The parable of the talents is one of my favorite Bible stories. In it, God gives three men talents—all they need to be successful. For their part, they must go out and use God’s gift in a fruitful and productive manner. God’s gift plus their efforts equals success. God made it so easy to succeed that only the man who hid his talent failed to be productive. This story gives me hope that God will prosper my humble abilities and use them for His glory.

God gives each of us a talent or gift, and all He asks in return is that we use it, hopefully to bless others. If we are faithful with His gift, He will multiply and prosper it, bringing a bountiful harvest.

Aisha Ford is a writer who has embraced the talents God gave her and used them for His glory. As a result God has blessed her career, sending book contracts and writing opportunities her way on a regular basis. I hope you enjoy this “Behind the Scenes” look at Aisha Ford’s writing career.

Q: How many years have you been writing?
A: I’ve written since I was a little kid, but I’ve been writing seriously since 1998.

Q: How much time do you spend writing daily?
A: I consider myself a full-time writer. I tend to do more of the business side of writing in the daytime (answering e-mail, promotions, research and learning more about how to grow as a writer). I probably get more words added to my work in progress in evening hours. I’m not sure why; maybe because there is less of a distraction factor at night. (I love to get outside and run errands during the daylight hours; something about being out and enjoying fresh air and sunshine is very rejuvenating. If I don’t get outdoors for a few days, I get cabin fever.)

Q: Do you set daily goals for your writing?
A: I do, but it usually depends on my next deadline. I’ll take the number of words I need to produce, divide by how many days I have to complete the book (I try to factor two to three weeks in for final edit) and that’s how I get a rough idea of how many words per day I need to write.

If I’m not on a deadline, I try to write for around four hours a day. I try not write over 20 pages a day, because I find that pages above that number tend to be...well, in need of some heavy editing. I generally plot by the seat of my pants, but after twenty pages of spontaneous thought...

However, if I’m still feeling creative, I will move on to a different work in progress and add pages to it.

Q: Where do you write?
A: My main office area takes up about a third of my room. My bookshelves are there—so all of my reference materials are close at hand. I’ve got a big desk, two huge bookcases, my laptop, printer and dvd/cd player. The room is painted a cool blue (blue is my favorite color) and I’ve got a really colorful area rung with abstract patterns. Behind my chair is a big window that lets in lots of light—which almost makes me feel like I’m outdoors. If the weather is nice enough, I’ll open the window and let in a breeze. For some reason, that really helps me to feel more creative—unless it’s early spring and everything is bursting into bloom, which is bad for allergies. I also collect Christmas music of all kinds and I love to have it playing in the background while I write.

Q: Do you plot or not?
A: I plot in a very general sense. I know the main characters, the premise of the story, the scriptural theme and the middle and end of the story. From there I tend to fill in the blanks as I write.

Q: Is your first draft rough or do you aim for a polished manuscript the first time through?
A: I try to write a very clean first draft—which means some days I don’t make my word count. I’ll edit a sentence twelve ways in my head before I type it. My critiquers will read it as I write, and I’ll clean those things up on a daily or weekly basis. Then, after the manuscript is complete, I go over the whole thing one more time.

Q: How does your Christian walk influence your writing?
A: I pray about everything that I write. I’m conscious that every word put into print could very well be around after I’m gone. If I’m going to be held accountable for everything I do and say (or write), then I want to make sure that I’m doing my best to do and say (and write) things that will honor God. Especially with writing romance, I don’t want to leave behind words that will mislead people who read them.

Q: Do you have any advice for a new writer?
A: I don’t consider myself an expert on getting published and I know I’m not a person who can teach the nuts and bolts of writing. I’d just say to be sure to pray about what you write. Find a way to sit down and write the story that you REALLY want to write. And resist the urge to compare your success as a writer to someone else’s success.