‘Publish and be damned.’ I suppose many of us have heard of
this quotation, famously attributed to
the Duke of Wellington, when threatened by blackmail. For the sake of this
blog, I am changing it to ‘Publish and be blessed.’
‘I hadn’t thought of being published,’ a friend told me,
when sharing some nuggets of truth he had recorded on his smart phone.
Well, neither had I. A friend had her title ready for the
day when she might write her memoirs, but I had never thought of going into
print. (Not quite true. I had written some short stories, and been encouraged
to get them published, but that was long forgotten.) Writing a diary to send to
the folk back home was all I had time for while working abroad.
But now, my missionary adventures behind me and settled
into the sometimes routine of a pastor’s wife, I knew God was calling me to
write. Three times I had heard his voice
through the words, ‘What is that in your hand?’ My only answer had to
be, ‘A pen.’ (Yes, I had certainly never thought God would expect me to use a
computer. There are always surprises in store once we take the God road.)
After other God-incidences confirming my call, an advert
for a writing course had plopped onto
our door mat. It’s title - Writing for
Profit. Not many months later I received
a cheque for £20 from the Christian Herald, in acknowledgement of the short
story I had submitted. I was on cloud nine. Somehow I had never expected to be
a published author, but here I was, on the road.
Many more successes followed, though many rejections too; and rejections are always
painful. But now, many books, articles,
yes and blogs too later, I know my
calling to write includes a call to
encourage others not only to write, but to have courage to go on to be published. For in publishing we are
putting our heads above the parapet and
likely to be attacked. Hence this blog.
You may be more
familiar with the words that ring out in Handel’s triumphant chorus –‘Great was
the company of the preachers.’
‘Great was the company of those who published it,’ is an
alternative translation, much loved
by Bible translators. After all, what
good would those long years of labour be, when a language would first of all be
reduced to writing, the complexity of grammar, often tone too, understood,
and now at long last the Bible, or parts of it, ready to be printed. Even now it is worthless unless
there is developed in the people an appetite to read and to hear the voice of
God through these pages. Only then lives
are changed. No wonder there is need of prayer for every stage of this great
task. ‘Great was the company of those who publish it.’
Joel and I became the means of establishing the South Wales
Ready Writers. We meet together once a year and have been inspired and
encouraged by various speakers. Our local monthly Ready Writers has dwindled in
numbers over the years, but continues to encourage and inspire, helping us to
develop the discipline of writing regularly.
We are not all going to be published by recognised
publishers. Unless you are already well known, your autobiography is unlikely
to be accepted. However, with computer skills ever increasing, self-publishing
has become a viable option. A friend had
self- published before being taken on by main line publishers. It was he who
published my ‘Wings of the Morning.’
I have a poem
published each month in our local Seaside News. The editor may not be
selective, but never the less there are many readers who say my monthly poem is
the first thing they look for in this excellent magazine.
So, if you feel a call to write, or even if you are not
sure about it being a call, but just love to write, just think about the
possibility that God might want it published. When Jesus warned his disciples
that they would face persecution, he told them that ‘it would be turned to a
testimony.’ We all undergo trials and
difficulties, so let’s be ready to share the precious lessons we learn through
them. We may not be likely to preach to thousands, but let’s be among the great
company of those who publish od’s message.
I thank God for that first writer’s course that plopped
onto our mat, and for a wise husband who encouraged me to enrol. It was my
tutor who taught me how to approach an editor, how to set out my manuscript,
and then, the invaluable skill of turning a novel into a page turner. Some of
us may have had a good education in literature and grammar while at school, but now, with writing inspired by
the Holy Spirit, we need to learn how to hone our skills and craft our words so that they will pierce the
defences that men have formed around their hearts so that they will pierce through that hard top-soil and reach down into their hearts.
