Writers, Focus on Your One Significant Word in 2026

From Edie: Discover how choosing One Significant Word for 2026 can refocus your writing life and deepen your spiritual walk. Learn practical tips for selecting your word, anchoring it in Scripture, and using it to inspire your creativity, discipline, and purpose throughout the new year.

Writers, Focus on Your One Significant Word in 2026

by Beth K. Vogt @BethVogt

Writers, do you know what your word count is?

“Umm, Beth,” you’re probably wondering, “which word count do you mean?”

Whether we write fiction or nonfiction—or both—we’re all about word count, right? We track it day by day, celebrating when we hit the magic number. We keep an eye on our manuscripts’ overall word count. 

But do you know the total number of words you’ve written in 2025? Now that’s some writer math worth calculating. 

For all the value of counting up, so is counting d-o-w-n … all the way down to just one word. One word can be powerful, especially if you focus on that single word for an entire year. 

You know where I’m going with this thought, right?

With only 18 days left in 2025, lots of you may be mulling New Year’s Resolutions for 2026. But I’m focused on my One Word for the upcoming year. 

This is the 21st year I’ve chosen One Word. I thought I might stick with my 2025 word “Abide” because nothing was changing by late early November. And then, as I worked through *Stop2Read, the read-through-the-Bible program I’m part of, I discovered this Charles Spurgeon quote: “I like to plunge my hand into the promises, and then I find myself able to grasp with a grip of determination the mighty faithfulness of God. An omnipotent plea with God is: ‘Do as thou hast said.’”

And there it was—my One Word for 2026.

Promise.

I’m embracing the invitation to plunge my hand into God’s promises, determined to hold onto his mighty faithfulness. I’m lining Promise up with 2 Corinthians 1:20 (NASB95): “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.”

Promise will be added to past One Words like gratitude, forgiveness, hope, simplify, and pray.

Interested in choosing One Word for 2026? 

Here are four tips to help writers try One Word in the new year:

• 1. Pray about your One Word. God usually provides me with a scripture verse that anchors me to my One Word.

• 2. Be attentive for a visual. I’ve used a photo or other kind of graphic to remind me of my One Word. I’ve also worn a necklace or bracelet engraved with my One Word. For 2026, I plan to collect God’s promises – specific Bible verses. I may even write them on strips on paper and put them in a container of some sort so I can literally “… plunge my hand into the promises …” throughout the year.

• 3. Dive into your One Word and consider reading books related to it. I’m reading Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray as I end 2025. 

• 4. Read My One Word by authors Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen. This is a helpful resource to learn how to choose One Word. I also recommend checking out their website. It’s motivating to see One Words other people have chosen.

I’d love to know if you focus on One Word each year and if you’ve chosen a word for 2026 or why you prefer resolutions.

*NOTE: Looking for a good read-through-the-Bible program? Join the community over at Stop2Read. Find out more here: https://www.stop2read.com/.

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Writers, Focus on Your One Significant Word in 2026 from @BethVogt on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” She’s authored 15 novels and novellas, both contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Beth is a Christy Award winner, an ACFW Carol Award winner, and a  RITA® finalist. Her newest contemporary romance novel, Dedicated to the One I Love, released June 20, 2023. Her novel Things I Never Told You, book one in her Thatcher Sisters Series by Tyndale House Publishers, won the 2019 AWSA Golden Scroll Award for Contemporary Novel of the Year. An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Learn How to Write a Novel and The Write Conversation and also enjoys speaking to writers group and mentoring other writers. She lives in Colorado with her husband Rob, who has adjusted to discussing the lives of imaginary people. Connect with Beth at BETHVOGT.COM.