By Brad Bloom, @faithfitnessmag, Publisher, Faith & Fitness Magazine

2018 is just around the bend. I have a feeling it’s going to be a big year for Christians to go bold. Check out my Publisher’s Letter in the current issue of Faith & Fitness Magazine for more of my thoughts on that.

However for you, my writing colleagues, it’s the week before Christmas and if you’re like me there is plenty of life happening to distract you from the process of writing. It can be an anxious time because you truly are “busy”. On one hand you feel like you need to be focused and yet on the other you’re exhausted. So here are my three BOLD Christmas gifts to you:

1. DO IT AND ENJOY DOING IT – There is likely a lot that is going to keep you busy this week. Give it all to God. Pray often and put stress far away from you. Look for the goodness of God and you’ll likely find that this week is loaded with it. Don’t let the busyness or things keep you from truly pursing after the things and people you value most.
2. CTRL/ALT/DEL – Being depleted is likely not just a feeling. We’re all very good at maxing out life, pushing way to hard and living beyond our means in ways that God never intended. So, if you haven’t already, mark your calendar and set a personal agenda to go offline — literally and figuratively. Here is your license, your permission to be like your mobile phone and go into low-power mode to recharge. You ideally need three days, but no less than one. It’ll all be there when you bring all the systems back online.
3. HAVE I GOT SOME GOODIES FOR YOU! – There’s something special about anticipating your future. Looking ahead to what is yet to come isn’t just smart – it is Biblical. Take a look at the three sessions I’ll be presenting at the 2018 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. These are more than just topics for which you can plan to attend. They are approaches to your writing for which you can prepare during the first few months of the New Year.

SESSION 1: Creation, Curation And “Content”

Since last year’s conference at Ridgecrest, I’ve thought a lot about what I’m looking for in writers for my magazines. Today’s world of online publishing is really evolving your professional title and the role you serve. The marketplace needs creativity like you can’t even imagine. I delete emails daily from wannabe contributors offering, “I could send you an article based on a topic you approve, and you could let me know if you think it’s a good fit. I’m happy to write free of charge.” I need articles that continue to make my brand unique and that powerfully engage my readers. So, I want creativity.

But – I also need you to understand that it’s all about being a good curator these days. You go to a museum, watch a particular television network and go to a certain restaurant based upon what you anticipate you’ll experience. So, I need you to do the research, amalgamate the big picture, guide the audience, and help me shape our culture for Christ. While most of the conversation on Internet curation is about converting audience into dollars, I need you to help us create a distinct library steeped in passionate faith as if Christianity depends on it.

Ultimately, this session will help you start your BRMCWC experience by being challenged to expand beyond being a “writer” and become a “content developer”. Words + pictures + video + podcast + music + events + engagement — you don’t have to do it all BUT you must know that I deliver it all. That is what people want. It is what makes my ministry special. It is what I need you to help me do.

SESSION 2: This Is Art! Treat It As Such.

We do something really special. We change lives. We have time lines, processes, structure, word counts, SEO and more. You must be passionate to produce a truly successful work or none of that matters. Passion is so much more than having a deep love. It is a critical eye on quality. It is asking questions, evaluating and finding answers. It is driving with determination.

Art is always about detail – lots of it. That detail always reflects the artist’s interaction with it.

I want to work with you to nurture the storytelling, strengthen the picture painting, and help you discover and share the ‘vivid’ that lies within you.

SESSION 3: Income And Outcomes

Let’s make this pay in more ways than one. Just this week I read an interview with Maria Rodale, the CEO of Rodale Incorporated, publisher of some of America’s top magazine brands like Men’s Health. The company is being sold to Hearst Publishing in early 2018. In the interview she says, “The biggest challenge I think every publisher is facing … is how do we get readers to pay for content … and to continue to pay for it as there’s more and more competition for their attention?”

Ah yes, there it is. Everyone, even the biggest and most successful are trying to figure out how to make a buck.

We’ll examine options for generating income. Then we’ll turn our attention to some of the outcomes you can achieve with your skills. THEN – we’ll talk about how outcomes are always more valuable than just income alone.

So, get ready to enjoy a few relaxing days during Christmas and the end of the year. Then get ready for 2018. It is a year that I think can be one of the best in a long time for Christians to bring incredible positive influence to our nation and the world. Let it be the birth of boldness for you.

Click the link above to visit Brad at Faithandfitness.net!

Brad Bloom is the publisher of Faith & Fitness Magazine and Shout! Outdoor Lifestyle Magazine. He is president of Lifestyle Media Group, a ministry that develops content to help you connect your daily lifestyle with the Christian faith. Brad presented at last year’s Blue Ridge Mountains Christian’s Writers Conference and returns in 2018 with all new sessions to help you practice your craft and expand your influence now. You can use the CONTACT US form to schedule him to speak at your church, organization, group, community gathering or event.