4 Lessons From Francine Rivers On Writing

In my opinion, everyone can be a writer.

In my opinion, everyone can be a writer. So far as you can read and write, there is definitely something within you that wants to express itself. You have thoughts about the state of the nation, thoughts about your faith, thoughts about your education, and thoughts about your family. You want to communicate these things, you want to tell them to others. There are chiefly two ways to communicate: writing or speaking.

Let's talk about writing. Writing from the perspective of Francine Rivers.

Francine Rivers is the best-selling author of more than 20 books. Her books are bestsellers in New York Times, Sunday Times, etc. She won several awards including Christy Award, the ECPA Gold Medallion, and the Holt Medallion. She has won four RWA RITA Awards, the highest award given in romantic fiction.

Her books have been turned into movies. My favorite is Redeeming Love. A book I read in less than a day.

But how do Francine Rivers write? What can she teach you about writing?

I binged on her interviews and website and I found these 4 things we can learn;

1. Great Writing is always the product of genuine interest.

In an interview with Christianity Today, Francine Rivers writes that "Almost every story begins with a question or issue with which I'm struggling,". In other words, Francine Rivers is saying she writes only about the things that interest her. She writes about her own struggles. This is what she wants to talk about, not what someone else wants her to talk about.

This is important advice when you are starting out your writing career. You have to remember to write only about what interests you. Don't write about what everything every writer is writing is about, just focus on what you are interested in. I have a friend who started out writing 2 years ago, when he sought my advice, I told him this very advice. He told me he does not have any interest in anything, I prodded and prodded until we came to see that he wanted to tell his story. He started writing about himself. About his childhood, his best friend in primary school, his favorite teacher, etc. Today, he writes about many more things, but he had to start with himself. It is the same advice I have for you.

Seek out your interests;
What makes you tick?
What are you curious about?

It doesn't matter what it is, even if it is mosquitoes, just begin writing about them.

As a beginner, your goal should be to develop a consistent writing schedule, not necessarily to write your greatest work yet, the only way to be consistent is to write on things that interest you.

On this page, you will see all the things that sparked Francine's curiosity when she was preparing for her books.

2. Great writing requires in-depth reading.

In this interview with Tyndale House Publishers, Francine was responding to a question and she said "I think it was Robert Benson that said you become what you read. So you want to read things that are formational and informational.. You read the trash on the market to encourage you to write and you read the best stuff to hone your craft. Describing the process it took her to write her books, she said "In each case, once the time and place are set, it's a matter of immersing myself in the time period, finding good books, finding pictures, making binders with dividers between subject matter – what people wore, what their homes and daily lives were like, the political atmosphere, music, customs, etc. I even listen to music that fits the time period while I'm working." When writing Bridge to Haven, this is what she did "I compiled binders full of information about the forties and fifties, World War II, the Korean War, medics serving in Korea, Hollywood studios and stars, along with Scripture that always speaks to the mind and heart of any human being."

As you can see, immersive reading is a major part of writing. I don't know of any great writer who is not an avid reader. Reading is also part of the writing process. When you want to write about a subject, read as much as you can on the subject. For instance, the moment I decided I was writing this article, I went on Google to search for more information. I currently have several tabs open with text and video interviews of what Francine Rivers has to say about writing. The more you read, the more substance you have. It is like a pipe, if you connect yourself to the sources, water will burst forth with strength. Great writing requires great reading.

Invest a significant portion of your time in reading, researching, and learning about your subject.

You cannot pour from an empty cup.

3. Be committed to learning forever. Consistency is the hack.

Your greatest work may not be your first work, it may not be your 10th work. It may be your 1000th work. But you have to start at 1 First.

Francine Rivers advises that a writer should write every day. To be a writer, you have to splash the ink every day. Splash it often. Splash it always. '

Learning to become better involves following other great writers and learning from them. She once wrote "Study the craft. First, learn from THE MASTER (daily reading of Scripture). Then, learn from the masters – great writers, classics, Pulitzers, etc. Read everything analytically. Take classes. Attend a writers’ conference. Join a critique group. Start a book club. Practice what you learn. Keep on practicing. There is always more to learn, always room for improvement. I am still an apprentice after thirty years."

4. Great writing requires something greater than just writing. FIND YOUR WHY.

Great writing requires that you are not just writing, it requires that you are writing for a purpose. The way I see it, you should have a purpose for that writing even before you begin. What do you want this writing to do? Inform? Change people's thinking? Change people's character? Or, as in Francine Rivers's case, worship God. Oh yes, Francine Rivers said this "Writing a story is my way of worshipping and praising the Lord." Incredible. So for Francine Rivers writing is not just about making months' bills, it is not just about becoming a bestseller, or receiving awards- for her, writing is about worshiping God.

I have studied great writers such as Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and Walter Isaacson, amongst many others, one common thread amongst them is that they were all writing for something higher than just writing. Writing is a means, it is not the object. Chinua Achebe wanted to craft the Nigerian story within the British Empire. He wanted to communicate the story from the perspective of the British subjects. His goal was not just to write, it was to communicate an idea.

Obviously, if you read Francine Rivers's work, you will God throughout her writing. She has found something more than just writing. It is something higher. Simon Sinek called this "Why". Find your why.

Ultimately, no one can become a writer without writing. No matter how many articles you read on writing, if you don't write, you will never become a writer. So, go and start writing. Write today. Write about something. Write about anything.

Write tomorrow and the day after. And on and on. Keep practicing, keep getting better. Keep learning.

Since this is an article about Francine Rivers, I will give her the honour of having the final words

"But I will tell you – or warn you, if you’re an aspiring writer that every time I start a new project, I hit the same wall. That blank page or computer screen. And the doubt creeps in. What on earth made me think I could be a writer? There is no way I can write a book. The whole idea is preposterous, impossible! And then I remember what Rick said years ago. “Look at it like the mouse who ate the elephant. Take it one bite at a time.”

And so, I begin again. A nibble in the beginning, then one word, one sentence, one paragraph at a time, one page at a time."

Francine Rivers Recommended Books On Writing

1. STEIN ON WRITING by Sol Stein
2. THE WRITERS’S JOURNEY by Christopher Vogler
3. CHARACTERS MAKES YOUR STORY by Maren Elwood
4. STORY by Robert McKee
5. HOW TO GROW A NOVEL by Sol Stein
6. WRITING FOR THE SOUL by Jerry Jenkins