SO WHY JOIN A WRITERS' GROUP?

Linda Wegner

This week a friend posed a legitimate question: Why join a writers’ group and more specifically, why join a group of writers who are Christian? The usual answers popped into my head and I recited them back to him: honing skills, encouragement, and sharing of writing opportunities. Those were my answers and I’m sticking to them…but I’ve also thought of a few more.

I believe that mutual encouragement is a function of the Body of Christ. According to St. Paul, believers need to remember that every part of the body is necessary and beneficial. Fiction is undoubtedly the most often cited in the circles in which I move; poetry would come next, based on the number of listserve postings. That makes it even more important that the lesser-known gifts Christ distributed to His Church be represented. It’s hard to support an unknown factor.

I believe that there is power in unified prayer. The ministry of collective prayer has power we rarely grasp or employ. Whether it’s for a TV appearance or the writing of a grant proposal, individuals need the prayer-force exerted by many. The promise of the appearance of Christ to a group of two or three extends to us all, no matter what our genre.

I believe that there is need for increased understanding of the scope of our service. It’s easy to define (or cite examples) of how stories, articles, or presentations touched hearts but how often are marketing strategies, qualitative reports, or the creation of technical manuals dismissed as “not real writing” or worse, far from legitimate “ministries”. A Christ-centered writing group is presented with the opportunity to genuinely honour the giftings of Christ in whatever form He chooses to distribute them.

I believe that there is new territory to be explored. While attending the Write!Canada conference in Guelph last month, I attended a workshop dedicated to the topic of writing for the new media. I freely confess it’s not only new to me, it’s mind-boggling to this 65 year old who remembers when black and white television was the “in thing.” While the message, to the Christian/writer is unalterable, the methods they are a changin’. I may never go down that trail but I need to know it’s there.

I think I’ll call my friend back and finish the conversation.