Into the Fire

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For what it’s worth . . .

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What are your words worth? Do they translate into money? Is that what matters or determines their worth?

Professional writers who make a living with words deserve commendations for their diligence and creativity, their foresight and successes. Those of us who formulate novels understand the perseverance it takes to survive and achieve any measure of accomplishment using words to tell a story.

Forcing words to the surface of a dry well can be like force-feeding a statue. Nothing moves. Will that wellspring flow again? And when it does, will the water be worth drinking?

There are billions of words out there on paper or screen telling stories. Some of those stories strike it rich without much artistry. Others with lovely language and skilled design fall flat and don't earn much. There's just no way to account for the worth of those stories in dollars and cents or sometimes common sense.

For what it's worth, some of us write from the heart and create however we know to do. Is it good? Will it sell? Does anyone really care about this story? For what it's worth, there comes a time and place where we must decide if those questions matter anymore. And continue to write anyway.

 

Father, help each one of us to do what you have planned for us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

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4 responses to “For what it’s worth . . .”

  1. BK Jackson Avatar
    BK Jackson

    “And continue to write anyway.” That about sums it up. Most of life, it seems, is filled with hardship and toil and the opportunity to write seems like a distant afterthought.
    But I don’t regret one word I’ve written, even if its ultimate fate in life is to sit on my hard drive. Same for any writing in the future. It doesn’t do me any good to try to measure my writing against someone else’s standard anyway as I often don’t like what’s popular. So there’s no way for me to judge whether my writing is “good” in that context or more so, if it will sell.
    I have to write what makes me happy, and continue improving my skills. The rest will have to take care of itself.

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  2. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    Good points, Brenda. I write stories the way I like to read. So, yeah, I, too, have to write what makes me happy. No regrets either.
    I have a sense – at least a preferred sense – of what good writing is, and I work to make mine decent. Fact is, I like most of what I write. So, yeah, it’s worth something to me. The Lord gives me the stories – I try to do His inspiration justice.

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  3. Brenda Anderson Avatar
    Brenda Anderson

    An author friend once commented after purchasing a greeting card. “People will pay $5.00 for a card that gets tossed, but won’t shell out $5.00 for a novel.” How backwards is that?
    But as you said, you keep writing because that’s what God called us to do. His divine purpose is greater than we can imagine, BUT we might not know that purpose this side of life. All we can do is be obedient.

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  4. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    Amen on all counts, Bren.

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