them! Oh, and in my defense I will say I’m telling you all my bad writing habits. Surely I have one or two good ones, but that’s a post for another day.

Terri Weldon is a lead analyst by day and an author by night. She enjoys gardening, reading, and playing in the hand bell choir. One of her favorite pastimes is volunteering as the librarian at her church. It allows her to shop for books and spend someone else’s money! Plus, she has the great joy of introducing people to Christian fiction. She lives with her family in Oklahoma. Terri has two adorable Westies – Crosby and Nolly Grace. Terri is a member of ACFW and OCFW, a local chapter of ACFW. Her dream of becoming a published novelist came true in November 2013 when Mistletoe Magic, released from White Rose Publishing.

Readers can connect with Terri:

Website: www.TerriWeldon.com.

Blog: Seriously Write