Five W’s of Writing
The Fifth W of Writing: Who?
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This is the fifth article in the series, The Five W’s of Writing, (Who, What, When, Where, and Why). See previous articles here.
Your identity as a writer is partly defined by What you write and Why. But, Who you are as a person contributes to your personal definition of the other four W’s of writing. We typically define who we are in terms of where we came from, where we are now, and where we want to be.
Where did you come from? Small town or big city? Large family or small? Everything about your background contributes to your identity as a writer. Your innate gifts and talents give you the ability to write, while your life experiences provide content. While one writer may have the gift of story crafting, another may be gifted in teaching through writing. Either writer can use his or her gift to make a difference in the lives of readers.
Where are you now? Periodic evaluation is the hallmark of successful businesses, governments, and individuals. You may be right where you want to be. But, if you’re submitting work and being rejected, you might try taking a writing course or participating in a critique group. It’s possible that your marketing skills need honing. Are you content with where you are in your writing journey? If not, take action. See my article on evaluation.
Where do you want to be? Whatever your current situation, you’ll stagnate if you don’t look to the future. You may have your dream for your writing career perfectly defined. You may have your first novel completed and ready to market, along with a couple of sequels in the works. On the other hand, you may simply want to share your experiences and help others by writing articles and nonfiction books. Perhaps you know another writer who is your role model.
More Info:
Choosing a Biblical Writer as Role Model
Are You an Author or a Writer?
Recommended Reading:
Writers on Writing, edited by Jim Watkins
Writing for the Soul by Jerry Jenkins
Communicate to Change Lives by Jim Watkins
What Do You Write?
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This is the fourth article in the series, The Five W’s of Writing (Who, What, When, Where, and Why).
“So you’re a writer. What do you write?” When people ask me this question, I don’t know exactly what to say. I formulate my answer depending on who’s asking. If the question comes from another writer, I get specific about genre and subject matter. But, I try to give a short answer if the questioner is someone asking just to be polite. I might say, “I write magazine articles for a local magazine and some Christian publications.”
First, accept and be proud of the fact that you call yourself a writer. Realize that anyone interested enough to ask you this question might be a potential reader. Then, decide how you will answer the question.
What genres do you write? To answer fiction or nonfiction doesn’t really say much. Fiction writers, do you write short stories or novels? If you write novels, what kind do you write? Take a look at Zondervan’s category list for some examples. Nonfiction works include a vast array of possibilities. See this list of nonfiction categories. You might write short nonfiction works like how-to articles, memoir, essays, poetry, profiles, news, or creative non-fiction. You’ll sound more professional when you identify the exact genres that you write.
What subjects do you write about? If it’s fiction, you just make it up, right? Yes, but you need to be familiar with your physical and historical settings to make your story believable. Fiction writers usually choose settings that they familiar to them. If not, they do a lot of research before beginning to write. Nonfiction authors usually write to share information and/or encourage others. They choose topics for which they have developed expertise. Or, they might write about other people’s unique experiences.
Examples:
- If I were to ask Ann Gabhart what she writes, I would expect her to say this. “I write historical fiction, the latest set in the Shaker community in central Kentucky near where I live.”
- Beth Moore might say, “I write Bible studies and Christian living books mainly for women.”
What do you write? Answer this question for yourself. I invite you to share your answer by commenting on this post.
Where Do You Write?
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This is the third article in the series, The Five W’s of Writing (Who, What, When, Where, and Why).
Do you have a special place to do your writing? Or, do you write wherever you are? The key is to find what works best for you.
Home Office: The very word “office” conjures up visions of desk work. Many writers say they get more done when they work in their designated writing place. It’s not necessarily a whole room, just a space set aside just for writing. This has worked well for author Jim Watkins, who has used the same writing desk for his whole career. Here’s what my writing space looks like. And, take a look at two other writers’ home offices. First, there’s Brenda Coulter. And, finally—get ready to have a serious fit of envy— Jerry Jenkins’ home office, The Cave.
Coffee Shop: Some of my writing teachers have suggested that writing in public places gives you ideas that you would not get otherwise. Today’s coffee shops and fast food restaurants with wireless Internet make it easy to write in public without being obvious about it. Here’s an article by Nancy Warren on “brewing up inspiration.” Professional writer Lee Warren has a different opinion.
Public Library: When I need to get away from the distractions of home, I take my laptop to my public library. It goes without saying that libraries are generally quieter than other public places, and ours has both indoor and outdoor tables and chairs, and a number of sofas scattered around the building—plus wireless Internet service. Rebecca Seitz, author of four novels with a scrapbooking theme, has done much of her fiction writing in our library. See her “Writing Process” article, especially noting numbers 35-37.
