What does it actually mean to be “called” to write? Do you need that calling to keep going? This week we’re digging into what Scripture says about calling, how to recognize it in your own season of life, and the faulty mindsets that can quietly distort it.

In this episode, we cover:

* What the Bible primarily means by “calling” (hint: it’s not what you think)

* The internal and external elements of recognizing a specific calling, drawing on Jared Wilson’s The Storied Life

* Three faulty mindsets that turn a calling into pressure instead of purpose

* Why your calling doesn’t have to look like a burning bush — or a book

Reflection questions:

* Have you sensed both the internal and external parts of a calling to write?

* Which faulty mindset tends to pull at you the strongest?

Continue the conversation in the comments!

You can download the “Christian Writers’ Mindset Makeover” here.

The Purposeful Pen is a weekly podcast for Christian writers designed to help you build a writing life with eternal impact. Each week you’ll hear practical tips and Biblical truth on topics such as improving your writing, honing your message, and managing your time. I always respond to listener emails and I’d love to hear from you! Amysimon@amylynnsimon.com

This week we’re tackling a mindset that keeps so many writers stuck: the belief that we aren’t worth investing in. If you’ve ever hesitated to spend money on a writing course, a community membership, or a coach because you weren’t sure you were “serious enough” to justify it, this episode is for you.

I share my own story of wrestling with this during Covid, when I felt God nudging me away from writing assorted magazine articles and toward building something of my own: a website, a focused message, an audience I could actually serve. I found an online writing community that felt like exactly what I needed, but it came with a monthly cost, and I froze. Was it worth it? Did I even believe my writing was worth it?

Spoiler: investing in that community changed everything. And I think a lot of us need permission to ask the same question about our own writing.

What We Cover

* The empty-nest season many of my coaching clients are in, and why “what’s next” can feel disorienting after years of pouring into other people

* The difference between spending money and investing wisely: courses you finish but never apply, memberships you never fully engage with

* Practical ways to invest in your growth as a writer: a paid community like the Writers’ Bloc, a writer’s conference, or working with a coach

* Why it’s worth journaling through where this mindset came from in the first place (a practice we talked about back in episode 150)

* What it means to be a good steward of the gift of writing, not just a good steward of your money

Scripture We Return To

Proverbs has plenty to say about the cost of gaining wisdom. But the passage I keep coming back to is the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. Each servant was entrusted with something and asked to invest it, not bury it. If writing is a gift we’ve received, we’re called to invest in it so it can grow and become a blessing to others. Sometimes that means spending money. Sometimes it means spending time. Either way, it’s an act of stewardship, not indulgence.

If this episode stirred something up for you, I’d love to help you take the next step. Book a free discovery call and let’s talk about where you’re stuck and what investing in your writing could look like for you.

And if you’re not ready for a call yet, join us for Pen Points, our weekly email where we dig into mindset, craft, and calling together.

The Purposeful Pen is a weekly podcast for Christian writers designed to help you build a writing life with eternal impact. Each week you’ll hear practical tips and Biblical truth on topics such as improving your writing, honing your message, and managing your time. I always respond to listener emails and I’d love to hear from you! Amysimon@amylynnsimon.com

Who am I to have anything of value to offer? If that question has ever stopped you before you started writing, this episode is for you.

We’re unpacking imposter syndrome from three angles: two identity issues and one skill issue.

The writer you think you’re supposed to be. We often carry a picture in our heads of what a “real” writer looks like: confident, experienced, never stuck. But that picture is usually a myth. Even successful authors write from kitchen tables and bleacher seats, wrestling with the same doubts we do.

The spiritual worthiness question. This one runs deeper. We wonder if we’ve “arrived” enough to have something worth saying. Jesus tells us the truth in John 15:5: apart from Him we can do nothing. But that’s not the whole verse. When we abide in Him, we bear much fruit. Our worth to write was never about our own sufficiency.

The skill question. Sometimes we’re just not there yet, and that’s okay. Skill grows through writing and through community. We talk about how a space like Writers’ Bloc’s premium membership offers a safe place to get real feedback and grow.

A question for you: Which of these three angles hits closest to home? What’s one step you can take this week to lean into what’s actually true? Share in the comments!

