writing for Christ’s glory

The Lens of Love: Writing and Rewriting Our Stories

July 17, 2020 by Ann Leave a Comment

This is the start of my newest piece for Grit & Virtue. You can read the full article here–it’s one of my favorites that I’ve written!

My husband was at home with the baby and I was at the library when I experienced my first – and only – panic attack. It was Fall; the air outside was just beginning to thin and tumble, threading its way through newly-bare branches and alleyways. I remember that it was dark, painfully dark at 6 pm. I was tired.

I sat at one of the large tables in the reference section, my notes and books spread around me in a cluttered half-circle. I work best with large amounts of space and quiet, something nearly impossible to come by with a new baby. It was a gift to slip away to the quiet of the stacks and write the book I was working on; it was something I had missed, acutely, for months.

I don’t remember feeling particularly stressed or anxious, but I do remember the pattering in my chest that started like a whisper and progressed to cymbals. I couldn’t focus and had to turn off the computer. My breathing became narrow and superficial; I felt like I was falling down even as I straightened in my chair. The room started hovering like hummingbird wings, and I had to close my eyes and lay my cheek on the cool of the table. I wondered if I was having a heart attack or a stroke and if maybe this was how I would die, here in the quiet of the library.

[Spoiler alert–I’m still here! 🙂 You can read the rest of this piece at Grit & Virtue!]

Filed Under: About, God, Guest Post, Life, Motherhood, Writing Tagged With: am I called to write, am writing, author, Christianity, God's faithfulness, Grit & Virtue, how do I write my story, Writing, writing for Christ's glory, writing my story

Why Fiction Writing Matters in the Kingdom of God

July 1, 2020 by Ann Leave a Comment

It’s a truth I come back to over and over again: God created the human heart to resonate with story. We love to see a hero vanquish a villain, and we love to see a character reach her goal. Hallmark movies have off-the-charts audiences because we always know there’s a happy ending–and we want there to be one. Why? Because whether we realize it or not, we are all part of the epic story of the Kingdom of God—one that started in a garden and will end in a heavenly city.

It will end in victory for God’s people, with joy in His presence.

We long for happy endings because we were made for one. Thankfully, through Christ, we have the best ending we could ever dream of. It’s the best news we could ever imagine!

And for those of us who are writers, often we want to participate in telling the Truest Story through smaller stories–fiction stories. But how does writing fiction connect with the mission of God’s Kingdom on earth? It’s an honest question and one worth answering: why write fiction? And why write Christian fiction—stories that point our readers back to ultimate Truth?

Especially now, in a world that’s riddled with pain and fear, what good can fiction do for people who are asking big questions and struggling to make it through the day?

Fiction can do a world of good.

Think of the stories that have touched you deeply. These stories stay with us because they called us to something better—to something hopeful.

When we write fiction, we get to participate in this beautiful arc of narrative that is already written on the human heart and in the great epic of history. We get to point our readers to hope, and love, and Truth.

That’s why fiction matters—perhaps now more than ever. When readers are struggling, good fiction points them to the things that are worth getting out of bed for—it reminds them why life is valuable and treasured. It reminds them that there is a God who loves them, and that He has a plan and purpose for their lives.

That’s why, for the first time, I’m teaching the Writing with Grace: Fiction Writing Workshop. Registration is open through July 30th, and you can save 10% on the cost of the course by using the code WORTHIT, just for being a blog reader.

So even if you’ve never written fiction before, maybe this is your nudge to try. What stories are in your heart?

And if you’ve been writing fiction for years, maybe this is your opportunity to take your story-writing to the next level and share what’s been burning inside of you forever.

I hope that you’ll come and join me as we write stories with and for the Lord, aiming to point the hearts of our readers to Truth and hope and joy.

This world needs your story.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: Ann Swindell, faith, fiction writing, how do I write a fiction story, how do I write a novel, Jesus and writing, Writing, writing class, writing for Christ's glory, writing for Christian publications, Writing with grace, writing workshop

Writing for Christ’s Glory

March 4, 2016 by Ann Leave a Comment

Image via Deeply Rooted Magazine

This is the start of my newest article for Deeply Rooted Magazine.
Read the full article here!

For those of us who are word lovers, who enjoy the feeling of pens in our hands and keys clacking under our fingertips, writing often feels like second nature, like coming home. We love the ways that words help us make sense of our lives and help us encounter God.

This, I believe, is a good and holy thing.

After all, God spoke the universe into existence with a word. The first five verses of the book of John remind us of the beautiful and timeless declaration that Jesus is, himself, the Word—and so we see that who God is and how he is are bound up in the power of words.

To be those who love and use words is a high and sacred calling—and not one that we can take lightly. This is because words hold great power; they name us, shape us, and ultimately point us (and our readers) to the Truth of Christ or to lies and death.

Words hold great power; they name us, shape us, and point us to truth--or lies. Share on X

But how do we seek to be women who are writing for Christ’s glory? While there’s no one definitive answer, my own journey as a writer has shown me several ways that we can focus our hearts and our words on Jesus in this work of writing.

First, I believe that writing for Christ’s glory means that we lay down our right to renown. In the world’s eyes, a writer garners praise for her byline, for her status, for her fame. But to write in the Kingdom may mean something else entirely. It means that our heart’s aim is not to secure our own fame, but the fame of our King. If we have opportunities to write that further his Kingdom and his work in the world, then we can pursue those without concern for our own name.

Read the rest of the article here, at Deeply Rooted!

And if you’re a writer, head over to Writing with Grace to learn about the six week writing course that I teach. Registration is open now, but only for a little while longer!