p. 56 | Tell It, Write It by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 15, 1877

Tell It, Write It.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

My brother, why don't you write for our paper? “I don't know how, I have not the ability, I don't know what to write.” Yes, that is the short answer always given, but it is a very poor one. Life begets life; acting gives power to act; exercising strength, gives more strength; thought produces thought. Good, sound thoughts do not come without calling any more than any other good thing. Money buried in the ground never produces more money. Remember the parable of the buried talent.

Everywhere we go I am constantly meeting brethren who have many an interesting incident or experience to relate, bearing directly upon the interest of present truth. Many of these are deeply interesting and very instructive. Besides, they would cheer the hearts of the believers everywhere. Why not pen them down and send them along?

Do you wish to write an article for the REVIEW or the REFORMER? do not wait for some leisure hour or day, then sit down, get out your paper, open your ink bottle, dip in your pen, and for the first time begin to brush your hair to start an idea, as a man would beat the bush to start a rabbit. No, my brother, the first thing is to get the rabbit in the bush, then it will not take much of an effort to start him out. But that is the point, how will you get the rabbit there? Easy done, my friend. Have a little blank book in one pocket, a pencil in the other. Now watch; when you are riding, walking, working, waiting, listening, and you get a bright thought on something which looks clear to your mind, out with your pencil, put it right down. You need not stop to write an article either, but just two or three sentences to call up the subject again when you have leisure to write. Practice this for a little while, and you will soon have notes enough for several articles, they need not be long ones. Then improve the first half hour you have, and commence to write them out. When you get through stop, sign your name, and send it on.

D. M. Canright.