What Do You Write?

I recently attended a writers conference, and that typical question reared its head.

“What do you write?”

It’s a standard question when writers gather. My answer has evolved over the years. At my first-ever writers conference about 20 years ago, I was asked that question A LOT, and my answer was, “Fiction.” I thought I had written the Great American Christian Novel that would be published once I attended a conference, met an important editor, and signed a contract.

I attended that conference. I met an important editor. To this day, I have not signed a contract for that work, for various reasons.

Several years and numerous conferences later, God has shifted my focus. When asked that big question, I now answer, “Devotions and other things.”

At another conference a few years after that first one, I answered a callout for devotions and have since been published in several collections and even co-write an entire devotional book. God has certainly blessed me with some great opportunities in that area of writing. Over the years, I have also written sports articles, feature stories about different personalities, and humorous pieces (my favorite).

So, what do you write? May I make a suggestion on how to answer?

“Whatever God wants me to write.”

He is our ultimate Guide through life and writing, and sometimes He leads us on different paths, in different directions, than what we originally planned. He only asks us to be open to go where He wants us to go, to do what He wants us to do.

Now, what are you waiting for? Go write something so you can answer that question the next time you’re asked.

Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate—all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.