Part of a series of interviews with experienced Christian writers—of academic and popular theology, fiction, and those writing for a non-Christian audience.
How did you decide to take writing more seriously? Did someone encourage you to do so?
I studied literature and journalism, and have been a staff writer for more than fifteen years. The leap for me was to start interviewing and writing outside of work. It was more fun, because I could choose my subjects and subject matter, write in the first person, and share my opinions and beliefs—but much more daunting than straight reporting for an employer.
Another leap was making contact with the Centre for Public Christianity via a generic email address. I’m grateful to Natasha Moore for reading that random email, along with some of my work, and offering to meet. I’ve since published numerous stories with CPX.
A number of friends and family members who are always willing to read drafts and give feedback have been (and remain) a great help too.
A few years ago, when our youngest started school, I took another leap and, instead of increasing my work hours, decided to see if I could earn a portion of my income through freelance writing. It’s not easy or lucrative but I’m managing!
How do you think about your explicitly Christian writing? As a ministry? A hobby? A vocation? A side hustle?
A way to make a positive contribution to the public square, hopefully one that challenges negative assumptions about Christianity and/or gives readers a glimpse of its truth and beauty. A way to love others—why hide a lamp under a bowl?
I always appreciate writing from other Christians who speak openly and winsomely about their faith. It encourages me in my own faith and provides me with resources I can share with others. (I find this much easier than sharing my own articles!) I hope my work encourages others, and is a resource for them, too.
How do you think about your less-explicitly Christian writing, whether fiction or non-fiction? A hobby? Part of the cultural mandate? Cultural engagement? Pre-evangelism?
A way to make a positive contribution to the public square (or at least not a negative one!); an opportunity to practice and improve my writing; a way to make a living (assuming I’m being paid); and (assuming it is published) to add to my portfolio. This generates more opportunities for future articles, though I’ve reached a point where exposure matters less.
Where do your ideas and inspiration come from?
Everywhere! Anywhere! Life is, and people are, so beautiful and terrible and surprising and fascinating! I’m often short on courage, or focus, or skill, or time; but I’m yet to run out of ideas and inspiration! I also love writing very short reflections on seemingly insignificant everyday thoughts and moments, more for the challenge of capturing a sensation or observation in words, and better understanding it, than for publication—though some have been published.
Do you have any advice for those starting to seek publication? What insights can you give into the mysterious publication process?
Expect it to be hard and inefficient. Expect to lose sleep and lose heart. Expect to have your work rejected. Expect to make mistakes and compromises. Know what you won’t compromise on (there are some edits I won’t accept, there are some publications I won’t write for, there are some stories I won’t write).
Don’t expect editors to reply to your emails at all, let alone promptly. It helps to have multiple pieces on the go and multiple irons in the fire at a time. Don’t take rejection personally. Remember that long shots (like cold-contacting a publication or organisation or editor you admire) occasionally bear fruit, and perseverance often does—while paying submission fees or entering competitions that cost money rarely pays off. Remember that it can take months or years to publish any one piece. Start small. Expect some pieces to remain unpublished. Expect to redraft some so many times you lose count. Expect to want to quit because it’s all too hard. And expect to enjoy it—to get lost in it, to love it!
Be prayerful, check your motives, keep a clear conscience, limit your time on social media. Write for God, and for people who read in good faith, not for clicks. Listen to comments and feedback from people who know you, but take criticism from strangers with a bucket of salt. Walk often.
Any advice on getting paid?
“Exposure” is valuable early on, but it doesn’t pay the bills; it’s reasonable to expect compensation for your time and effort. You might be happy to write for free to get your first few bylines, but if you want to write for a living, it’s not sustainable. You can start asking mainstream publications about their rates, and research paying markets. You can still make the odd exception for, or “donation” to, publications that don’t pay, but be strategic.
How do you think and feel about getting feedback and editorial input? Has that changed over time?
I’ve always valued honest feedback from trusted friends, and input from editors I respect. The trick is to find people who understand what you’re going for, so that their advice is aligned to that. If they’re interested in you and your writing to the point they’d read it once it’s published, you might as well ask them to read it earlier in the process. Tell them if you’re wanting any and all feedback they can offer, and are willing to make big changes, or if you just want them to check it makes sense and that there are no glaring omissions/mistakes— (we don’t know what we don’t know!) so they can read and respond accordingly.
What are your coping strategies for rejections, or not hearing back from people you share your work with—whether editors or friends and family?
I try not to take it personally, and to avoid making up negative stories in my head about why I haven’t heard back. Not everything (barely anything!) is about me. If it’s an editor I don’t know well, I might not expect a response at all, so it’s more a bonus if they reply than a disappointment if they don’t. Even if they reply to reject a pitch or submission, I can count the fact they bothered to read my email AND respond as a win. (For all I know, God intends some pieces for an audience of one.)
Is it difficult for you to promote yourself and your work?
YES! Even when I’m happy with it and think it will really help people, or that people will really enjoy it. (And especially when I’m not happy with a headline or edits!) I don’t want to spend my time trying to “build an audience” or “generate traffic”, I don’t want to alienate friends, or come across as egotistical.
What are particular temptations for writers?
Not sharing your work because you don’t want others to think you’re proud! Being proud, even if you take care not to seem it! Writing around the truth because you fear what others will think. Trying to do too much in one piece. Being unwilling to cut more than half of what’s in your first draft. Failing to trust your reader. Caring more about how people see you than how God does. Failing to keep the big picture in mind.
What are some strategies to resist them?
Ground yourself in the reality of God’s priorities—his truth, his word—and in your (“real life”) relationships. Pray. Be honest with yourself about your motives. Don’t write at others’ expense. Confide in friends. Ask trusted readers for feedback. And when you’re worried about what others will think, read Tim Keller’s The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness!
How can friends support Christian writers?
Read our work! Share it if you find it helpful. Tell us if you like it—bonus points for why, and even more bonus points if you don’t know the writer you’re telling. I’ve also been encouraged by people who, through my writing, have gained an understanding of my interests and taste, to the point they recommend books, articles, podcasts and films to me. It’s encouraging to have people “get” you, and contribute to your reading, listening and viewing diet, which in turn contributes to your thinking and writing.
How can ministry leaders support Christian writers?
Ask us this question! Read what we write! Ask us writing-related favours and questions. You could use a snippet from a story as a sermon illustration, you could ask for help running a workshop that helps others to write their testimonies, you could ask for help with the wording of an important announcement. Use us and our work as resources! (Us, not AI!) This displays your confidence in us, which can build our self-confidence, and gives us opportunities to use our skills to serve.
What do you recommend to those who want to work on their writing?
Know why you’re doing it. Don’t use AI! Start small. Enter the next Pilgrim Artists Festival—not to win, but to have a (500) word limit and a deadline. Or submit a 500-word reflection to The Weekend Australian’s “This Life” column, which might just get published.
Share your writing with trusted friends. Read Break, Blow, Burn and Make by E. Lily Yu and The Eye of the Story by Eudora Welty and Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. Don’t force your faith into your work, but don’t write around it; don’t have a separate “writing” self.
If, when reading published articles or stories, you think you could do better, then do better—on a different topic or with a different angle—and submit the result to that publication.
If you love a publication and want to write for them, tell them so—preferably in a way that shows you really do read and love their publication (which also takes skill, because you want to sound sincere!). Once you have a few links to published pieces, it gets easier. The first few are the hardest.
