Whatever!

“What do you write?”

Sit down with a group at a writers conference or anywhere else writers gather, and that will be the first question asked. The answers usually vary widely.

“Speculative.”

“Amish.”

“Romantic suspense.”

“Women’s Bible studies.”

“Amish speculative with a touch of romantic suspense, and a secret baby included for good measure.”

(Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating about that last one . . . but it could happen.)

My answer is a bit different: “Whatever God gives me to write.”

That may seem like a super-spiritual reply, but it is truly the way things have happened since God called me to write. Time after time, God has opened unlikely opportunities for me, and all I had to do was to say, “Yes, whatever.”

So, in the last ten years, I have written:

–devotionals

–children’s Christmas plays

–test questions and chapter summaries for a textbook

–standardized test questions for an educational company

–sports stories for an online track and field/cross country website

–blog posts

–news articles

–general nonfiction

–fiction

I’m sure there’s more, but you get the idea.  I don’t share this list to brag on myself, but to brag on God. He’s the One Who has opened (and closed) the doors, and it was up to me to be obedient and to walk through (or to accept the slammed-shut ones). Each assignment has sharpened my skills, taught me about deadlines, and generally stretched me as a writer.

My advice then is not to pigeonhole yourself into one genre or specific type of writing. Sure, it’s okay to specialize and to hone your skills in one area (maybe God has called you to that), but it’s also important to be obedient to God’s leading when He makes a way for you to stretch your wings.

Now, back to Levi and Martha, who are waiting to get out of the time warp . . .  

Carlton Hughes wears many hats—some serious, some goofy.

During weekdays, he sounds like Charlie Brown’s teacher (wah-wah wah-wah-wah) as a community college professor of communication and journalism. On Sundays and Wednesdays, you’ll find him playing games, performing songs with motions, and doing object lessons in his role as a children’s pastor. He and his wife also attempt to keep up with their two college-age boys.

In his “spare” time, Carlton is a freelance writer who has been published in numerous books, including several recent releases from Worthy Publishing: The Wonders of Nature, So God Made a Dog, Just Breathe, Let the Earth Rejoice, and Everyday Grace for Men. He has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul and other publications and is represented by Cyle Young of the Hartline Agency. He contributes regularly to two writing blogs, almostanauthor.com and inspiredprompt.com. He specializes in humorous observations of everyday life, connecting those experiences with spiritual application.

Carlton loves watching classic sitcoms like I Love Lucy, eating way too much chocolate, and rooting for his favorite college and high school basketball teams. He is on the planning committee for Kentucky Christian Writers Conference and a year-round volunteer for Operation Christmas Child.