This is a very wise post by Samuel James about the life, calling, and craft of writing—of being a Christian writer. Two quick additional thoughts:
- “Read widely” has to mean: read, mostly, authors who are dead and whose prose is renowned for clarity, brevity, and beauty.
- There’s an ambiguity in Samuel’s use of “write” as a verb. Mostly he seems to mean publish. But I know, and history contains many famous examples of, writers who write compulsively but do not publish compulsively. The internet, “developing a platform,” the rise of social media, and the influence of punditry and journalism all play a role here, and are worth investigating. Regardless, writers of every kind, but certainly Christians, should think more about the difference between writing and publishing and whether sometimes we should do the former, privately or for trusted mentors and friends, without (always or mostly) doing the latter.