Hello, friends!

Today I wanted to share with you a few things that I changed in regard to writing and how they effected my writing permanently. So let’s dive in!

1. Making Time for Writing

This is the number one thing that permanently changed my writing life. If you are anything like me, then you know how hard it is to find time to write. Life is busy and frankly we all have responsibilities that come above writing. So how do you find time to write?

The answer is simple — you don’t. If you want to write, you have to make time to write. Before I finally figured this out, my writing was going nowhere real fast. I would kick myself over again and again because I hadn’t gotten around to writing that day. Finally I determined that I needed to make the time or it would never happen.

Now, my average weekday starts around 5:30 am. Getting up this early is how I make my time for writing. It ensures that I have time specifically set aside for writing.

2. Getting My Priorities Straight

As a born again believer, I have one thing that takes priority over every other aspect of my life, and that is my walk with Christ. If I am neglecting my spiritual walk, then I can’t expect my writing to be what it needs to be.

Everything in my life is effected by where I am at spiritually. The first thing that I do when I get up in the mornings is have my quiet time with God. I make it a priority to spend time in the Word of God before I begin writing. I want everything that I write to bring glory to my Savior, which is why it is so important that my time with Him comes before everything else.

Do I ever fail miserably at this? Yes. I am sad to say that I do sometimes fail to have my priorities where they should be. And when I fail, I find that my entire day is thrown off — including my writing. When we honor God, He honors us. That goes for our writing as well.

3. Understanding That I Don’t Have To Fit In Someone Else’s Mold

I think too many writers think that they have to fit in some specific mold in order to be valid as a writer. From what I have found on my writing journey, God made every individual in the entire world unique.

We all have minds and personalities that work differently than others. What might work for one person, might not work for you.

Just because you don’t do something the same way another writer does, doesn’t make you any less valid as a writer. It just means that you are different than they are. Just because another writer creates a 20,000 word outline for their book, doesn’t mean that you have to. Maybe another writer edits their drafts in a different way than you do — that’s ok! You have to find a system of writing that works for you.

Comparing yourself to other writers is not a good idea on any level. As a christian writer, my purpose and worth is found in Christ Jesus and no-one else and my goal should be to please Him in all that I do.

Well there they are — the top three things that changed not only the way I write, but also the way I look at my writing.

What are some things that changed YOUR writing and the way you view it? Do you have anything to add to what I said?

Please let me know in the comments below! I would love to hear from you!

A. M. Watson

Hebrews 13:8