Write Bravely: Dare to Live Your Dream

“Writing begins and ends with loving Jesus.” Gregory Coles

Idahope Christian Writer’s Conference taught us to write bravely. We learned we can break the industry formula or master writing forms with conviction. We not only write bravely but also edit and market with confidence.

Greg Coles offered six powerful thoughts on bravery.

• Bravery occurs in more than one realm of our lives. If we’re brave enough to start our manuscript, we can be fearless in other areas.
• We must also press pause on our anticipatory impulse. Sure, we can spend a great deal of time worrying about how people will respond to our work, but then we’re writing defensively to rebut our critics instead of writing what God has laid on our hearts.
• If we’re to make our message about Christ, we write out of our love for Jesus, never to convince others we love Jesus. Because of this, there’s no such thing as a nonreligious subject. Everything we write circles around Christ.
• And if we’re honest with ourselves, we want to be successful writers. However, we should be critical of our definition of success significantly since our meaning of success constantly changes.
• Once we’re honest with ourselves, we can be honest with others. To offer the truth, we risk being misunderstood. Frankly, many won’t understand us. There may even be people who, dare we say it aloud, are bad readers and won’t understand what we write.
• As we write, let us not hold back our best ideas for later. Instead, let those ideas shine in our current work. When we do, we offer a true reflection of Christ.

To write bravely, we must remember that our vulnerability as writers is a gift to believers and ourselves. Our writing comes from the heart; thus, it begins and ends with loving Jesus. Write bravely!

Not all views expressed are those of every member of ICW.