Journey Together with Author and coach Lauren Hunter

Journey Together

Journey Together

  • Books
    • Veritable Books
    • Leaving Christian Science
    • Write Your Journey
      • Write Your Journey Resources
    • Press
  • Freelance Writing
    • Portfolio
  • Blog
  • 1:1 Coaching with Lauren Hunter
    • Veritable Books
  • Music
    • Music Services
    • Funeral Music
    • Singing Celebrant
    • Worship
  • Join Lauren Hunter’s Email List
  • Work With Me
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • 1:1 Coaching with Lauren Hunter
  • Freelance Writing
    • Portfolio
  • Music Services
    • Singing Celebrant
    • Funeral Music and Memorial Service Music
    • Worship
  • Work With Me
  • Books
    • Veritable Books
    • Leaving Christian Science
    • Write Your Journey
      • Write Your Journey Resources
    • Press
  • Blog
  • Join Lauren Hunter’s Email List
  • About Lauren Hunter
  • Mobile Menu Widgets

Journey Together with Author and coach Lauren Hunter

Journey Together

Journey Together

  • Books
    • Veritable Books
    • Leaving Christian Science
    • Write Your Journey
      • Write Your Journey Resources
    • Press
  • Freelance Writing
    • Portfolio
  • Blog
  • 1:1 Coaching with Lauren Hunter
    • Veritable Books
  • Music
    • Music Services
    • Funeral Music
    • Singing Celebrant
    • Worship
My Journey to Becoming a Writer

My Journey to Becoming a Writer

· In: Growth, Work

Most good stories begin somewhere in the past. While some avoid looking back, I find that looking back nearly always informs how I want to move forward, even when I’m stuck. As a young adult, I was drawn to the discussion of ideas, introspection, deep thinking, and conversations with adults.  

My mother gave me a small book during my high school years called, Careers for Bookworms & Other Literary Types. I was thrilled to know of all the ways I could put my passions to work using words. I loved my English classes more than anything and found that I could communicate better in written form than verbally. I knew that whatever career I went into, it would have to involve words, unique ideas, critical thinking, and creativity.

English Literature a Good Fit for Becoming a Writer

I soared through high school honors English and felt determined to leverage my passion for writing and communication in my career. Writing felt so natural and a part of who I was. When it came time to pick a college major, I thought for a moment about business (but shuddered at the economics and accounting requirements), and pondered journalism (but the program seemed focused at the time on newsroom writing, which didn’t interest me).

The English literature program was a natural winner, and I loved every moment of American, women’s, and British literature classes (except for Old English, a graduation requirement). I added several career writing and magazine journalism classes in order to get some real-world writing experience beyond the literary analysis of texts.

I graduated with honors and knew I could utilize my critical thinking skills to inform my career moving forward. I landed an entry-level public relations job at a high-tech Silicon Valley marketing agency and quickly moved up. I found that I could intuit my clients and their ‘brand voice’ to write compelling press releases, fabricate quotes (with executive sign-off, of course), conduct interviews and media training, as well as give interviews on behalf of my clients. While technology was not a passion, using my communication skills propelled my career and served me well. In my free time, I wrote essays and poems and kept a file full of various other ideas for magazines and future books.

journey of becoming a writer

Marriage of Public Relations and Freelance Writing for Becoming a Writer

I rode the PR horse into business for myself after the dot com bust, relocating with my husband out of the Bay Area. I combined my new Christian faith with my PR work and began consulting for faith-based technology companies in the small niche of church technology. I had the joy of not only pitching articles on behalf of my clients but many times, writing magazine articles for them. I also enjoyed writing many articles for one of my client’s company magazines, which combined my love of interviewing with writing. During these years, I grew my family from one to four kids, consulting and writing as best I could throughout their early years.

Despite being able to write as a paid profession, I longed to write from my heart but kept my poems and essays mostly to myself. A lifelong journaler, I wondered if there would ever be a place for me to make a living from my personal writing. I’d contribute the occasional poem to the church newsletter or Bible study, as well as “free” lance, and write for women’s blogs as the blogosphere grew.

