Learn How to Write Biographies of Local Heroes of Faith with author and missions mobilizer Jojie Wong.
The work of God in the lives of local heroes of faith needs to be told to help inspire and strengthen the local church. Learn the steps in pursuing this exciting writing project, do the research, conduct interviews, and plan for the best angle and perspective to make your story come alive and engage your readers. Here are some key ideas from her webinar:
Why write about local heroes?
- Provides local models of faith for our younger generations, people they can identify with
- Preserves local Christian history and enables us to learn from this
- Makes stories relatable to local Christian readers
- Gives insight on how to serve God in ways that are unique to our local culture
- Informs the global Christian community on local Christian perspectives and equips people to reach out with the gospel
- Contributes to the diversity of ways we can each serve the global work of God
- Mobilizes more into the Great Commission; our writing can mobilize growing churches in the Majority World to reach the unreached
- Contributes to the global Christian community in excellent, colorful and encouraging ways
Tips on writing about local heroes
“As writers we love words. Love your readers more than you love words.”
Choose your subject wisely
Sometimes it’s strategic to write about someone young who has done amazing things; but it may be safer to choose a subject who has shown consistency over their life, a more established person of good standing.
Get permissions
Is the subject willing, and their family willing, to share? This includes photos and other source material that is privately owned. Some may be shy; cast a vision as to why it may be good to feature their lives in a written story.
Set a timeline
Break your project into phases: permissions, research, writing, editing, publishing. Keep yourself accountable to your deadline (and ask for help), but do have room to flex for the unexpected, such as developments in people’s lives.
Gather data
Interviews, letters, documents, libraries, internet searches; aim to gather more than you need.
Verify data
Are the accounts you’ve found conflicting? Do you only have one source? Is it hearsay? Focus on incidents that have multiple ways of verification. Is there a way of confirming accounts? Ensure your data is verifiable.
Be curious and open minded
Hold your initial impressions lightly. Always ask questions and see where answers lead you. Always ask why – this triggers memories and opens treasure troves. Be curious.
Find a main theme or idea
Look for patterns as you research. Identify the main idea you want to communicate. This helps you write clearly and helps you to organize your writing.
Develop a chronological outline
This helps you to organize the story and helps to clarify things in your mind that you can refer to. You might not write the story chronologically, but it will be a practical tool of reference for you.
Know who you are writing for
This helps you with word choice and style. Think about how you will catch your readers’ interest, how you will engage with their values and what they are interested in.
Be creative and clear in your storytelling
Use a readability index to make sure you’re using clear language. You can use flashbacks and dialogues for clarity and interest, always aiming for engagement with your main idea.
Think about distribution early and seek counsel
Plan and consult on strategy for publication. Talk to publishers, other authors, research ways to publish and distribute in the most effective ways to reach your target audience.
Remember God is The Hero, always
While the local heroes we write about have faith, ultimately we focus on God and how God came through. The object of our hero’s faith is what is important. How is God glorified in their life?
“Write by faith. Always lean on God—even when you feel, ‘What is this for?’ If your writing is focused on God and how God pulled through for this person, that’s enough. We really need more stories of how God is honored in the lives of local heroes. Contribute to the global conversation about your local heroes. God bless you as you write and be with you as you write.”
Jojie Wong is a Filipino-Chinese serving with OMF International since 2000 as a missions mobilizer. She graduated with a degree in communications and worked in advertising and marketing as a video producer in a refugee camp before she joined the ministry. In her work as a missions mobilizer where she journeys with those interested in becoming missionaries, she discovered how biographies have influenced many in their journey. Jojie is the author of one biography, Headhunters of Sierra Madre, eight children’s books including Hudson Taylor and the Great Impossible and Eric Liddell: God over Gold.