Resources mentioned:Writers’ Bloc premium membership: www.mywritersbloc.com

The Christian Writers’ Mindset Makeover: www.amylynnsimon.com/makeover

The Purposeful Pen is a weekly podcast for Christian writers designed to help you build a writing life with eternal impact. Each week you’ll hear practical tips and Biblical truth on topics such as improving your writing, honing your message, and managing your time. I always respond to listener emails and I’d love to hear from you! Amysimon@amylynnsimon.com

This season, we’re digging into the faulty mindsets and spiritual struggles that surface when we write for others. Writing has a way of pushing our fears and insecurities into the light, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s one of the ways God grows us.

In this episode, we talk about:

* Why spiritual growth is really about renewing our minds (Romans 12:2)

* How writing for publication exposes the lies we believe about ourselves and about God

* A simple three-step process for working through any faulty mindset: reveal, investigate, replace

* A preview of the mindsets we’ll tackle this season, including “Who am I to have anything of value to offer?” and “It’s prideful of me to promote my work”

* Two upcoming interviews: Angie Baughman on rest and seeking God in our writing, and author Ryan Pote on his journey from atheist Navy helicopter pilot to Christian thriller novelist

Mentioned in this episode:Download the free Christian Writers’ Mindset Makeover at amylynnsimon.com/makeover. It walks through several of these mindsets, shows you the kernel of truth that keeps you hooked, and gives you Scripture to counter the lie.

Sign up for Pen Points, a weekly email that accompanies each episode, giving you a question to consider and some possible next steps.

Note: The journaling practice I talk about is not meant to be a quick fix or a substitute for biblical counseling, especially if the “investigate” step involves past trauma. I am not a counselor. Serious issues of your past should be addressed with a godly professional.

The Purposeful Pen is a weekly podcast for Christian writers designed to help you build a writing life with eternal impact. Each week you’ll hear practical tips and Biblical truth on topics such as improving your writing, honing your message, and managing your time. I always respond to listener emails and I’d love to hear from you! Amysimon@amylynnsimon.com

This is the last episode of this season until the podcast starts up again in September. In this episode, I recap what we talked about regarding what to do before starting to write your nonfiction book.

I also talk about what happens AFTER you finish your book proposal:

* Options for editing and evaluation of your proposal

* How writing conferences can fast-track your proposal through the submission process

* Additional resources to help you make progress

If you have ideas for future episodes or season themes, email me at amysimon@amylynnsimon.com.

I will still be taking coaching clients in August. Book a free discovery call here.

Sign up for Pen Points, the weekly email that accompanies the podcast here. That email will also pause for the month of August but you can still sign up any time.

You can find additional free writing resources on my website here.

I’ll see you back in September when we’ll dive into common unbiblical mindsets we typically struggle with as writers and how to counter them with truth from God’s Word. See you then!

The Purposeful Pen is a weekly podcast for Christian writers designed to help you build a writing life with eternal impact. Each week you’ll hear practical tips and Biblical truth on topics such as improving your writing, honing your message, and managing your time. I always respond to listener emails and I’d love to hear from you! Amysimon@amylynnsimon.com

Writing a book is a huge endeavor, as we’ve discussed this season. But what would it look like to write a book as a family? The Bryant family has done just that! This homeschooling family of 5 decided to turn a dream into reality and write and publish a children’s book together.

In this interview with Bobby and his three kids, BJ, Ava, and Joseph, we talk about where their idea for the book came from and what the writing and publishing process looked like. You’ll hear about the lessons they learned and be encouraged by the close bond this family has together.

You can find their book, “Trusting Timothy: a Story about Cheating” here.

About the Bryant family:

The Bryants are a Christian homeschooling family, who deeply believe in the power of God's Word and the importance of growing into the best version of yourself. Their debut children's book, "Trusting Timothy: A Story about Cheating", not only delivers a powerful message, but also serves as a testament to the creative freedom and flexibility that homeschooling provides. They are deeply driven by the desire to instill in today's youth principles of excellence and to remind them that with God, all things are possible.

You can find them on their website and on Instagram.

