Do You Have a Writing Vocation?

Do you find you really want to write more, but have trouble finding the time? Perhaps that is because you still think of writing as an avocation, a hobby, rather than a vocation, a true calling.

Those who feel they may have a religious vocation enter deliberately and prayerfully into a period of testing that vocation. As aspirants, they begin to acquire the habits that will allow them to persevere in that vocation. Shouldn't those who feel they may have a writing vocation do the same?

Test Your Writing Vocation

Let's take this analogy a little farther: one thing that makes it possible to persevere in the religious life is an acknowledgment that one's time must be structured, so that it will be well-spent. Traditionally, for instance, monastic life has always depended on a well structured horarium, a daily schedule that makes time for work and prayer, as well as recreation.

In this article from the Catholic Writers Guild blog, Charlotte Ostermann touches on two ways in which making better use of our time can help us to succeed in our vocations as writers:

None of us has enough time, but we might improve considerably our approach to the time we do have. I suggest we consider time ‘as Catholics,’ ‘as professionals,’ and ‘as artists’ to make the most of time. 

Catholic Time

As Catholics, we should have regular recourse to refreshment in ‘time out of time.’ I can’t say enough about the role of Sabbath-keeping, Liturgy, and holy leisure in the life of a Catholic artist. Essential, critical, pivotal…and largely ignored. (See Souls at Rest for more on this.)

Professional Time

To see yourself as a professional writer – whether or not you make money at it – is to place your creativity and passion within the helpful boundaries of discipline, time management and deadlines. This may feel like a cramping of your style, but these constraints can actually free you to accomplish much more.

As we reach the end of one calendar year and contemplate making resolutions to do better in the next, why not resolve to make a more serious effort to test (or to live) your vocation as a writer? One way you can do that is to plan to attend the meetings of a local writers group, and always to arrive with something freshly written that you can share with the group. Just allowing that small constraint on your time can help you turn your writing hobby into a habit, one that can support and strengthen your vocation as a writer.

If you live and write in the greater Dallas area, why not join us at our next meeting, this Tuesday, December 6. Here are the details of time and place.

If you want to make sure you never miss a meeting, contact Nancy Ward  to get on the email list. You can also sign up to receive all blog posts by email. Just fill in the form in the right-hand sidebar.