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The Five P’s: What It Takes To Be A Writer

I have been thinking about what it takes to be a writer. I have come up with the five P’s:

Practice, Persistence, Perseverance, Patience and Prayer.

Practice

We can’t become better writers unless we practice. We have to dedicate and spend time each day to writing practice. Some people get up an hour earlier while others stay up late. You will need to choose a time which will ultimately work best with your schedule and lifestyle.

Persistence

If we want to get ahead in our writing, we need to be persistent. We have to develop a habit of writing and stick with it. This means, we will have to deny our flesh, sit in a chair and just do it. We can’t wait until we are inspired to write, we just need to show up.

Perseverance

In order to succeed in writing, we must persevere. Things will inevitably come up in life which will interrupt our writing. We mustn’t lose hope or give up when life gets in the way. We just need to persevere and try again tomorrow.

Patience

One thing we really need as writers is patience. Everything takes time in life. Nothing happens in a hurry.

It’s like a gardener planting seeds. At first, the gardener doesn’t see the fruit of his labor, but soon between the sun and water, the seed shoots up from the ground and sprouts. As time goes on, the sprout becomes a plant which then produces fruit.

It is the same with writing. Writing is a process and takes time to develop. We must be patient as we continue to write.

Prayer

Last, but not least, we need to ask God for guidance through prayer. God blessed us with the gift of writing. We need to be sensitive to His Spirit and what He puts on our hearts to write.

We must pray for God’s divine guidance and direction as we continue to write for Him. Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). We have to make sure we spend time in His presence and listen as He leads us in the ministry of writing.

Question: Which of the five P’s do you think you need work on? Do you have what it takes to be a writer? Please share in the comment section below.

* Image credit: dtcchc (Creative Commons)

Comments

  1. says

    I couldn’t agree more that Persistence is an ever-important factor in keeping a writer, a writer! Too often we slow down and stop before reaching our goals. If we would just keep going we’d reach the target—our audience!

    Thanks for this awesome reminder, Pilar.

    PS: Have you been persistent in writing?

  2. Rosann says

    Amen to the five P’s! I need to work on patience. I’ll get an idea in my head that I want to write about and sit down to write it. While writing, I’ll get interrupted what seems like a gazillion times so I can handle my responsibilities as a mom and wife. When I get back to writing, I find I sometimes rush to “just get it done.” My best writing doesn’t happen rushed. It happens when I really spend time thinking and praying over it. When I let it sit for a day or so and go back to re-read and edit a little bit. Of course, there is the potential for over-thinking our words too. I’ve often been surprised that I’ve gotten so much positive feedback on posts that I didn’t put as much time or effort into.

    • says

      I completely understand, Rosann. This is the particular season you are in. The great thing is that you are not giving up. God will help you as you continue to write for Him.

  3. says

    Of those, the hardest for me right now is patience. I feel like the floodgates are opening and there are so many things I want to work on NOW! I have to prioritize and prepare…and be patient! It takes time to do things right!

  4. says

    I’m ashamed to say it but the one I need to work on is prayer. I simply don’t pray enough about my writing.

    I would also add coffee to this list but it sorta doesn’t fit with the P theme.

  5. says

    I’m pretty sure I need to work on all of them! I think the only one I’m consistent in doing is praying that it’ll be effective for God’s glory.

  7. Michael Raze @RealityEmission says

    Well-written, informative and truthful. I’m working on them all, but to see you call writing a ministry nearly brought me to my knees from conviction. How could I have allowed the enemy to fool me into not recognizing and neglecting the power of the pen and paper (or keyboard and screen). Afterall, the Word of God is written (even upon the tables of our hearts)!