How do we know if we have succeeded in our writing goals if we haven't defined what success is to us?
When I wrote the novel Mysterious Ways, God obviously knew where He wanted it to go and He
saw to it that it went there. As I said, I have no idea how that was
accomplished. It wasn’t a large group, but it was where He intended it to go.
We all have to ask ourselves that
question: What if the market God has in mind isn’t a large number, what if it
is a smaller group?
What if it is only one?
What if that one is us?
Are we still willing to write in
obedience if God has a very small audience in mind? I made the commitment long
ago to do that. It’s something each of us needs to decide for ourselves.
We have to go through an exercise
where we can really come to terms with what we deem to be success for our
writing. Do we need the big sales to feel we have achieved success? Do we have
to reach a certain group of people to feel that? For a secular writer, if they
don’t sell thousands of copies, they aren’t considered a success. How many does
a Christian writer have to reach to feel successful?
If I only sold one book and it led
to a person finding salvation, it would be enough although I certainly want to
reach out to more.
How do you define success?
Taken from our new book "Writing in Obedience" written with Linda Yezak.
This book is for the new Christian writer or the writer looking to
decide how God wants them to incorporate their faith into their writing.
How do we know what the Lord wants us to do? Are we being called to
write or do we want to write for Him as an offering? What is required of
the author using their writing for the Lord and how do they go about
it? What do we really want to achieve with our writing, and how do we
define success? Available for order here.
