Parenting Potential Writers

Writers versus great writers

Nurturing potential writers is an important aspect of writing. When new writers write, they expect to achieve immediate greatness. Sometimes, that does happen, but not often. Why does one writer succeed in achieving greatness, while another may not?

What is the difference between a writer and a great writer?

The answer may be may be found by looking more closely into the question of effort versus insight, an ongoing debate.

I will suggest that effort works hard; insight succeeds.

If one makes a serious comparison between writers and great writers, throughout the course of history, what one begins to see is the reality that there is a difference between the two. The writer, who puts a lot of effort into his or her work, will complete writing projects; the great writer, completes projects, but also achieves greatness through those projects, because of the unique insight revealed in his or her writing.

What is effort?

Effort is a serious attempt to do something, accomplish a task or achieve an end of some sort. It requires a conscious exertion of human power or force and it is hard work. Certainly anyone who works hard will reach a designated goal, at some point in time. Writers who work hard or put a lot of effort into their writing, will achieve a degree of success, in time. There is no doubt about that.

What is insight?

Insight, is the act of seeing into something. It involves penetration by which one is able to intuitively apprehend the inner nature of something. Insight is a gift that great writers have been recognized as having, throughout the course of history.

Shall writers who rely on effort give up writing? It would seem to be discouraging for a person who tries hard to write or works hard at writing, to acknowledge the reality that greatness may be beyond his or her reach. Unless a person actually writes, he or she may never know if greatness is his or her ultimate destiny. In the act of writing itself, there comes a certain degree of insight.

Sometimes it appears that when a person writes and does not force his or her writing, insight happens. Trying too hard can stifle one's intuitive nature.

This is not suggesting that effort is not needed because it is an important part of writing. If there was no effort put forth, there would be no writing either.

So, writers write on and don't get discouraged! At some point in time, what you are writing may be acknowledged to have insight above and beyond what ordinary writers write.

This is where great writers enter the picture. Great writers write things that are far beyond their times. Sometimes the greatness of their work is not recognized until hundreds of years later. Not many writers achieve greatness during their time of writing. There are some, but these writers are few and far between.

From a Christian perspective, God can use any man, woman or child to write. Allowing God to write through oneself is essentially saying, "I am merely your pen, God. Speak to others through my writing. Thy will be done. To God alone is the glory."

This is the based on the concept of the human person acting in the capacity of being an instrument available for God to use, with respect to conveying His message for humankind, in writing.

It can be a humbling experience to acknowledge that what one writes is essentially God's work and not one's own, but many great writers achieve greatness, because somehow, through what appears to be their work and their insight (the insight that has been given to them by God), something is revealed that places their work beyond the level of the ordinary writer's work.

Everything comes from God, so it means that if there is extraordinary insight into something, it has come from God.

Recognize that if something is God's work, there is going to be opposition to it, also. Is it worth the effort when this happens? If it is truly God's work, then God Himself will bring it to an effective conclusion. He will deal with the opposition too, in His time and in His way.

The effort a person puts into his or her work never goes unnoticed, even though it may seem that way. Insight is essentially a gift. How will you know that you have that gift? There is a knowing in the Spirit.

Writers continue your efforts and just write! In fact, write volumes!

You will know when you have achieved insight. Insight may be one step further than you have walked today.

Remember that effort works hard; insight succeeds.

Parent potential writers and they in turn may acknowledge the greatness of your work, in time.