The world does not need more copy-paste Christianity. It needs your voice—anchored in Scripture, seasoned with grace, and flowing with authenticity. It needs your faithful “yes” in this season, even if the outcome is not clear yet. — Kennita (Kay) Williams
We might compare ourselves to best-selling authors and say, “If only I could write like them, I would be successful.” It’s natural. After all, they’ve “made it big.” But while studying and even imitating the masters can be valuable, idolizing or copying them too closely comes with real dangers.
Learning from Bestselling Authors
Just as a musician plays Bach before writing original songs, a writer can strengthen their craft by observing how great authors build sentences, worlds, and characters. Solomon urged us to learn from the wise (Proverbs 13:20). When you study bestselling authors, you might be exposed to refined craft and proven storytelling. Or maybe not. This depends on whether celebrity or great storytelling is responsible for the popularity. Some rather poorly written books have become bestsellers.
Imitating another writer’s style for practice can help you stretch muscles you didn’t know you had. Think of it like training wheels. You don’t keep them forever, but they help you find balance. First, spend time reading great stories, not for entertainment only but also for finding what makes the story great.
- Does the opening grab attention right away? How?
- Do the descriptions paint scenes I can see, hear, or feel without bogging down the pace?
- What tension or unanswered questions drive the story forward?
- After reading, do I feel something—challenged, inspired, unsettled, moved? How did the words accomplish that?
As you find answers to those questions, you will naturally absorb some of those values into your own storytelling style.
Practice with Intensity
The apostle Paul encouraged people to follow his example as a servant of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Copying in this sense is about learning helpful patterns to become a better “you” as a writer, not to become like someone else. As great as C.S. Lewis stories are, they’ve already been written. No matter how great a master storyteller you might want to emulate, being like them makes you less than what you can be.
The great artists first study the masters. They learn the techniques until they become a natural part of their own thought processes. And then they can add their own creativity to create fresh, new stories that readers might find even better.
- Practical exercise:
- Copy Psalm 23 from your favorite translation.
- Rewrite it in the voice of your favorite novelist.
- Then rewrite it in your own natural voice.
Notice how borrowing style teaches you rhythm, but your own voice brings authenticity.
Inspiration and Motivation
Sometimes idolizing an author is less about copying style and more about finding courage. Hebrews 12:1 reminds us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Are we worried about what our writers will think we’re not good enough? Relax. Reality says there will always be some out of the audience who will like your work. Others won’t. So what’s the point? Your goal cannot be to get everybody to like your work. That’s impossible.
You learn all you can from the masters and then become even better with practice, and the results are guaranteed. More people are going to like your storytelling.
Danger of Copying
The biggest danger in idolizing an author is losing your own voice. God didn’t make you to be a copy of someone else (Ephesians 2:10). Your writing will be special when it flows freely from your heart. Readers can sense when words don’t carry the writer’s real heartbeat.
Writing only what’s popular is like Israel in the wilderness chasing after idols—momentarily shiny, but ultimately empty. Trends come and go, but truth lasts forever (Isaiah 40:8). By the time you match a current trend, reader appetites will have moved on to something else. Chasing the market is like chasing the wind—it never holds still.
Write as the Lord speaks to your heart, and then strive to improve. In doing that, you might become the next “current trend.”
Striking the Balance
The solution isn’t to avoid learning from great writers. It’s to keep them in their rightful place. Appreciate them and study them, but don’t let them replace your voice.
- Absorb wisdom from the masters.
- Experiment with their techniques.
- Return to your own unique style, the one God gave you.
Your writing is a gift—not meant to copy another gift, but to express God’s grace in your way. So learn from the best. Study their craft. But when you sit down to write, remember: God gave you a unique voice for a reason. Don’t hide it. Let it sing.
Focus on the words you write and the lives you touch. Find joy in knowing the Lord is pleased with your effort. Then you won’t need to compare your writing with anyone else’s. — Galatians 6:4 Scripture for Writers
Beyond Comparison
Write words with a sparkle. Write words with a smile.
They might go a short way or they might travel a mile.
If the Lord is delighted with all that you do,
Why measure your work by any other view?
Don’t worry over bestseller or covet their flair.
Never fuss over ratings or who’s standing where.
The joy is in knowing your words do their part,
Touching a life with loving truth from your heart.
So pick up your pencil, your keyboard, your pen,
And trust God to guide every sentence again.
When he is your reader, your audience true,
Comparison fades, for he is pleased just with you.
For a practical guide to storytelling, check out Storytelling at Its Best
