Three Myths About Becoming A Writer
Three Myths About Becoming A Writer
By Steven Gill
Author of The History and Development of The Doctrine Of The Trinity
10 min read
Over the last six years I have had the privilege of assisting numerous authors in their writing and publication processes. To date I have assisted on six publication projects, in addition to authoring four books of my own. Below are three simple but important myths about becoming a writer that I have noticed through my experiences with other authors and those interested in developing their skills as a writer. I hope it is a blessing to the reader!
1. No One Cares What You Have to Say
One of the greatest hurdles I have seen people struggle with who want to begin developing their craft in writing is a sincere lack of belief in themselves. It is understandable for anyone to become consumed with self-consciousness in writing because writing is inner thought expressed. It is an intensely personal endeavor that leaves the writer open to criticism and abuse.
Write anyway.
First, the reader of this article must understand that the world consists of people no more or less human than you. Thought and emotion are universal human experiences – they are the things that unite all of us no matter class, country, or creed. When you write, you are creating the opportunity to make the lonely feel matched; you are reminding the restless that they don’t wrestle alone; you are encouraging the doubter that they are not the only one with questions. No matter what you are writing about, your writing most often provides comfort to the reader that they are not alone with their thoughts.
The very fact that they picked up your book proves that they share an interest with you – however simple. Your writing opens the door to their reading, and their reading brings the two of you – author and reader – together for a small window of time. Writing is togetherness because reading is togetherness. Most people imagine that when they write they are being an educator, a mentor, or a teacher to the reader. In reality, they often are becoming a confidant, a companion, and encourager. Whether you realize it or not, as a writer you are making friends with people that you will never meet. Some people will get to know you through your writing in more meaningful ways than others whom you have encountered face to face. Your writing is valuable because you are valuable. Your experiences are your own, but your experiences sharedbecome a conduit of encouragement, education, and even boldness to the people who read your work.
You might think to yourself, “no one would buy my books. They don’t even know me.” But stop and consider this for a moment. Use this article as an example: If you’re reading this article, ask yourself the question – how well do you know the author? There is a strong likelihood if you’re reading this that we’ve never met. A slightly more likely possibility is that we’ve met once or twice and had one or two conversations in the course of our lives. A much less likely alternative is the reader knows me very well and is exceptionally familiar with my prior work. And only a fraction of the readers of this article will be able to say confidently that they know me better than anyone! And yet, here you are, reading the article anyway. Why? You’re not reading this because of your great interest in me or my personal life – you’re reading this because the content – not the author – is universal. The message of the article, not the man, is the critical thing. We don’t buy books because we know the people that wrote them. That is nearly never true – we buy them because we share an interest, an idea, or a thought with the writer and we want, even for a moment, to be connected with something or someone that shares that interest. We read to learn, to expand our vision, to grow our ideas. And, no matter who you are, you can help others do the same.
2. Only Those With Higher Education Should Write
The Unabomber went to Harvard. The Roadside Strangler graduated from Cornell. Bernie Madoff attended Brooklyn Law. And Josef Mengele had Ph.Ds in anthropology and medicine from the Universities of Munich and Frankfurt.
The point: Education does not always confer expertise.
This is a logical fallacy called “the argument from authority” and it is a dangerous one. The argument from authority states that because someone with credentials said something, it must therefore be true. Afterall, wouldn’t they know?
But more often than not, they don’t know. And all people – even experts -are fallible. Steve Wozniak – co-creator of Apple Computers – once said something about having the courage to share what you know or what you’ve learned with the world in a television interview that has stuck with me for nearly ten years. He said, “the secret to finding success is realizing that this world was put together by people no smarter than you.” Most of us might think, “well, that’s easy for him to say, he went to UC Berkeley!” But consider this: his co-founder Steve Jobs was a college drop out.
“Fair enough,” you might think, “But Steve Jobs was a genius. I’m no one.” But you don’t have to be a genius to find success, especially when it comes to creative passions in writing.
Maya Angelou, one of the most famous authors, poets, and civil rights activist of 21st century was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010 for the impact of her written work. Her poetry is taught in classrooms all over the world for its excellence and ground-breaking use of the conversational voice. She never went to college.
Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of England during the Second World War. In addition to his global leadership during some of the largest and most enduring crises of the 20th century, he was also an accomplished writer and historian. Churchill, for all his great accomplishments and enduring legacy, never earned a college degree.
Frederick Douglas was born a slave in the 19th century. Training himself to read and write, he escaped slavery and become a voice for the abolition movement during the Civil War. In addition to becoming personal friends with Abraham Lincoln, Douglas became one of the most (if not the most) prolific writer of 19th century North America. Frederick Douglas never went to college.
Let me be clear, I am not suggesting that education is useless or that it should be avoided. Precisely the opposite is the case – you should seek out education so that you are not susceptible to the logical fallacy of “the argument from authority.” If you fail to learn, then you are dependent on “experts” to do your thinking for you. And experts, like you and I, are human beings. Human beings – all human beings – have motives in their words. They have agendas, they have intent, they have biases. It is part of being human. In order to rise above it, you have to be willing to examine information for yourself and make up your own mind about what you believe.
The three individuals I mentioned above all had two things in common: They never went to college, and they all became prolific writers.
No one is asking you to write about subjects of which you have no knowledge or with which you have no experience. You don’t have to be someone in writing that you’re not. But no one can speak to your thoughts, your experiences, the lessons you have learned like you can. You can discipline yourself and develop your craft to become an effective writer through independent reading, writing, and study. This will only be accomplished through self-discipline and dedication. The only person preventing you from achieving excellence in your writing is you. And remember: this world was put together by people no smarter than you.
3. There Is No Place For Novelty Writing In Pentecost
This myth is perhaps a bit more specific than the others I have mentioned thus far, but I believe it is exceptionally important. Throughout Pentecostal literature hundreds of books have been written on theology, doctrine, and hermeneutics. Scores of tracts and manuscripts have been published on the oneness of God, water baptism in Jesus’ name, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. We have fully composed series on holiness, separation, and godly living. And I want to be clear: we need all of it! Sources like Pentecostal Publishing House and Voice & Vision have been a force for good, not just in the Pentecostal movement, but across the world.
Nevertheless, as Pentecostals, we lack greatly when it comes to diversity in writing and publishing. The homogeny of our publications may come from a good place, but it will make us appear one-dimensional or ideological to the outside onlooker if we are not careful. Pentecost, as a movement, has more to offer than what appears on the surface. Many of the best singers, song writers, and musicians reside in our movement. Even film producers, creative innovators, and story tellers have been grown within our churches. And there is a place for them in writing and publishing as well! We excel greatly in the genres of theology, Christian doctrine, and Bible hermeneutics. But we have fallen far behind our denominational counter-points around the globe in biography & autobiography, Historical Christian fiction, poetry, inspirational, and Christian living. These are essential areas of writing and publication that should find traction in Pentecost, and soon.
Maybe you’re not a theologian. Maybe you’re not an expert in eschatology or soteriology. Big deal! Don’t let it stop you from writing. If you have an idea or are inspired by a particular story or subject, write about it. Help Pentecost diversify its corpus of publication. We need it!