Write what you love by Nicki Copeland

I’ve recently had the wonderful pleasure of watching my son graduate. To watch someone you’ve loved and nurtured for twenty-one years reach such a milestone is one of life’s biggest joys. A time perhaps to look back and reminisce, but also a time to look forward to what the future holds. And my prayer, as always, is that all my children will hold the hand of God as they walk life’s journey.

I have also graduated recently (last year), with a theology degree, which I studied part-time for six years. It was very hard work, but I loved it, and I learnt so much. It was a real gift from God to be able to study something I love so much.

My son studied Economics. A subject I couldn’t even begin to get my head around! His degree was mostly exam-based, but I proofread the essays he wrote, and it was as much as I could do to understand the subject matter!

I admire my son for being able to get his head around such a complex subject. When I told him that, he told me he would really struggle to get his head around theology.

This reminded me once again of the beauty of the diversity of the human race. God created us all to be different; each of us is unique – there is no one else like you, or like me, on the face of the earth; there never has been, and there never will be.

And this applies to our writing, too. There are as many writing styles as there are writers. There are also as many subjects to write about as there are writers. The important thing is that we write about the things we know about, and about the things we’re passionate about.

It’s also vital, of course, that we know our subject. Whether we’re writing our own story, someone else’s story, fiction, blog posts, or anything else, we need a certain level of knowledge and understanding. For some, this may be easy; for others it will require a lot of research – which is why we also need to be interested in what we write about. It’s very difficult to write about something we have limited interest in.

Whenever we write, we give a little bit of ourselves away. And when we have a passion for our subject, that’s what we give. It comes across to our readers. Our enthusiasm is contagious.

So next time we’re sitting in front of our computer or our notebook, wondering what to write, why not think about the thing that you’re most passionate about? Write about what’s closest to your heart. What you write doesn’t even necessarily have to be shared or published. Sometimes it’s just enough to get the juices flowing. And who knows where God might lead us – and our writing – from there!

Nicki Copeland is a freelance writer, speaker, copy editor and proofreader - and loves anything to do with words. She is the author of Losing the Fig Leaf and Less than Ordinary? When she has the luxury of some free time, she can invariably be found with a book in one hand and some chocolate in the other.