Writing as an Act of Service

Sometimes when I'm all safely ensconced in my writing chair having the time of my life with my characters, I'll suddenly have the thought,  Shouldn't I be doing something else? Shouldn't I be, you know, out there serving others? Well, maybe. I really do try to know and do God's will each day, and there are times when I have to sacrifice writing time for the sake of something more important. But I don't have to give up all my writing time, because in many ways writing is serving others.I mean, think about how you'd feel if your favorite author decided that writing was selfish and stopped. Yikes! I shudder to even think about it. Those authors that have brought me joy and made me think and created worlds and characters that I love have served me in doing so. Here's just one example. After I brought my preemie baby home from the hospital, I kind of had a postpartum nuclear meltdown. Basically, I was a basket case. One thing helped me through that time. I read the story, "Miracle" by Connie Willis. Every day. It made me feel happy to read it. I must have read it every day for two or three weeks, because it made me smile when I felt like crying all the time. She served me with that story. (I also got through with a ton of help from the incomparable Suzette, but that's another story.)

Do I serve others when I write? Yes, I do. Some things I've written are really obvious acts of service: girls camp skits, Boy Scout programs, puppet shows, Primary programs (lots of those), letters to the editor. I once wrote a short story especially for my Mom to read to the teenage girls at church. But if something that I've written has touched someone else in some way, then yes, it was an act of service. No need to feel guilty about doing that. Of course, in order for writing to become an act of service, you have to actually share it. So, get out there and share it!