Writers, We are Blessed Stenographers

by Tammy Karasek @TickledPinkTam

Certain words and phrases often catch my mind as a writer when I’m scrolling through a social media feed. Recently, I came across the quote below. In high school and college, I took many classes on shorthand and my classmates and I were referred to as stenographers. Not a word that is often seen or heard much anymore, so to read this word made me scroll to find it. I’ve contemplated it ever since. One, because of who wrote it and two because of the power that was in the words. Check it out: 

“Writers were blessed stenographers taking divine dictation.” Stephen King

I was first intrigued because of his use of stenographer. A word strongly attached to my education in the past. 

I remember sitting for hours taking shorthand in class in both high school and college. The teacher would read pages for us to write in those squiggly little shapes that translated into real words. I loved taking shorthand and won quite a few awards doing so—I was very fast. I found it both fascinating and fun. When I took my first job as a secretary, I put the training to use. I diligently wrote down the words my boss would speak whenever he needed correspondence sent. Jack, my boss, was a funny guy. Once he was done telling me what he wanted in his letter, he’d say, “Now read those little scribbles back to me.” 

Back to Mr. King’s quote. It caught my attention that he had said “writers were blessed stenographers.” He’s talking about you and me—we are the writers. But he said we’re blessed stenographers. Which to me means One in the position to bless is the One telling us what to write. A stenographer doesn’t write letters in shorthand if someone isn’t telling him or her what needs typed. Someone is behind the voice. Who would be the voice for the blessed stenographer?

Mr. King’s last two words answers the question on who that would be, for Christian writers in particular. The voice would be someone divine dictating what needs to be said. 

Stop right there. Did anyone else get goose bumps like I did? 

We’ve heard the phrase “if God has called you to do something, He will equip you to do it.” The quote above takes that to a whole new level for me. God has called us to write. Check. He will equip us to do it. Check—wait … how?

Simple. 

Through His divine dictation. 

Now you can see why this short, sweet quote has had my attention. And I’m not lying when I say it came on one of those days we writers sometimes get when self-doubt and frustration wants to creep in and take over. 

But this quote. It encouraged and excited me as soon as I read it. It is still rolling in my head weeks later. I hope it has lifted your spirits as well. We’re not in this writing journey alone, even though it sometimes feels like it. The words we write are coming from divine dictation from the One who blesses us with our stenographic skills of writing. 

Be blessed writer, go write the words He dictates to you. 

What are your thoughts on Mr. King’s quote? Have you ever thought about your writing journey as blessed through divine dictation? Do share with us!

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Writers, We are Blessed Stenographers from @TickledPinkTam on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Tammy Karasek uses humor and wit to bring joy and hope to every aspect in life. Her past, filled with bullying and criticism from family, drives her passion to encourage and inspire others and give them The Reason to smile. She’s gone from down and defeated to living a “Tickled Pink” life as she believes there’s always a giggle wanting to come out! A writer of Romance—with a splash of sass. She’s also The Launch Team Geek helping authors launch their books and also a Virtual Assistant for several best-selling authors. Don't miss her recent book, LAUNCH THAT BOOK, just released in November. 

Her work was also published in a Divine Moments Compilation Book—Cool-inary Moments. She’s also the Social Media Manager for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, Founding President and current Vice-President of ACFW Upstate SC, and Founding President of Word Weavers Upstate SC. She’s a writing team member for The Write Conversation Blog, Novel Academy, MBT Monday Devotions, The Write Editing and more. Connect with Tammy at HTTPS://WWW.TAMMYKARASEK.COM.