Q&A with Tim Challies: Wisdom to Bolster Writers
“What helps you stay the course and continue writing?” asked pastor-writer Bob Allen. He asked the question in the Gospel-Centered Discipleship Writers’ Guild, which is our online community of writers from countries such as the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. The replies to Allen’s question showed our guild members have substantial agreement about what keeps us motivated—we love words and believe Ephesians 2:10 applies to the gift of writing: Christians are God’s workmanship, people created in Christ Jesus for good works, even good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them—or maybe we could say write in them.
Gospel-Centered Discipleship exists to cultivate writers and resources that help make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus. We are a group of writers committed to crafting quality blog posts, articles, and stories for God’s glory—and we welcome new members. As we converse each week in threads like “Wednesday Wins and Losses” and “Friday Feedback,” the challenges we share include finding an audience, finding time to write, and finding publication opportunities.
Together, our group compiled questions to ask Tim Challies, a longtime blogger and writing mentor to many. He’s the author of several books, including the award-winning Seasons of Sorrow about the comfort of God amid the tragic loss of his son. In this article, Tim answers with wisdom and grace to bolster writers from our online community and beyond.
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“What defines readership growth?” – Timarie Friesen
While acknowledging that this is unlikely to adequately answer the question, I tend to think less about numerical growth and more about spiritual growth. There is far too much blog content whose purpose is not to serve readers but to serve its writer—it has a catchy title and a great graphic, but the content itself is vapid and trite. God does not call us to grow a big platform—to build a widely-read blog or to write bestselling books. But he does call us to be faithful with what he entrusts to us, whether it is a lot or a little. The question I ask is not “How many people read my material” but “Am I helping the people who do read it better live as Christians?” What concerns me most is not whether I am drawing in new readers, but whether I am benefiting those who are already reading it. And I generally assume that if I am succeeding in the latter, I can trust God with the former.
“How can a person best hold the tension between self-forgetfulness and self-awareness, so they’re mindful of their readers without fixating on all the ways they might be misunderstood or say something they later regret?” – Heidi Kellogg
It’s possible that this has always been difficult, but I think the modern context has probably made it more difficult than ever. It’s almost impossible to write an article without having someone respond in a contrarian way. Social media, where most engagement tends to happen, is contrarian by nature and leads people to be picky, to exempt themselves, or to focus on exceptions. All of that has led me to generally not put a lot of effort into considering how I may be misunderstood. Rather, I try to ensure each article has at least one solid point and don’t try to offer a series of caveats. And I think I am on good ground here because that is how the Bible tends to provide its instruction—in bold statements without a list of disclaimers.
“How do you balance transparency in your writing without oversharing?” – Abigail Rehmert
I think a little bit of good sense goes a long way here. There may be some who are tempted to divulge details that should be better kept intimate or confidential, but that’s not common. So personally, I am not too concerned about over-sharing in my own life. I am, however, concerned about over-sharing in the lives of my family members and other people whose lives intersect mine. So if I am writing about my wife or children, I will make sure I ask their permission to do so. When they were still too small to give permission, I’d try to think about how that information might strike them eight or ten years in the future. As for other people—friends or neighbors or church members—I will either seek their permission or create a fictitious character who is similar enough to get the point across but dissimilar enough to protect privacy.
“What nets you the biggest return for your investment of time as a writer?” – John Beeson
If you want to think in terms of the accepted metrics of online writing, then the greatest return would be writing about controversy. If I stay attuned to current events and take a controversial stand, I can get a lot of clicks and reads. But if I look beyond Google Analytics and try to consider “divine analytics,” I am quite confident that the biggest returns will prove to be providing a Christian perspective on the inevitable suffering and sorrows in life. Second to that would probably be writing about issues related to marriage, parenting, and family. So I would say that those net me the biggest return in terms of personal satisfaction and, I trust, future rewards.
