"Just write." is good, solid writing advice. Writing is a discipline. It takes time. It is a personal investment. For example, no matter who coined this (there is a debate--anyone also heard Hawthorne?), there is something to the quote: "There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
And, writing is wordage--whether in brief, but poignantly palpable Haiku, 30-minute, 5-ingredient recipes, or in long chapters, chronicles, dissertations, lawful briefs, a series, etc. There is wordage scattered across many platforms in overwhelming forms. Perhaps this is why "talk is cheap." Words are words unless they are accompanied by meaning and/or action.
So the art of typing combined with the magic of spelling, punctuation, language, grammar, etc. may not amount to much, but words skillfully woven into ideas have power. And this is why there is "nothing to writing." Individual words may have little meaning, but when the words are creatively crafted into ideas, proposals, resources, applications, encouragement, expressions of emotion, questions, thoughtful responses, etc., then those words hold power: power to change, power through imagination, power for strategy, power in curiosity, power to spark creativity, and the power to ignite hope. In fact, ancient wisdom would disagree with the modern commentary that words hold no weight: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." In fact, modern translation of ancient wisdom conveys understanding concerning words' power: "Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit--you choose" (Proverbs Chapter 18 verse 21, The Message). Broken bones hurt! Sticks and stones intended to break bones are abusive, and so are poisonous words.
I'm sure, Dear Reader that you're convinced considering your own experiences. Inevitably we all have this sad, common human experience--suffering poisonous words. Poisonous words can sentence us to prison--sometimes it feels like a life sentence. How freeing and refreshing to hear the antidote: life and fruit! Yes please!
I'll take fruit over poison everyday--right now, I could go for berries or a mango. What fruit would you pick? Though we may not have access to our favorite, ripe fruits at the moment, there is other fruit available: the fruit of the Spirit [of God], which is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Not only that, but when you think about it: "Against such things there is no law" (Galations chapter 5 verses 22 and 23). Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are life-giving fruit.
True, pure spiritual fruit is from the Spirit--the Spirit of God. And, as John wrote, this Spirit has been and always will be the Word: "In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John Chapter 1 verses 1-5).
John goes on to explain: "There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light" (John 1:6-8).
"The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God" (John 1:9-13).
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
"(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known" (John 1:15-18).
John tells us that Word is life, the Word is grace, the Word is truth, the Word is light. If you want to read more, there are 51 verses in John's first chapter--and John's book has 20 chapters that follow his first!
There is irrevocable truth, hope, health, light, fruit, and healing in the Word!
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