The Purpose Driven Write

My father wrote and published over 100 books in his lifetime. What may be even more impressive is how he coaxed me into writing my first. I was 17 years old and a freshman at Grove City College. We were talking on the phone and he asked me a weird question. “Son,” he said, “do you think you could write a ten-page paper on inflation?” “Sure,” I replied. Though I was young I spent most of my spare time reading Austrian economists. I had chosen Grove City College in order to study under Hans Sennholz, one of only two scholars to earn a Ph.D under Ludwig Von Mises himself.

“What about a biblical view of profits? he continued. “Yes, I could do that.” “How about caring for the poor? Could you write one on that?” I was terribly puzzled by this point. Hesitantly I responded, “I suppose if I had enough time I could.” “Do you think you could do ten such papers?” “Yes.” “Well if you did, then you’d have a book. That’s what I think you should do this summer as your job. When you are done I’ll go through it and then we’ll find a publisher.”

That book, Money Matters, with various updates and revisions, under various titles and publishers, has been in print just under forty years. And that is how one gifted and accomplished author got an uncertain teenager to write his first book.

Since that time I’ve published more than a dozen books of my own while helping others do the same. I’ve edited other books, and served as editor-in-chief of multiple magazines. I’ve published in magazines as well, poetry and fiction, Christian and secular. I’ve been a columnist for World magazine, Tabletalk, Homeschooling Today, Family Reformation and more. I’ve had pieces in Chronicles, The Freeman, Decision, Homeschooling Digest and more.

I love writing. Which is why I love helping others to do the same. Five years ago I started The Purpose Driven Write. My purpose is to help writers get their writing polished brilliant enough to earn and find an audience. I’ve been blessed to do everything from taking others’ ideas and putting them in book form to laying out the broad outline to actual coaching writing to substantive editing to buffing a final draft to a sparkling sheen.

The hard truth is there is much more to getting a book in the hands of a reader than writing enough words and hiring someone to fix whatever typos there may be. The other truth, on the other hand, is that it can be done, with help from the right person. I want to be that person.

If you have a message you want others to find, if you have a story you want to tell, I can help you, just like I’ve helped others. To talk more about this, please feel free to contact me via email at hellorcjr@gmail.com or leave a comment. Let’s get this started. Let’s get this done.