Writing For An Audience Of One

I was pregnant with my second child, driving past sweetgrass basket stands when the idea for a novel struck me with such force, I had to scribble it on the back of a receipt. It was a lightning bolt moment that changed everything. I woke up the next morning at 4:00 a.m. and began to write. Five months later, after joining a writer’s group, going on bedrest, having an emergency birth, and coming home with an early but healthy baby, I finished that book. The writing called to me. The writing helped me through the uncertainty and being told I could have no more children.

The writing was a gift in a challenging time.

I wrote my eighth novel during the Covid year. In lockdown, I read and wrote and painted. Through these creative gifts, I was able to process my world around me, my new cancer diagnosis, my fears for the future.

I believe we all have the gift of writing available to us as a tool to process our thoughts, to connect with others, and as a means to deepen our relationship with God.

For me, I write fiction. It helps me explore my truths, but I also have notebooks with ideas, prayers, research, essays, and articles. I thank God for the ability to write, and anyone can do it. But writing takes tiny bits of courage. Staring at a blank page is daunting. Just make a mark.

Pray about it. Have no fear of failure.

I wrote my first novel, The Spirit of Sweetgrass, telling the Lord that if just one person read it and got something from it, it would be worth it. I remember a book club event when a woman thanked me for writing the book because her mother had just passed away and she’d never been able to imagine heaven. My book helped her to envision her mother in a better place. I remembered my talk with God and thanked him for my “one person,” and then I got serious about writing. What God put on my heart to pen was for me, of course, but I learned that my obedience in that matter would ultimately affect other people.

God has allowed me to explore and express my deepest emotions though the written word, and I often learn more about myself or others once the words are in black and white.

So, what about you? We all have a story or many stories to tell. Whether keeping a journal, a diary or writing a book, don’t worry about who will read your words. Keep in mind a goal to write for an audience of one.

Before you write and share with others, communicate with God about your message. Does it glorify God or add darkness to the world? We have the power to do each with our words.

Partner with God in all you write. With his inspiration, your words can be used to expand his Kingdom here on earth. In the process, you may just understand yourself a little better and the world around you.