Additional resources mentioned in the episode:

Stuck to Steady

Pen Points

The Purposeful Pen is a weekly podcast for Christian writers designed to help you build a writing life with eternal impact. Each week you’ll hear practical tips and Biblical truth on topics such as improving your writing, honing your message, and managing your time. I always respond to listener emails and I’d love to hear from you! Amysimon@amylynnsimon.com

Have you ever had a chapter idea that sounded amazing in your head, but when you sat down to write it, you realized you didn’t have much to say?

That’s exactly the tension we’re working through in this episode. We’re talking about how to move from the big picture vision of your book to the ground-level work of chapter summaries, one of the key elements of a book proposal.

In this episode, we cover:

* Why your book’s big picture transformation should shape every single chapter

* Two different ways to structure your chapters (step-by-step journey vs. sub-topic exploration)

* What a typical chapter length actually looks like, and why that surprises a lot of writers

* Why you shouldn’t write your whole book before your proposal is done (with one common exception)

* How going back and forth between the 30,000 foot view and the chapter level helps you catch problems early

If you’ve been staring at a blank table of contents wondering where to even start, this episode will give you a clearer path forward.

Ready to move from vague idea to clear direction? I’d love to walk alongside you. Schedule a free 30-minute discovery call to see if coaching together would be a good fit.

Sign up for Pen Points, a weekly email to encourage you in your writing.

The Purposeful Pen is a weekly podcast for Christian writers designed to help you build a writing life with eternal impact. Each week you’ll hear practical tips and Biblical truth on topics such as improving your writing, honing your message, and managing your time. I always respond to listener emails and I’d love to hear from you! Amysimon@amylynnsimon.com

Where do the ideas for picture books come from? For my guest, Molly Arbuthnott, they started from the imagined adventures of her family cat who was lost on a ferry trip.

In this interview, I talk with Molly about how she started writing picture books, how she is trying to market them for adults as well as children, and some encouragement for those just starting out on the writing adventure.

About Molly

Molly Arbuthnott is a teacher, author, editor, and academic from Scotland. She is passionate about the promotion of children’s literature and has published eighteen award winning picture books.

Molly, a former teacher, transitioned her career to children’s literature in 2019 completing a Master’s in Children’s Literature at Glasgow University. Molly crafts narratives based on people that have been important in her life and that are simultaneously honest and gentle, teaching children about empathy, teamwork and moral courage. Each book collaborates with a charity which is associated with the theme of the book in some way.

Her writing has received acclaim during book tours worldwide and won national awards; they have been shortlisted for the People’s Book Prize, won the Wishing Shelf Book awards and the Firebird Book Awards. She’s shared academic papers with IRSCL Congress. She has been published in the ‘Once Upon Another Time’ anthology by the Book Whisperers and she has received the Emily Dickinson Award. She has a contract with Celene Press in Greece and Select Books in USA.

Beyond writing, Molly has also demonstrated her proficiency in production, having written a program and trailer for BBC Alba’s adaption of her book Oscar the Ferry Cat. She also successfully created a VR program for Glasgow University’s Hackathon and hosts the popular podcast, “My Favourite Books.” She has amassed a loyal fan base of over 115K followers.

Her foray into the auditory realm is also noteworthy, with her stories now available on Audible. Her current endeavour is to animate Oscar the Ferry Cat, with the goal of enchanting children through her compelling storytelling.

Molly’s website: https://mollyarbuthnott.com/

Her books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B077S1H5HN

Amy’s Resources:

Start here email course

Pen Points

The Purposeful Pen is a weekly podcast for Christian writers designed to help you build a writing life with eternal impact. Each week you’ll hear practical tips and Biblical truth on topics such as improving your writing, honing your message, and managing your time. I always respond to listener emails and I’d love to hear from you! Amysimon@amylynnsimon.com

Disclaimer: I believe in and approach life (and writing) from a distinctly evangelical Christian perspective, but some of my guests may not. When I interview a guest on a specifically spiritual topic, I do my best to know in advance that I can support their theological stances on the topics that relate to our interview. When the topic is not particularly spiritual, our theological views may differ. My interviewing of guests and providing links to their work does not necessarily indicate a complete theological endorsement of all their written work.