Some movie scenes brand your brain with a message that never fades. One such scene, from The End of the Spear, is locked away in my mind forever. If you haven’t seen this film, I highly recommend it. It’s the true story about a group of missionaries in Ecuador who set out to reach the violent Auca Indian tribe with the message of the Gospel. Shockingly, when all the men in the missionary group are killed, their grieving wives and children boldly decide to move into the Auca camp to continue God’s work.
I can’t imagine taking such a risk alone, much less towing my young children with me into the ultimate danger zone. But God worked through these ladies’ stubborn faith to reach a lost group of people with His saving grace. Although faith was the door by which they entered into God’s plan, once in, these brave women had to learn the Auca language, adapt to their way of life, navigate the dos and don’ts of the culture, and most of all they had to prove their sincerity to win the Auca’s trust.
Our God given calling to write is a missionary field of its own. We enter by faith, but then are required to do the hard work needed to see it through. We must learn the cryptic language of the industry, adapt to a writer’s way of life, navigate the ever changing culture of publishing, and win the trust of agents and editors to gain a hearing for our message. As we do this we become part of the village that makes up our writing community. And it truly takes a village to raise our book-babies to maturity.
Trust me—I’m an introvert. If becoming a published author could be done lone ranger style I would gladly do it from the comfort of my writing desk while sipping a caramel latte and wearing my fuzzy slippers. But I’m learning that without the help of this village of mentors, teachers, supporters, prayer warriors, and encouragers the writing life can become an endless stream of untried thoughts and unrealized potential. How sad is that!
Writing conferences, critique groups, online writing courses, and social media groups are perfect opportunities to become one with fellow villagers. Yes—these things take time, effort, risk, and investment. And at times the process of becoming an integral part of the writing community seems overwhelming. But no obstacle is too difficult for God, who has called us to this shared journey. As we step out in faith He will build our village around us and use it to refine both writer and writing.
While our village is forming, we also need to cultivate our tribe. Our tribe are those for whom we write—our target audience. When all is said and done, our message will need an outlet. No matter how profound the thought or how perfect the style, our words will accomplish nothing if only crickets hear them. The good news is that God already had our tribe in mind when he gave us the words to write. His gifts are never bestowed so that we can squander them for our own pleasure. They are always given so that He can use the gifts to glorify Himself.
Our job is to recognize our tribe and develop meaningful and sincere relationships with them through every possible means. This can be tricky because it’s not formulaic. Sure, we should learn how to market ourselves and take advantage of the tried-and-true techniques to increase our platform numbers. But people are smart. Most can see right through an author who only wants to gain their trust to sell their latest book. People long for connections with others who care about them. And if anyone should care about our readers, we should. This gets straight to the heart of the matter, doesn’t it? I’ve had to do some serious self-examination on this one. What’s my motive? Do I care about those who will be reading my writing, or do I simply want their help to succeed as an author? There is a difference. And that difference won’t only determine the longevity and loyalty of our readers but also the effectiveness of our ministry.
Books will come and go and our mission may change from season to season, but if we do the foundational work required to grow our villages and tribes our impact will be far reaching.
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Proverbs 27:17, Romans 11:29, 1 Peter 4:10
Fun Fact: Dr. Seuss’s first book, “And to Think that I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” was rejected so many times by publishers that he had decided to give up on writing and burn the manuscript. That same day he bumped into a friend from college, who had just taken a job at Vanguard Press as children’s editor. A few hours later the book was signed, and the rest is history.
Annette Marie Griffin is a award-winning writer who speaks at local women’s group meetings and women’s retreats on the topic of biblical womanhood and finding our identity in Christ. She is the Operations and Events Coordinator at a private school for special needs students and is the editor of their quarterly newsletter. She has written custom curriculum for women’s retreats and children’s church curriculum for Gateway Church in San Antonio, Texas where she served as Children’s Ministry Director and Family Program Director for over twenty years. She and her husband John have five amazing children and two adorable grands. She’s a member of Word Weavers International, ACFW, SCBWI, and serves on the Board of Directors for The Creative Writing Institute.
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