Christmas Trees and Writing
By Marilyn Nutter
Walking along a path from
a hotel lobby to several corridors, it’s fun to stop and admire the variety of uniquely
decorated Christmas trees. With changes each year, displays might include a creative
Lego theme, Victorian tea sets, and decorations representing a particular
charity.
Behind the scenes, as
designers met to plan, I’m sure there were lots of suggestions and proposed
ideas. I doubt students decorating with Legos considered, or could successfully
pull off, the Garden Club’s Victorian theme. And perhaps another group dismissed
the idea of using shades of a single color in ornaments, so they opted for a whimsical
variety of winter sports ornaments. Eventually groups landed on a tree that
reflected their mind, heart, and purpose. That brings me to writing. How does
our writing, and the tasks that go with it, reflect our mind, heart, and
purpose? What if we approached writing as if we were to uniquely design a Christmas
tree? Let’s look at:
Prayer: Pray for discernment to use your time wisely, balance personal responsibilities, and reflect your unique style, personality, and gifts. Seek wisdom from Scripture. Filter other voices that say, “you need to, you should,” and listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice. Conferences can be excellent opportunities for learning, pitching, and networking, but not every conference is the right fit in terms of money and topics. Perhaps you can pray about finding a writers’ group or a critique partner to give accountability and insight in your writing.
Prepare: Prepare by looking at your audience, approach,
style, and word choice. How will this piece meet my readers’ needs, fulfill the
assignment, and meet my goal?
Plan: Plan how to invest your time. Writers not
only write, but share through social media to expand our audiences of readers
and writers and promote our message. Not every outlet’s style or audience is
the right one for you. We are often pressured to have a presence to grow our
platform and numbers, but some places and groups are more suited to our style
and genre than others. Pray for discernment to choose the most appropriate
platform and how often and what to post. So, we circle back to prayer.
Each part of writing—knowing your purpose, preparing wisely, and planning your
time—is woven in prayer, because it is there you hear the best voice.
Just as the Christmas
trees weren’t copies of each other but captured unique themes reflecting each
organization’s trademark, writers creatively use what we’ve been given to
present a unique message. How have you seen the benefits of praying, knowing
your purpose, preparing, and planning in your experiences, to reflect your
mind, heart, and purpose? Is there one in particular you need to focus on?
Photo by Cameron Stewart on Unsplash
Photo by Nathan Lemon on Unsplash
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Marilyn Nutter is co-author with April White of Destination Hope: A Travel Companion When Life Falls Apart, and a frequent contributor to online sites and compilations. Visit her website at MarilynNutter.com.
Thank you for your wise words. Merry Christmas.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a thoughtful post Marilyn, with a great analogy. And, yes, we pray over each aspect. <><> Connie Wohlford here. I was unable to sign in.
ReplyDeleteThank you Connie for your comments and for sharing.
DeleteWonderful message and I love to look at a variety of Christmas trees. They bring me joy.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn, your message is so helpful. You've given us much to reflect upon as we strive to use our gifts and our writing to serve our Father. Thank you for sharing--and thank you, Andrea, for hosting. Wishing you both a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Katherine, for your kind and encouraging words. Merry Christmas to you! :)
DeleteI found your points really helpful thank you. Prayer is so vital in our writing.
ReplyDelete