Today’s post was written by my good friend, Juliana. She is such a sweet and amazing person, and I can’t wait for you guys to hear from her! She will be sharing some of her favorite writing tips, so be sure to keep reading!

Hello! My name is Juliana, and I have known Grace since we were just little kids. We were childhood besties. When she moved, we wrote letters for a while but then lost touch. As teenagers we reconnected and I’m so glad! Not only do we share the love of Christ as our Lord and Savior, but we share the incredible passion and love of using words to glorify Him.

I want to start with full disclosure—I am an inexperienced writer. In fact, it wasn’t until just last year I found my love of writing… or I should say, my passion for writing. I’ve always loved writing. In fact, from a young age, I often wrote little autobiographies of myself and my family thinking that I would get them published. But the passion… that didn’t come until later when a turn of events sent my head whirling. To help you better understand I am going to share my writing journey with you.

I lead a pretty ordinary life up until 2021. My dad was a businessman and we were heavily involved in ministry at the church where my grandpa pastored. My dad decided to reconnect with his youth pastor on a trip we were taking that summer. When his youth pastor didn’t give him the exact response he was expecting, we found ourselves singing and filling pulpit at a church that had been without a pastor for over a year and 6 months.

The deacon asked my dad to consider coming and becoming the pastor… that was after hearing my dad preach once. And if that wasn’t enough people even came up to him and said that they wished he could be the pastor. At first he was hesitant, I mean these people were probably desperate for a pastor. But this wasn’t what we’d planned. However we felt a strong emotional connection to the people, and when we returned home, we realized we had left behind our hearts. After much prayer and consideration, the church voted my dad in that October, and we moved there shortly thereafter.

Our arrival there was followed by much celebration, cheers, and laughter. The people were so happy to have a pastor again and they loved our family. We felt so honored by God’s goodness in bringing us here to this wonderful place to these wonderful people, and so humbled by the incredible ways he met all our needs.

I started keeping a diary to record the events in my life. They were so near and dear to my heart that I never wanted to forget them. I remember sitting in the church sanctuary writing in my diary, and just praising the Lord for his goodness in my life. For living out of a suitcase in a hotel while waiting for our house, the happiness I felt was overwhelming. But little did I know the stormy waters this church had faced, and the troubled times in which my soul would cry out.

Searching for an answer, I desperately called out. Why did this happen, God? I don’t understand. I felt so insecure… so… alone. I picked up my diary and did the only thing that I knew would help… write. But oh no, I didn’t just write. I placed my very heart and soul in the form of words on the pages of that book.

Somewhere in the midst of writing my deepest thoughts, it hit me. Yes, I had started this diary for the sake of having something to look back on, and yes, writing my feelings out did help. But I wasn’t doing this because of that. Somewhere along the way, I came to love words. I wanted to write. The passion that had been locked inside of me finally found its outlet. And my soul finally found the peace it had been searching for.

When I came to tell my dad of my newfound discovery of writing, I couldn’t have been more serious about anything in my life. Through the years I have told him I have wanted to become everything from a doctor to the First Lady. But this was different. I wanted to be a writer. And maybe someday an author. What did I want to write? No idea. Honestly, I didn’t—and maybe still don’t—know what exactly I intended to do with this newly discovered gift. All I knew was that writing was the power that had set my soul free and given me a way to discover and express myself. And I wanted to pursue it… no matter what it took.

Most of all, I want to show my readers Christ through my writing. I want them to experience the abundant life they can have through him. When I sit down to write, I want it to be the Holy Spirit’s power flowing through my fingertips and onto the pages of my writing, and into the hearts of my readers.

When I think of writing, I don’t think of words that compose a storybook, or the lyrics of a song. I actually don’t even think of it in terms of words or letters. When I think of writing I think of one of the most powerful things God has given mankind. The power to bring healing and restoration to a broken heart. To bring light to a darkened world. And to bring hope to a sinner.

So if I could leave you with one tip, it would be this. Write. Write with passion for the gift God has given you. Use it to make the world a better place, and use it to help others see the power of words themselves. Put your heart and soul into your writing and lay it at the feet of your readers so they can see—so the world can see—Christ shining through the pages of your writing.

So how can you put passion and expression into your writing? Here are a few helpful tips that will allow your readers to experience the emotion in your story:

1. Be very clear.

Don’t use vague words and definitions that will cause your readers to question the emotions of the characters. Use lively adjectives and adverbs that will make the story come alive.

2. Be descriptive

While being clear in your writing, also be descriptive. Describe the scene you’re writing. Describe the speaker. Describe the surroundings. If your readers can visualize what you’re writing, they will also be able to feel the emotion.

3. Put yourself in your MC’s shoes.

This is one of the most helpful things you can do as you write your story. How will your main character react to this situation? What will he say in response to this one person? What will he do when he is confronted with this issue? All of these are questions you should be asking yourself by mentally placing yourself in the circumstances he is faced with. This is especially helpful if you are writing in first person, but even if you’re writing in third it will improve the feeling and emotion of your story. In order to know what your character will do, you have to ask yourself what you would do.

4. Put your heart into it.

I am a very expressive person, so it’s not surprising I found myself in the world of writing. But I think it is very important to put our heart into our writing. If your heart isn’t in the story you’re writing, nobody will want to read it. And if your heart isn’t in it, there’s a good chance you won’t even finish it. Make sure you want to write the story you’re about to embark on. Because if you don’t, it will be a total waste of time.

Using these tips, your readers will not only be able to stay engaged with your story, but also feel and sense your character’s feelings and emotions. This will help them better understand your beautiful story in a moving way.

Comment below your thoughts and questions!