Recently, I traveled north over five hours from my Southern California home to visit a castle. Hearst Castle. Sitting high above the Pacific Coast near the little town of San Simeon, this opulent place used to be the residence of newspaper publisher, William Randolph Hearst. Built over a period of close to thirty years, Hearst Castle was a beautiful compilation of art and architecture with pieces collected from all over the world. On this visit, I took the Upstairs Suites tour, where two rooms of the 165 rooms stood out to me: the library and study. Both rooms contained hundreds of books. Hearst’s whole collection was in the thousands. Why do I bring this up? Because books are valued and treasured. Here are a few reasons why we writers need to keep on writing.
We Write for Perpetuity
As a Christian writer, we are not only writing for ourselves, we are writing to 1) fulfill the calling God has given us; 2) deliver hope and inspiration to a hurting and dying world; and 3) present a Christian worldview, even if we never mention the name of Christ. We don’t write for the temporary. We write for perpetuity. We want our words to last so they can influence those who read them, whether that’s now, or a hundred years from now.
The books in the Hearst collection are at least seventy-five years old, given the fact that he passed away in 1951. I wouldn’t be surprised if some were even hundreds of years old. All the authors of those books believed that their words would last beyond their own years. And as Christians, we need to believe that, too. Our words are meant to be shared. And we should write with that understanding.
We Don’t Know God’s Timing
I remember the frustration of not being published. I’ve experienced the hopefulness of a note from an acquisition editor, only for my dreams to be dashed when I read that my piece was not what they were currently looking for. It is easy to wonder if what you write will ever be published. It’s easy to question if writing is your calling. I’m sure that most of the authors of the tomes in those two rooms felt that at one point or another. Writing is hard work. Finding a publisher is often harder. There are more unpublished manuscripts than printed books. But we must not give up hope. We must remember that we rely on God’s timing, on His open doors. Keeping that focus in mind will allow us to keep writing, even when we feel like giving up.
We Don’t Know How Our Words Will Affect Others
Unless we know that God told us to stop writing, we need to keep writing. God gave us creativity. He gives us inspiration so we can inspire others. When we listen, He gives us the words to use. We don’t know how God will use those words, but we can be sure that they won’t be wasted. Somewhere, someone will read what we wrote, and it will change a life, even if we never know about it. Even if that person is the editor who decided that your manuscript didn’t quite fit their needs, or a friend you asked to proofread your work. You may never be published, but that doesn’t mean God can’t use you as an example for others.
So keep writing. Keep praying for His guidance and for His purpose for your words. And trust that things will work out according to His will. And perhaps one day, someone will take something you have written and add it to his or her personal collection.
Has a visit to a historical place ever encouraged your writing?
Catherine L. Osornio has written inspirational articles for a women’s ministry newsletter, over 200 leveled reader stories for a school’s reading program, fiction and nonfiction articles for Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. magazines, The Declaration of Independence from A to Z, Thunder Comes a Rumblin’, Mosquitoes Infect!, Danger on Martin Mountain, plus various work-for-hire projects. A former elementary school librarian, Catherine is passionate about sharing the love of reading. She enjoys cartooning, illustration, and reading kids’ books. Email her at CLOsornio@verizon.net or visit her at www.catherineosornio.com.
Unsplash credit for hourglass photo: Jessica Mangano