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The Simple Laws Christian Writers Use To Change The World

I admit two things:

1. I’m a writer

It took me a long time to admit this. Growing up my family didn’t respect writers and they constantly urged me to get a “real job.” I got a real job but I couldn’t shake the feeling of putting words to paper.

After a while I stopped trying to shake it.

2. I love laws

No…”not traffic laws” or the stuff they make up “up there”… “on the Hill.” I’m talking about natural laws, or principles. I love these laws because (unlike people and life) they’re timely, timeless, inflexible, and will always produce a certain outcome. Like the law of gravity or the law of cause and effect.

The Use of The Laws Throughout History

Any successful person who has found “good success” is a student of these laws. And any person who finds lasting failure is someone who has overlooked them in some or a major way. As the legendary Cecil B. Demille once said:

 “It is impossible for us to break the law. We can only break ourselves against the law.”

These laws have a special function: they’re designed to guide us, lead us, and point us on the right road. But their ultimate purpose is to point back to their Creator.

The Laws That Christian Writers Use

People don’t want to admit it but writers change the world. A lot! I mean every significant move in history has in some way been influenced by a writer. It’s because words are life changing.

They inspire…

…incite…

…motivate…

…in a nutshell….they shape humanity.

Is it any wonder then why the greatest Man of all time; the Man whose very presence in history split time into B.C. and A.D was called The Word?

So what are the laws that these great writers use? I’m glad you asked:

1. The Law of Purpose

“The Law that states no person  can achieve maximum effectiveness without knowing who and why they are.”

We’re all guided by purpose–every one of us. When we have no purpose for our lives, we go everywhere and end up nowhere. It’s the secret of all successful people, companies, ministries, and organizations. Why? Because purpose brings:

  • Focus (you know who you are and who you are not)
  • Influence (people are drawn to people who know “where they’re going”)
  • Lasting Accomplishment (Our gifts, passions, and interests usually line within our purpose)

2. The Law of Persistence

“The law that states only through consistent and continuous effort can any plan, vision, or achievement be realized.”

Before Chicken Soup for the Soul became a monster phenom it was an unknown title by two speakers: Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. They got plenty of advice, tips, and counsel. But one piece advice stuck out the most:

“If you would go every day to a very large tree and take five swings at it with a very sharp ax, eventually, no matter how large the tree, it would have to come down.”

So with that piece of advice they developed the Rule of 5: everyday they would do 5 specific things to get their book to bestselling status. For them it meant:

  • 5 radio interviews
  • Writing 5 press releases
  • Getting 5 people to review the book
  • Doing 5 book signings
  • Asking 5 stores to carry the book

In other words: a minimum of 5 things everyday, day in and day out. They did this for two years before Time magazine called the series “the publishing phenom of the decade.”

What separates great writers from the not so great is just that: persistence. Nothing more nothing less.

3. The Law of Service

“The Law that states in order to be greatest of all one must be servant of all.”

How do great writers serve their audience? Simple. They:

In short: they put the needs of the readers above their own needs.

Question: Do these same principles of law apply for Christian writers? What do you think?

* Image credit: Ian Sane (Creative Commons)

Comments

  1. says

    This is great, Michael. Thank you. I like how you have distilled Jesus’ ministry into a roadmap for our own writing activities. I’ve taken lots of notes.