A Christmas Present for the Writers on Your List

I just received the most encouraging email about my writing from a fellow writer--a current blogger seeking to publish--who is reading my book. He was interested in improving his writing and lamented that he didn't live near enough to the university where I teach to take my class on writing about one's faith. I took this wistful remark as an invitation to tell him the few things I have to say to the writers in my classes. It's so hard to pass up the opportunity to give advice!

In my next blog, I'm going to give you part of my response to him, which I thought might interest the writers among you. But before I do, first let me encourage you to do what this man did for me. His encouragement came at a time when I was feeling negative about my writing and frazzled about my upcoming deadline. (31 December: Pray.) Whether you are a reader or a writer, remember the other writers out there--published and especially unpublished--whose writing you encounter and admire, and follow this man's lead. Be a fan of others' writing.

This is as much advice to myself as to anyone else. As a teacher of writing, I have so many opportunities to encourage others in their writing, but I routinely fail, concentrating instead on what all went wrong rather than on what was working. Even though I know they need encouragement more than criticism. Even though I know I need it myself. Even though improving in this area is my semesterly prayer. You know that remark of Paul's about how he does everything he knows he shouldn't do and never does what he knows he should? That's me, in this matter, as in so many others. In any case, the best Christmas present you can give a writer is hearty praise of his or her writing.

Also, if you want to be opportunistic about it, getting in the habit of praising what you like about someone else's writing can help you as a writer, too. You learn what works by examining and articulating what works in others' writing and then putting it into practice in your own.

That's all for now. (And so preachy. Yuck! Oh well.)