Jerry B. Jenkins: A Best-selling Author From Whom You Can Learn by Jason Rutherford

Best-selling author, Jerry B. Jenkins, is the writer of more than 175 books, including the best-selling Left Behind series. Twenty of his books have reached the New York Times bestseller lists (seven in the No. 1 spot). DESECRATION, book nine in the Left Behind series, was the best selling book in the world in 2001. His books have sold nearly 70 million copies.

Jerry Jenkins also owns the Christian Writers Guild, which was created to train tomorrow's professional Christian writers. Under Jerry's leadership, the guild has expanded to include college-credit courses, a critique service, literary registration services, and writing contests, as well as an annual conference. Here are a couple of writing secrets that Jerry has shared through the Christian Writers Guild and his blog:

One thing that Jerry always suggests is to give your readers credit! Whether you are writing a book or article, your writing should never simply be about something; rather it should always be for a purpose. Never preach, but let the anecdotes make your point and assume the reader will “get it.” Does the story make its own point, or have you insulted the reader by tacking a sermonette onto the end? When in doubt, cut.

Jerry also believes that one of the most important keys to quality writing is timing. Plan to write when your mind is most alert. He says, “First thing in the morning is the best time for me to write, before anything else has begun to cloud my brain. What I write before noon is usually my best work, and the most I’ll complete all day.”

Whether you are a morning person or a night person, or both; it’s best to write when you feel fully rested and awake. But Jerry acknowledges that many people never feel completely rested. If you wait until you’re completely rested and inspired, you may never get to the keyboard. So flex those writing muscles as often as you can—and remember, you become a better writer by writing.