The Best Writing Advice by Dana-Lyn Phillips

 

What is the best writing advice you have ever received, and why?

I am extremely new to the craft of writing. In fact, it has not even been a year since this new world opened up to me, and I’m not embarrassed to admit that…it’s a lot! It used to be that writers would write for a newspaper, magazine or a book and that was their sole focus. Seems to me it was simpler back then.

Now, with websites, social media outlets, and endless talk of ‘building your platform’, the world of writing seems as though it’s become quite complicated. If that weren’t enough, according to so-called “experts” you now need to add audio to your work, live stream Q&A periods, reply to every comment, and post notes five times a day in order to even hope to be successful.

Don’t get me wrong, there are many writers out there who are managing all these different avenues – and doing it well, but that’s not me.

I have received a lot of great writing advice throughout the past year but the message that stands out the most is from an article written on Substack by Grant Herbel. On August 26, 2025, Grant posted an article titled “How to Know if You’re Actually Called to Write: The Relief of Shifting from Seeking Tasks to Receiving Identity”. In Grant’s article there are three sentences that spoke loudly to me.

1. “You’re not a writer who happens to be a Christian. You’re a Christian who may happen to write as one expression of your identity in Christ.”

2. “The goal isn’t to become an influential writer or build a successful platform. The goal is to lift up Christ, who will draw all people to Himself.” (John 12:32)

3. “When success becomes faithfulness rather than follower counts, the metrics anxiety dissolves. You’re free to write from rest rather than striving.”

All three of these quotes describe who I want to be as a writer. I don’t want to be driven by numbers. I don’t want strangers telling me what hoops I need to jump through to be successful in this industry. I’m here only because God orchestrated a big change in my life and He led me here – to the world of writing. If I’m being completely honest, I still question why I am here, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is what He wants me to do right now. So I show up and I seek His guidance as I move forward.

Knowing who I want to be as a writer, and knowing who my co-pilot is in this endeavour, doesn’t rid me of confusion from the things I read and hear. It’s still really difficult to wade through the contradictory advice that comes daily, from every direction.

Somedays I still question if I am making the right choices in my writing, or if I am doing all of the things that I should be doing to move forward, but then I remember who is in control and I trust His leading in my career and in my life.

God led me to writing, God gave me the articles I have written, God helped me to create a space on Substack. And God knows why I am here, at this moment in time, and what His future plans are for me. I want to stop focusing on numbers, as a measure of success, and instead focus on lifting up Christ, who will draw all people to Himself. If I can do that, then I can trust God will do what He wants with the numbers.

 

Dana-Lyn is a wife, and mother to teenage boys as well as a 14-year-old cava-poo named Hockley. She is passionate about encouraging Christian women in their faith and is stepping into her mid-life "calling" as a writer. Her happy place consists of a comfy chair, a great book, a hot cup of coffee and a chocolate…or three! You can read more of her work at https://plansfargreater.substack.com