Do the Right Write

 

By Martin Wiles

 

Computer class. I was the teacher assigning my students exercises to complete. The trouble? Other middle school and high school classes used the same computers. On those computers existed the files of all computer students past and present, leaving the files open to tampering. And some of my students had tampered.

One young man, more honorable than the rest, asked if he could do what his classmates had done. I told him no. Thankfully, he listened. But for the offenders, I helped them do the right write—to their chagrin.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it expedient? And then expedience comes along and asks the question, is it polite? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Conscience asks the question, is it right?”

Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to keep doing the right thing: “As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13 NLT).

With a New Year upon us, we writers have a fresh opportunity to write right. But what should that entail?

·  Use the write voice God has given you.

I’ll never be a Max Lucado, Charles Stanley, Steven King, or J. K. Rowling. Early in my writing journey, this bothered me, but not anymore. I can gorge on their works so much that my writing sounds like theirs, but that’s not God’s plan. God wants us to write with the voice He has given to us. 

·  Use the right sentence structure.

In most cases, active voice trumps passive voice because the subject acts rather than being acted upon. Active voice leads to stronger and clearer sentences. Passive voice is often used in scientific, formal, and legal writing, but few of us probably write in those areas. But sometimes, the action or the person receiving the action is more important than the one performing the action. When it is, passive voice excels. For example, “John ate the cake” is better than “The cake was eaten by John.” But occasionally, active voice proves awkward. “A motorcycle accident injured Susie” is not superior to “Susie was injured in a motorcycle accident.”

·  Use the right publication avenue.

Among the genre and types are books (fiction or nonfiction), articles, devotions, and short stories. Perhaps, a combination of all. And what about the method? Traditional, subsidy, self, or vanity press. And should I search for an agent? Technology has leveled the field and opened it wide.  

All genres have merit, as do the methods, except vanity presses. The right avenue for one writer is not necessarily the correct course for another. Through prayer and guidance from God’s Spirit, we can determine God’s path for us. Problems and closed doors will appear if we take the wrong road. So, what’s the right write for you? Only God knows that, but if you ask Him for guidance to do the right write, He’ll show you.

Let one of your writer goals this New Year be to do the right write. Then, think of two ways you can ensure it happens.

 Photo by Amy Hirschi and Brett Jordan on Unsplash and Canva

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Through prayer and guidance from God’s Spirit, we can determine God’s path for us as writers. Only God knows the right write for each of us. via @linesfromgod (Click to tweet.)

 

 

Martin Wiles is the founder of Love Lines from God (www.lovelinesfromgod.com) and serves as Managing Editor for Christian Devotions and as a copy editor for Courier Publishing. He has authored six books and has been published in numerous publications. He is a freelance editor, English teacher, author, and pastor.