While Driving: Now, I admit that this never occurred to me until I heard Mark Whitlock describe how he used a transcription service to get his ideas on paper. When Mark was with Thomas Nelson Publishers, he taught a conference workshop on getting past writers’ block. He shared that he engaged a transcription service to put his words in a text file that would be sent to him via email. He often phoned in his writing ideas while driving or when he was too tired to write it down himself.
What about you? Do you find that it makes any difference where you write? Share your ideas by commenting on this post.
Other “Where” Articles:
When Do You Write?
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Remember the Five W’s of journalism, the basic outline for news article structure? The components are Who, What, When Where, Why? I’ve developed a series of articles I’m calling The Five W’s of Writing. This is the second of the series. A while back, I posted the first article entitled “Why Do You Write.”
You’re a writer. Writers write—but when? Whether you have a day job or not, making time to write can be a challenge. Here are some techniques that have worked for me.
Write at a set time each day. “Write for at least one hour every day,” say writing teachers. That means working on your actual writing for one hour, not on market research, networking, or participating in a writers’ group. Whether it be first thing in the morning or after your day is done, writing at the same time every day works well for many writers.
Noted Christian author, Jerry Jenkins, says he has always made time to write every day, no matter what. At a conference a few years back, he said he wrote every day even when he had a full-time job and an family. But, he did his writing after the children went to bed. He joked that he sometimes wanted them to go to bed at 4:00 p.m.
Write during your waiting time. Take a notebook or computer with you when you know you’ll be trapped in a waiting room or on public transportation. If you don’t have a current project, jot down topics you’d like to write about. Make tentative outlines. Journal on a topic that strikes your fancy. Just write when you have the chance.
In the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time in hospital rooms and waiting rooms. I outlined several articles and even finished one major project while waiting in medical facilities. At one hospital, I even had wireless Internet access. Be ready to write when the time presents itself.
Write when you have to. Nothing like a little pressure to make a writer produce. I do my best writing when I have an assigned topic and a deadline. I know the worst thing a writer can do is to disappoint an editor. I never want to miss a deadline, so I get serious about getting the job done.
No editor to crack the whip over you? You can be your own editor. Make a list of articles or stories you’d like to write. Assign a realistic deadline to each of item on the list. Then, start writing. You don’t want to disappoint your editor!
When do you write? Subscribers, share your writing routine by commenting on this post.
More on the “When” of Writing:
- From Jurgen Wolff’s Time to Write blog: “When to Get Started Writing”
- “Make Time to Write” by Ginny Wiehardt on About.com
Why Do You Write?
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Writing is hard work. Have you ever asked yourself, “Why am I doing this?” Honestly, I’ve had that thought a number of times myself. Sometimes it’s a good idea to remember why you started writing and to reaffirm your calling.
Early in my writing journey, I read Marlene Bagnull’s Write His Answer: A Bible Study for Christian Writers. Marlene adopted a Bible verse to remind her of her call to write (Habakkuk 2:2): “Write my answer on a billboard, large and clear, so that anyone may read it at a glance and rush to tell the others” (The Living Bible). Her website is WriteHisAnswer.com, and her entire ministry of writing, editing, and educating other writers is based on this scripture.
Searching the scriptures for other references to writing, I found that many reasons for a person to write are referenced in scripture.
- To document agreements or events: I searched the word “write” on Biblegateway.com, and found a number of references to writing to commemorate a contract or agreement, most of them in the Old Testament. Actually, I was surprised to find so many instances of “write.” See the list here. Near the end of Revelation, John is told to “write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true” (Revelation 21:5).
- To provide an “orderly account:”See Luke 1: 1-4. We write because we want to remember events correctly so that we can share them with others. Luke realized the importance of presenting the gospel from his point of view, knowing that others might get details wrong or misinterpret word-of-mouth accounts.
- To communicate with others: We write to share, remember, motivate, teach, or inspire. Writing helps us leave a legacy. It helps us connect with others in a way that no other communication method can. In the words of John, the Apostle, “We write this to make ourjoy complete.” (1 John 1:4). See the whole paragraph here.
My reasons for writing include all of the above. I have had lots of encouragement from others. That’s what keeps me going, the feedback from my readers.
Why do you write? Share your thoughts by commenting on this post.
Other articles entitled, “Why Do You Write?”
