Hey guys, I first shared this recipe on Pam W's blog last year. 

   Thanksgiving is coming!  What better time to share a trusted recipe?  This recipe of mine is not going to replace green bean casserole or orange cranberry relish, but it may help you to be a better writer.

              If you want to write, you need to work up an appetite by reading.  Read many styles of writing, not just your favorites.  You can learn great techniques from other authors.  If you read library books, you can brush up on reading free of charge, yet the payoff will be huge.  I believe reading is the single most important ingredient in this recipe aside from the Lord.  Reading helps you soak up grammar, spelling, style, flow, dialogue and setting. 

            You may have heard that you should “Write what you know.”  This means you should write from your own experience.  I would tweak the recipe a bit: write the kind of book that makes you smack your lips and beg for seconds.  I love to read about real people, so that’s the kind of books I write.  As a Christian, I believe the Lord inspires me to write the way I do.  Look at the Bible: there are many writers, many styles, and many subjects, yet the Lord inspired every one.  The Lord has planned your writing career since the beginning of time, and he’s been leading you by enriching you as a reader.

            As you write, remember the most important person: your hungry reader.  When you read, do you like it when a mystery writer holds back on clues?  Or how about when you find a mistake in a non-fiction book?  When a novel is filled with boring characters, do you keep reading?  Is it realistic when characters laugh at something that’s not really funny?  How disappointing to sit down for a feast and then leave the table hungry.  The most important part of writing is not throwing together random ingredients like you’re trying to get dinner on the table at 6 o’ clock sharp.  It is assembling all the best ingredients with love—revising your work by fixing mistakes.  Trim away the fat!  When you revise your writing, you show that you care about your reader.  Your writing is not done until it’s well done.

            Before you serve up your writing, do a taste test.  You don’t want to invite company over when you’re trying out a new dish.  Trade your work with another writer or two.  Don’t be shy.  Critique partners can make helpful suggestions on how to fix something you may have missed.  If you trade with someone who seems harsh, pray about it.  I have two critique partners who read each manuscript, and I do the same for them.

When you critique someone else’s work, make a sandwich.  Start with a healthy slice of honest praise, add a dollop of helpful suggestions, and top it off with another slice of praise.  Yum!  After all, what we as writers most want to hear is that someone enjoyed our work.  What could be better?  So take my suggestions to your test kitchen and try them out.  And don’t forget—all the best cooks add their own flourishes to tried and true recipes. One last tip: remember to ask the blessing before you serve your readers.  It won’t be long before readers will relish what you write.

All rights reserved.  You may reprint this article by contacting me by email and asking for my permission.  All other use is strictly prohibited.  In other words, you can share this recipe, but ask me first and say where you got it!  Thanks.