How to write a book the Spirit loves / Christian writing advice

How to please the Spirit of God? How to create something He delights in?

I’ve had many beautiful moments of the Spirit telling me how much He loves what I’m creating. There’s no feeling quite like it: knowing the Holy Spirit is enjoying what you have made.

How to do this though? It doesn’t seem like the simplest task.

I think everything is often so much more simple with God than we make it. Although it might sound like you need a special technique, or a secret formula, that’s not the case. Writing something the Spirit loves is simple and easy when our hearts are aligned with His. It’s not about striving to be perfect, or pleasing.

Don’t overthink it. He wants you to create freely, without fear.

Now, for some practical tips (because that’s what you’re most likely here for).

Including the Holy Spirit’s guidance during the planning stages (if such a stage exists for you) is a wonderful way to start off from a good place. Letting Him help shape the themes, and people of your story will set you up for a beautiful purposeful book. This guidance can be found in prayer, scripture, worship music, or seeking the counsel of Godly people.

Now, once you’re ready to write, set your mind on things above, not things of the world (Colossians 3:2). To a degree you will of course be writing about worldly things because your book needs to relate to people. But by setting your focus on heaven, on high things, whatever worldly things you write about will serve a purpose, and not just exist for entertainment.

Praying before writing can be a great practical way to set our minds on things above. It can also give the Holy Spirit a chance to speak into anything He wants to.

“I’ve written my book, and I just don’t know if the Spirit likes it.” You may wonder. Here’s some things your book will likely include if it glorifies the Spirit.

Truth.

The Holy Spirit cares a lot about the truth. It even tells us in John 8:32-32 “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The truth will set you free!

It tells us also in this verse how to know the truth: by being His disciples and abiding in His word. Are we active followers of Jesus each day? Are we abiding in His word? One way of abiding in His word is reading the Bible. God gave us the Bible as truth, to live our lives by and use as a standard for what’s right. It’s a great place to find inspiration for truth in our books. If we are ever wondering about a scene, or a word, or a plot point. Testing it by what the Bible says is true and good is a great way of discovering whether it’s pleasing to the Spirit or not.

Light and hope.

These two are almost synonyms of each other. Light and hope is all about the content of your book, and what it holds.

Have you ever watched a movie that leaves you feeling yuck! I certainly have. Sometimes I step away from the screen almost wishing I’d never sat down. The gross feeling is my spirit saying, “this is not of God! This is dark!”

I would never want someone to feel that after reading my books.

I want to also point out the different between aversion and conviction. There are times we feel uncomfortable, or confronted for good reason. Being convicted by truth is an essential part of becoming more like Jesus.

Even if it gives them something to think about in the meantime. So don’t focus on keeping everyone happy, and not challenging anybody. Be bold in the light and truth of your faith. Say it in a way that’s never been said before.

Light and hope are so important to the Spirit. Why? Because the Spirit is light. The darkness cannot coexist with Him. Hope is the message of the gospel, that we can have eternal life through Jesus. This hope doesn’t need to be stated in this exact way, but including hope in our books is an important way to include the heart of the gospel.

How to include light and hope in your book? Here are some questions to ask yourself.

• What feeling am I left with after reading?
• Is my main character a good or evil person? (Although there are character arcs throughout the book. Let’s make sure we’re not role modeling evil to our readers by making it “cool”)
• Is the overall message of my story hopeful? Is it looking up? Is it displaying light?

A final question to ask yourself is “Where is the Spirit in my book?”

Perhaps He’s in the descriptions, the beauty you reveal there. The sacredness of nature. Or maybe in a character’s eyes. Could be hidden beneath an action, or in plain sight in a church. He could speak through a character, or in the wind. There are countless ways to include Him in your story. None of them have to be stereotypical or boring. None of them have to be cringe or overdone. It’s up to you to find a new way to express the Spirit through your writing. To show someone a part of God they never knew existed. Only you know Him like you do. That is something special, and powerful. Open your hands and heart to Him, and see what He can teach you!