Today I was having a conversation with an old friend who asked me if I was still doing some writing outside of the writing I do for my day job. I said yes and talked about a few of the projects I’m working on right now.
It’s what he said next that threw me for a loop.
He mentioned that he wanted to maybe do some writing and that we should chat sometime so I could give him some “pro-tips.” I immediately downplayed my skills, and he insisted he could learn from me. We laughed and moved on to other things, but something about the interaction has stuck with me.
To be very clear: I don’t feel like a professional writer or author. But I do write a lot of content. I make guides, policies and systems at work. As well as create training content, devotionals and deliverables of all kinds for kids, youth, or families. I also write content for companies like LeaderTreks as a ghostwriter. I do lots and lots of writing and lots of people look at and use what I create but when I think of being a “professional writer,” I think of publications and books.
But this conversation reminded me that’s, in fact, not true. The odds are high that if you work in a church or do any form of education or leadership development, you are probably writing way more than you think you are. You are a professional writer, and I guess I “kinda” am too.
So, to honour my friend, here are 10 tips from a “kinda” professional writer:
- Create spaces: Create spaces where you like to write and can write. Maybe that’s doing some of it at a coffee shop where the noise around you is like white noise and no one you know will bother you. Or maybe you need a cozy writing chair at home. A comfortable space can help the creative juices flow.
- Set time aside: Writing takes time, and eventually, you will be good at estimating how much time it will take. But don’t squish writing into your life—give yourself space. Sometimes it flows easily, and sometimes it’s a slog.
- Do your homework: I keep relearning this lesson over and over, but templating and prep work matter. No matter what I’m writing, I try to create a framework or path forward. I use these outlines to guide what I’m doing. In a sermon series, I’ll outline five weeks at once. In a training guide, I’ll outline the key sections. The more I do the homework, the smoother the projects always seem to go.
- Have a plan: Part of doing your homework is having a plan. Where are you trying to go? What’s your BIG idea? What’s that one thing that a person needs to take away from what you’re putting together? This is very important if you’re doing manuals or guides because it all has to fit together—but it’s often a multi-document, layered system.
- Block write: Do your best to write in chunks of content. I often move from subtitle/section to subtitle/section. That way, I’m getting my complete thoughts together and not trying to remember where I left off. My actual goal most of the time is to write the whole of a chapter, section, or document in one sitting (it’s how my brain works).
- Minimum Viable Product: This is a term from my work in project management, specifically from Agile. Essentially, it means writing enough that you can act on or use your completed section of content when you’re done. For example, when you’re writing a book and working on it one chapter at a time, think about the idea of writing that chapter in a way that you could use that chapter as soon as it’s done. In essence, it’s met the “minimum” standard and it can be used. This step calls for you to then evaluate: do you need more content, or is what you created enough? Maybe Google this one—it can be a fun rabbit trail.
- Be kind to yourself: If you know me or have seen my work—or even probably in this very post—I have a grammar and spelling issue. I’m actually fairly dyslexic, and I allowed my challenges and outside voices to tell me I wasn’t good enough to be a writer for a very long time. It was actually my friend Jacob who published my first work and my friend Doug who gave me my first writing contract. They finally got me to understand that I could be a working writer, because I could also partner with amazing editors. I don’t have to be perfect—I just need to be myself and find my own voice.
- Ask for feedback: This can be a fun process, but also a difficult one. Finding people you trust who can give you honest feedback or be the “editor” you need to refine your ideas is so important. At my office, people comment on my writing all the time, and sometimes it’s very hard to hear because some part of me has been extended to the page. But I’m a way better writer for it in the long run.
- Templates are your friend: Depending on the type of writing you’re doing, my best advice is to create a template or guide to follow—especially if you’re doing curriculum or content work. A template helps you have a plan and write in blocks because it gives you a guide and sometimes gives you a constraint. One of my LeaderTreks projects had a fairly hard-line template and word count. It helped because I knew not only how much work I needed to do, but it forced me to refine my work by default.
- Deadlines matter: Setting goals and deadlines matters. They help you chart your way forward, especially if you get good at estimating how much time something takes. But deadlines also matter because someone else is probably waiting for you. Maybe it’s the production team that needs the sermon outline, or it’s the art department that needs the copy to create the graphics. Odds are high that if you’re writing for anything but pleasure, someone is waiting for you—and the BEST thing you can do is learn to deliver on time or even earlier than expected.
I hope these were helpful, and maybe in the future I’ll dive into some of them more. If you want to see some of my more professional work, check out the Digital Bookstore. Also, if this inspires you to write or create something, I’d love to see it or hear about the work you’re doing.
Fresh Challenge
If you want to take this one step further, pick one of these tips and try it out for yourself.
- Maybe you do your homework and outline the first book you’ve been thinking about writing.
- Maybe you write your first chapter, blog post, or idea in a way that someone else could benefit from it.
- Maybe you ask a few close friends to look at something you’ve created.
- Maybe you just sit down and finally start writing—no plan, just see where it takes you.
Wherever you’re at—start there. That’s enough.
Personal Note: I’ve been on a journey to be kind to myself. For me, some of my writing struggles have been about the scope and reach of my work. But the reality is, if it helps even one person, that should be good enough. And at a minimum, every one of these blog posts helps me work out my own thoughts—so I guess I’m already winning.
Fresh Ministry Consulting 