What Is Your Writer's Legacy

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

This week I learned one of my long-time writer friends, Mark Littleton, died. Mark has written over 98 books that have collectively sold over a million copies. It's just one of the many contributions Mark made to our world. As I look through the listing of his books on Amazon, I noticed the diversity in Mark's books: nonfiction for adults, nonfiction for children, Bible related books, novels and much more. Some of the books are Christian while others are general market books. He also wrote for a wide range of magazines including Reader's Digest and many others.

For over 30 years, Mark and his wife, Jeanette, were the early leaders of the Heart of America Christian Writers Network, a community of writers in and near Kansas City. Also this group has held an annual writers conference. I have been honored to teach at this event several times over the years. It's another part of Mark's legacy: training other writers in the craft of writing. Mark had been ill for months and I had been a part of the multitude praying for him and his family. He was only a few years older than me.

This experience got me thinking about our legacy as writers. It's a truth most of us don't want to think about: every one of us will eventually die. It's a part of our humanity. After we are gone, what are we leaving for others?

Books.  Since 1992, I've written over 60 books with many different publishers. A number of these titles are out of print but still in libraries and sold on the used market around the world. They are a part of the legacy you are creating as an author and will continue after you are no longer on the planet.

Magazine Articles. While not as permanent as books, magazines are not just for that particular issue in print. Many magazines are online and these articles continue to be available and read—long after printed.

Blogs and other Website Information. My blog on The Writing Life has over 1500 searchable entries. It amounts to pages and pages of information which will be available online forever. From the beginning I've been aware of this aspect. Also I have a number of products and domains. Some of these are depend on the renewal of the domain (by hand and not automated) so if not handled they will eventually disappear but are another part of our legacy as writers. 

Social Media Feeds. Some of my author friends have no social media presence. Others (like me) have a large and growing social media presence. I have tweeted 51.8 thousand times since 2008 (as of today). Now that is a lot of information. Don't forget (as some people do), these posts are around forever and never disappear. They show up on search engines. People read them and respond to them—often long after you have posted them. If you are active on social media (and I hope you are), then this is also part of a writer's legacy. 

Personal Teaching at Workshops. For many years, I've been teaching at conferences. While not always, often these workshops are recorded. People purchase the CDs or cassette tapes and listen to them later. Some people listen to these recordings over and over to glean information and insights. I'll be teaching at several conferences this year. I maintain my speaking schedule at this link. For example, I learned this week that I will be teaching a continuing class at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in May (the largest Christian writers Conference in the US) and also
doing a single workshop tied to my new book, 10 Publishing Myths and a workshop with the same name. Each of these workshops is a part of a writer's legacy and will be around for many years. When I teach at these workshops, I work hard at having excellent handouts which contain online resources and links. This information lasts for years.

Each of us have the same amount of time in a day but different times on the planet. I encourage you to live with intention and be taking consistent action in your writing life. Whether you are aware of it or not, you are building a writer's legacy.

Am I missing something which will last longer than your lifetime? Or maybe you have other feedback? Let me know in the comments below.



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An Amazing Legacy Built One Day At A Time

Early in the morning last Wednesday, I learned about the passing of Billy Graham. Because of my biography about Mr. Graham, my phone and email have been intense with contacts from media. 

For example, I did three interviews with the BBC in the UK on Wednesday. On Thursday, I began radio interviews with East Coast stations at 5 am in Colorado and it continued throughout the day. I'm thankful for each opportunity to talk about the remarkable life of Billy Graham. Here's an example of one of these interviews with Keith Alan at 57^th Street Media in Tampa, Florida (just follow the link to listen).

Mr. Graham preached the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ face to face to more than 215 million people (more than anyone else on the planet). Countless others heard Billy Graham through television and radio while others read his books and his articles in newspapers and magazines. The impact of his life work can't be explained.  Mr. Graham has left an amazing legacy. His ministry will continue through his son, Franklin and his grandson, Will plus others at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Many in the media have been asking me about the legacy of Billy Graham. The concept of legacy boils down to his impact on the world and his singular message: that each person has to make a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. From my personal experience and writing about Billy Graham, I saw his life as focused on service to others. Mr. Graham was humble man and lived each day with integrity. Some of the basic principles of Mr. Graham's life and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association were formed in 1948 in Modesto, California and a document they created called “The Modesto Manifesto.”  If you want to know more about the Legacy of Billy Graham, I encourage you to watch these short videos and celebrate a life well-lived.

Writing and publishing has been the consistent focus of these articles about The Writing Life. Each of us need to consider our own reputation and legacy. Our reputation or legacy is built one day at a time. As I get older time seems to pass more quickly and as Mr. Graham often spoke about, each of us will one day die. Day by day, what are you writing that will last? What is the purpose of your writing? Is it to entertain or to instruct or to help others? It is valuable for each of us to take some time to consider these questions about our writing.

What lasting legacy are you building with your writing? Let me know in the comments below. 

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Do you listen to audiobooks on Audible? Are you willing to listen to the audiobook forBilly Graham, A Biography of America's Greatest Evangelist, then write an honest review on Amazon? If so, please email me and I can get you a review copy of this new audiobook.