Jump Start Your Writing Using the Bible

Ignite Your Writing!
by Glenn White

Three Tools You'll Need

You can ignite your writing by gleaning story ideas, plots, and writing tips from the Greatest Book Ever Written, the Bible. Yes, the Bible is a valuable resource for any writer. All it takes is a few minutes a day to uncover precious gems from the best-selling book of all time. But there are three inexpensive tools you'll need to get started.

The first thing you'll need is a daily Bible reading that takes you through the entire Bible in one year. Here are a few different online daily Bible reading plans that you can use: http://www.heartlight.org/devotionals/reading_plans/.

The second item is a journal. An inexpensive, durable journal is the old-fashioned Mead composition books with sewn in pages. You can buy them relatively cheap at back-to-school sales. I have used these for years and they have served me well. When you set up your journal you might consider numbering each page if the pages don't have numbers. After the pages are numbered then you can create your own index. You can do this by drawing four vertical rows where you can record the date, scripture reference, topic or title, and page number. This will help you when you want to review your journal and find previous entries for an article or story. Whatever notebook or journal you choose be sure to create your own index for easy future retrieval.

Last and a seemingly obvious tool you'll need is a pen. Many writers have a favorite tool for writing and I have a favorite relatively inexpensive ballpoint pen that I highly recommend. It's called the Ergo Pen and it holds a large Schaeffer ballpoint refill which means you almost never run out of ink. You can take a look at Ergo Pens at: http://ergopen.com. When you begin using the Ergo Pen it will like a big lump in your hand. But when you get used to its shape you can write for days without your hand turning into a claw. Whatever pen you use I recommend a ballpoint because rollerballs, fountain pens, and gel pens use water based inks and will smear and disappear if your writing gets damp with blood, sweat or tears. Although I have a laptop and use it for much of my writing I prefer ballpoint and notebooks for endurability and portability when I journal.

A daily Bible reading plan, a journal, and a pen is all you need to jump start your writing. Now let's see how you can maximize your daily Bible reading.

How to Journal for Maximum Benefit

The first step in implenting a good daily Bible reading plan is setting a specific time to read and journal every day. The worst thing you can do is try to catch up on your reading when you miss a day. And you will occasionally miss a day. Don't worry about catching up just read the assigned verses for the day.

The best technique I've found for daily Bible reading is the inductive study method. There are three basic steps to inductive study.

Observation

When you read the first step is to ask the question is "What does it say?" In other words, what does the particular passage of scripture or verse plainly state?

This step can be a great story starter for fiction writers. For example, Rom. 16:22 says: "I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord." (NIV). The letter to the Romans was not in Paul's handwritting rather it was Tertius who wrote the letter. Keep this first step very simple by asking, "What does it say?" not what you think it says. This will require you to read slowly and thoughtfully.

Of course, you can apply the same principle to your own writing by asking "What does it say?" Is your writing clear so that it is easily understood? Again, when re-reading your own writing, read slowly and thoughtfully.

Interpretation

The second step in inductive Bible reading is to ask, "What does it mean?" What is the meaning of the verse or passage? This takes observation a step further by asking what is the intended meaning of the words. It is in this step that you can do word studies and look for definitions of the Greek or Hebrew words behind the text.

I wouldn't recommend that you stop reading or writing to do word studies or research. You can make a note in your journal and then go back and do an extensive word study after you finish reading and interacting with the passage. The basic idea is to grasp the meaning of the verse so you can proceed to the next step.

Here are some questions to consider:
Can you imagine what Tertius was thinking as he wrote Paul's letter?
Was Tertius just a scribe or did he help Paul select just the right words to say just the right thing?
What do you think Tertius felt after he wrote Paul's letter?
What was the relationship like between Paul and Tertius?
Why do you think Tertius' name is in the book of Romans and who put it there?

Of course, you should develop your own list of questions and ask them to fit either your fiction or non-fiction writing. Ask any question that jump starts your imagination or promotes your spiritual growth. It's important to avoid doctrinal and theological controversies and focus on the meaning of the text.

Application

The final step in the inductive process is asking the question, "What does it mean to me?" Personally, what does the verse or passage mean to you in a practical sense. The key idea here is: Get Real! Allow yourself to interact with scripture and how it applies to your daily life. What lesson does God want to teach you? Later, you can take your lessons and write those lessons into character's lives or even write a non-fiction article.

That's a very brief look at the inductive study method and how you can use it to jump start your writing. If you want further information about this method How to Study Your Bible by Kay Arthur is a good introduction to inductive Bible study.

Putting it All Together

A daily Bible reading plan, a journal, a pen, and the inductive study process is all you need to ignite your writing. The result? After a year you will have pages and pages of great resource material. Not just any resource material but stuff you actually wrote and experienced. How much material will you have? The other day, I reviewed my journals for last year and counted I wrote 500 pages (200 words per page). But, it's not the words that count, it's the personal resources I've accumulated. Resources that jump start and fuel my writing. An added benefit? Some spiritual growth in my walk with God.

What more could you ask for? Spiritual growth and growth as writer, too. When you do both then you just may find yourself writing to inspire like never before.