Written by Martin Wiles
Computer class. I was the teacher assigning my students exercises to complete. The trouble? Other middle school and high school classes used the same computers. On those computers existed the files of all computer students, past and present, leaving the files open to tampering. And some of my students had tampered.
One young man, more honorable than the rest, asked if he could do what his classmates had done. I told him no. Thankfully, he listened. But for the offenders, I helped them do the right write—to their chagrin.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it expedient? And then expedience comes along and asks the question, is it polite? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Conscience asks the question, is it right?”
Writers must also investigate the right write for them. Fresh opportunities to write right abound, and we editors have the privilege of helping them do so. But what does that entail?
Use the right voice.
I’ll never be a Max Lucado, Charles Stanley, Steven King, or J. K. Rowling. Early in my writing journey, this bothered me, but not anymore. I can gorge on their works so much that my writing sounds like theirs, but that’s not God’s plan. God wants us to write with the voice he has given to us. Competition in the writing world is fierce, so editors must remind writers to use their own voice, not someone else’s.
Use the right sentence structure.
In most cases, active voice trumps passive voice because the subject acts rather than being acted upon. Active voice leads to stronger and clearer sentences. Passive voice is often used in scientific, formal, and legal writing.
Sometimes, the action or the person receiving the action is more important than the one performing the action. When it is, passive voice excels. For example, “John ate the cake” is better than “The cake was eaten by John.” But occasionally, active voice proves awkward. “A motorcycle accident injured Susie” is not superior to “Susie was injured in a motorcycle accident.”
Use the right publication avenue.
Among the genres and types are books (fiction or nonfiction), articles, devotions, and short stories—perhaps a combination of all. And what about the method? Traditional, subsidy, self, or vanity press. Should we search for an agent or encourage our clients to do so? Technology has leveled the field and widely opened it.
All genres have merit, as do the methods, except vanity presses. The right avenue for one writer is not necessarily the correct course for another. Through prayer, guidance from God’s Spirit, and advice from experienced writers and editors, we can determine God’s path for us. Problems and closed doors will appear if we take the wrong road.
Only God knows the right write for us, but if we ask him for guidance, he’ll show us.
Martin Wiles is an author, pastor, English teacher, freelance editor who resides in Greenwood, South Carolina. He is a Gold PEN member and PEN instructor, the managing editor for VineWords: Devotions and More, and the Managing Editor for Christian Devotions. He is the founder/editor of the internationally recognized devotion site, Love Lines from God. His most recent book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, is available on Amazon. He has also been published in numerous publications. He is the husband of one, the father of two, and the grandfather of seven.