Why Writers Need Each Other

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

And in (Christ Jesus) you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 3:22

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6

Hiding in my bedroom as a little girl, I pulled out the tattered yellow legal pad I confiscated from the heavy wooden desk my mother used to pay bills. With a rush of relief, I spilled out on paper all that brimmed in my heart. The words filled the pages like beautiful filigree, transforming each one into a chronicle of my childhood. 

Those were sacred times. I was alone with my words, and it was glorious.

Now I am grown, and as words tend to do, they have grown with me. They demand to be shared. I can no longer sit alone and selfishly hoard them, reveling in their personal significance, their cathartic release. They beg to be set free, to inspire, encourage, and to courageously open doors that are shut.

As I write my first book, and rewrite, and rewrite again, I am learning that writers were never meant to work alone. We need each other. There is beauty to be discovered as we build upon each other’s work, as we step back a take another look, as we deconstruct and reconstruct. Wise counsel has always been part of work well done. Allowing others to read our work, however, to critique it and have a role in making it better, takes humility and courage.

Although my personality entices me to seek solitude, to hide my words away and protect them from criticism, my Lord compels me to follow a different way. 

The kingdom of God on the earth has been built and will continue to be built as a group effort, a joint work accomplished among His children working together. And as we work, He builds us up into a dwelling place in which He lives by His Spirit.

Think about that for a moment! As writers, we can choose to stand alone, laboring over our craft, or, we can choose to take the risk and let others help us. The result will be something even more beautiful than what we ever could have constructed on our own. God will dwell in us as we work together!

We are all given various gifts. Instead of fearing my brother’s gift that differs from mine, I choose to lean on him in my lack. Instead of envying my sister’s gift that seems better than my own, I choose to seek her counsel, learning how her gift complements my own and makes it stronger. 

Underneath all this building is the foundation of Christ. We commit our writing to Him and to His glory. We trust God to lead us in a right way. And then we go forth together, armed with courage and our words, and watch as God makes them grow.

We need each other, writers. We were made to both build and be built together, that God might dwell in us for the world to see.

And goodness knows, the world needs to see Him today.

TWEETABLES

Why writers need each other - thoughts on sharing the #writing journey from @AudreyCFrank on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

"Writers were made to both build & be built together, that God might dwell in us for the world to see." @AudreyCFrank on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Audrey Frank is an author, speaker, and storyteller. The stories she shares are brave and true. They give voice to those whose words are silenced by shame, the hard things in life that don’t make sense, and the losses that leave us wondering if we will survive. Audrey and her family have spent over twenty years living and working among different cultures and world views, and she has found that God’s story of redemption spans every geography (geographical location)  and culture. He is the God of Instead, giving honor instead of shame, gladness instead of mourning, hope instead of despair. Although she has three different degrees in communication and intercultural studies, Audrey’s greatest credential is that she is known and loved by the One who made her.

Her upcoming book, From Shame to Honor, is an outpouring of Audrey’s heart to introduce others to the God of Instead. Shame is not unique to the developing world, the plight of the women behind veils, young girls trafficked across borders; shame is lurking in hearts everywhere. Through powerful stories from women around the world, From Shame to Honor illuminates the power of the Gospel to remove shame, giving honor instead. Look for it through Harvest House Publishers in the fall of 2018.

You can also find Audrey at www.audreyfrank.com, as well as on Twitter and Facebook