“You consistently put out thoughtful, impactful content and have for many years. How does the Holy Spirit direct and inspire you? Where do you find the ideas for your articles?” – Andrea Sanborn
At least for me, writing is not just a task, but a life. That being the case, a lot of my life is related to my writing. Though I don’t do my morning devotions asking, “What can I write based on this?” I often find an idea coming to mind as I read and pray. When I work my way through books, there are often words, phrases, or ideas I jot down to return to and think about in the future. In my leisure time I often read the works of writers who inspire me with their ideas or make me better with the quality of their prose. Rarely do I find it necessary to sit and ponder topics to write about. Far more often the ideas come organically as I live the life of a writer who attempts to be filled—filled with ideas and truth and beauty—so I can write out of the overflow. Further to this, every writer needs to maintain some kind of a “scratch pad” where he or she can jot down ideas the very moment they come to mind, then return to them later to see which are worth further thought.
“What are some practices that you’ve found helpful to move through the lows/discouragement that often sneak up after a high (be a completed project, an article you are particularly proud of, etc.)?” – Brianna Lambert
My recent book Seasons of Sorrow was nominated for a major book award and, much to my joy, ended up winning. And it took me all of a day to realize that it didn’t matter nearly as much as I might have thought. Almost no one noticed. Almost no one cared. It made almost no difference to anything as far as I can tell. I’m very grateful to have had the book recognized in that way, of course. But it simply wasn’t what I thought it would be. I suspect this may prove one of the most helpful things that has happened in my writing career. Why? Because it has called me to reevaluate why I am writing and what I consider as a valuable affirmation. Hence I move past the lows by considering why I write—for the good of others and the glory of God. Believing that this is my best effort to deploy my gifts, I press on even when tempted by discouragement.
“How do we write helpful content for an audience and avoid the pitfall of self-promotion?” – Nick Harsh, and “How would you suggest promoting one’s own work without it feeling egotistical?” – Adsum Try Ravenhill
Would you want to read someone who doesn’t believe their material is worth reading? Would you want to hear a sermon from a pastor who doesn’t believe his sermon is worth hearing or a songwriter who is embarrassed by their song? The reason we write is because we believe our writing may benefit other people. That being the case, it’s not necessarily prideful to make attempts to get others to read it. You should believe in your writing enough to be willing to make it available to others and even tell them about it. What matters more is whether you are willing to entrust it all to the Lord and be content with the number of readers you get, the amount of recognition you gain, and so on. So please, let others know about your writing. Do so with a humble confidence and a deep submission to the Lord.
“What has been your greatest encouragement to keep writing?” – Ashley Anthony
The greatest encouragement has been feedback from people who have benefited from something I have written. One word of gratitude, particularly if it includes a specific way in which a person has been helped, is the kind of blessing that keeps me going for another day. Second to that is simply my sense that I am doing what the Lord has gifted and called me to do. When I consider my life, my gifts, my desires, my passions, and my opportunities, I can see how God has been the one who has directed me to writing, and it renews my desire to keep writing and to do it well. I really do believe that as I write, I am doing what God has called me to do, and that makes all the difference.
“How do you focus on a project until completion?” – Kevin W. Bounds
At my best, I will only take on a project if I know that I want to take it all the way to completion. I attempt to say the quick “no” and the slow “yes.” When I take on a project that I find difficult to complete, I either need to consider whether I made a mistake in taking it on in the first place or if I just need to overcome the hardship and get it done. Writing is difficult—far more difficult than it may look—and the “thorns and thistles” of this world impact writing as much as any other vocation or occupation. We should not be surprised when we find ourselves experiencing difficulties. Often the difficulties are easier to overcome than we think, and we need to just face them squarely.
“How do you personally maintain your momentum as a writer? How do you stay centered (pressure to continue producing, highs and lows of putting your words into the world, being in the public eye, etc.)?” – Stacie Van de Weghe
Necessity. Fear. Delight. It can be any of these. It can be the sheer necessity of needing to have a new article completed based on the schedule I’ve set myself. It can be the fear of failing to hit deadlines or the fear of failing altogether. Or it can be the sheer delight of writing. Obviously I prefer the latter, but it can as easily be either of the former. I know that writing is my calling, and that goes a long way to keeping me going. But when I am despondent, when I am certain my writing could never possibly benefit anyone, or when I am convinced my writing lacks skill or beauty, I try to return to that sense of calling and that sense of joy—the joy of being able to do what God has called and equipped me to do.
Timarie Friesen leads the GCD Writers’ Guild and enjoys connecting writers with resources. She writes short stories and articles and works as an editor of fiction for a small publisher. She and her husband, Mark, live in northern Iowa with their three children and are active at Hope Church.