What Every Writer Needs to Know Today

Eighteen years ago, I went to a women’s conference at my church, the first women’s ministry conference I had ever attended. My life changed that day.

I listened to the speaker share from God’s Word, but also share parts of her life in a raw and vulnerable way which I had never witnessed before. A way that pierced my heart as I realized that she too had made mistakes in life, and she too was imperfect, but God had forgiven her, healed her and was now using her to speak hope and truth into the hearts of other women. I realized I wanted to feel that peace, joy and purpose, and that if God could do that in her life, He could also do it in mine. I prayed fervently that day and in the midst of a sanctuary of women, I heard God’s voice loud and clear – possibly for the first time ever.

There was no doubt in what I had heard. And it was only three little words. But they were three words which altered the course of my life from that day forward.

What were those three words? Go. And. Share.

It took about five years before I heeded that call, as I allowed fear of being transparent (especially with the messy stuff of life that I didn’t want to “go and share”), procrastination, the busyness of life and insecurities stand in the way of obeying God’s call. But during those years as I served in ministry in other ways, my faith grew and God groomed my heart to have a passion for going and sharing, and a passion for writing. I began speaking at women’s events and sharing my story, as well as writing devotions for my church newsletter, started a blog and wrote a few articles. I then began writing out my story and wrote my first book in 2007. I’ve now published five books and stand in awe of how God can take the broken pieces of our lives and all of our experiences to glorify Him if only we are willing to say yes.

But all those years ago, as a beginning writer with no training or experience in writing, I remember wishing there was somewhere I could go for encouragement, support, and training in the craft of writing. I didn’t understand the publishing industry much less how to break into it, and knew nothing about agents, book proposals, and the pathway to publishing. How I wish I had had COMPEL Training back then.

As only God could have ordained, I am now the Director of COMPEL Training and am continually learning from the lessons we offer. I also get the blessing of providing encouragement, opportunities and training for beginning, seasoned and published writers and helping them follow God’s call on their life.

COMPEL Training has an entire library of courses packed with hundreds of lessons to learn from. We also offer one fresh, new teaching every single week of the year. Myself, the COMPEL leadership team, and industry experts bring wise and helpful tips and advice through videos, webinars and podcasts. We also have an incredible community at COMPEL, which is so important because sometimes the life of a writer can feel lonely, isolating and discouraging. You can find out everything we offer on our website at www.compeltraining.com.

All of us at Proverbs 31 Ministries, and especially myself and our COMPEL leadership team, are so excited to be launching our brand new website today and launching the COMPEL blog too! We are also kicking off a new 6-week course today at COMPEL called “Your Writing Life”, which includes lessons on the basics of writing, how to write in the chaos of life, building your writing confidence, finding great ideas, and even spiritual encouragement. I’d love for you to join COMPEL and enroll in this new course!

When God places a call on our heart, we not only need to step out in obedience but also continue to invest in our calling and pursue obedience with excellence. If you have a blog, want to write a book, are interested in being a freelance writer, write devotions for your church newsletter or small group, just enjoy writing, or if you’ve ever felt called to write but simply don’t know where to begin, COMPEL might be the perfect place to for you.

Tracie Miles

COMPEL Director of Training

Author & Speaker at Proverbs 31 Ministries