Then in 2007, a PR client suggested that with so many print magazines closing down with the advent of online content, I should start my own church technology blog. They helped me get it set up and later that year, ChurchTechToday.com was born. With the inception of this site, I stepped into owning my own online magazine. As it grew, I began working with freelance writers to guest write on a regular basis.

I enjoyed working with industry experts who could write well, and I was able to pay them due to my success in monetizing the site through advertising and sponsorships. This business venture also afforded me the ability to taper off my PR consulting work, which had grown lackluster.

Endings and Beginnings of PR Work

Coming up with editorial plans, working with writers, and discussing ideas, as well as writing and editing was my passion, even if church technology was not. I pitched my own ideas to other publications and was a paid freelance writer for magazines such as Christianity Today, Charisma, Church Business, and others. I enjoyed this work and continued to write poems and essays, eventually starting my own blog at https://laurenhunter.net where I was (and still am) able to share from my heart about the journey we are all on together as fellow humans and Christians.

Fast forward through several rounds of burnout. Through praying and listening to God, I felt he helped me understand that my ChurchTechToday days were numbered. As I approached my fortieth birthday, I thought, I can’t wait any longer, I’ve got to get cracking on my dream to write nonfiction books.

I began praying about which idea I should pull the trigger on first. I had an Evernote file full of ideas, yet I didn’t know what to prioritize. During this same time period, I was active in a ministry for former Christian Scientists who had found Jesus Christ. It was my involvement in this ministry (together with the Holy Spirit) that prompted me to kick off my author career with my own story of leaving this group and finding biblical Christianity.

Also timed perfectly, an author-friend invited me to test out her new course on how to write a good nonfiction book. During her instruction, it dawned on me that organizing words was my passion, and writing a full-length book was merely organizing more words.

In my first book, I shared my personal story as well as nine other former Christian Scientists’ stories. Each chapter was carefully orchestrated to reflect a theological theme. Because I was writing in addition to my normal work and family duties, I labored for two and a half years before releasing it in September 2020. If it hadn’t been for my Inspire Critique Group participation, I would not have finished. It provided the accountability I needed to achieve my goal of publishing my first book.

Finally, I was an author, albeit self-published. I formed a publishing company (can you tell I’ve been an entrepreneur throughout my life?), utilized my PR background to build my book launch team, and executed a successful launch strategy.

Lauren hunter

Later that same year, I knew the time had come to sell ChurchTechToday. I listed the site for sale in December and after a long month of conversations, ended up selling my online magazine to Faithlife Corporation, one of the largest church tech companies in the world, developer of Logos Bible Software. It was a win-win and I was able to step away in March 2021 with money in the bank and goals for my next book in hand. After taking some time off, the idea came to me to write a short book to break down the process of writing a personal narrative using three-act story structure based on a theme. The framework assists people in writing a narrowly-focused slice of their life, perhaps their Christian testimony, or story of becoming a mother, as a few examples.

As people read Leaving Christian Science, they’d reach out to me asking if I’d write their story for them. I thought I might as well write a book on how to write your journey so that people can be empowered to succinctly write about a slice of their lives. My sophomore work was published in November of 2021, a little over a year after my first book. Write Your Journey: A Step-by-Step Guide to Write Your Life Story Fast has found a nice audience of people who are overwhelmed by how to construct a sound story around a theme in their lives.

New Era as an Author, Freelance Writer, and Speaker

Not one to sit still too long, the itch to publish again is yet upon me. I’m compiling many poems and essays from the past two decades and will hopefully be able to create a short series of gift books around the topics of motherhood, faith, and the journey of life. I’m grateful to my Inspire Critique partners, Don and Libby, for their careful comments, helpful edits, and desire to discuss the big themes of how to write to impact, inspire, and share ourselves with our audience.

I continue to freelance, and I’m also launching new niche websites in areas where I’m passionate so that I can grow awareness of causes I care deeply about. One of my newest blogs is HSPJourney.com – Your Journey as a Highly Sensitive Person, a niche website for people who identify with the trait of Highly Sensitive Person, as researched by Dr. Elaine Aron. I also write about personal finance at EarnItSaveIt.com.

Lastly, I’ve had the opportunity to share my story out of Christian Science with a larger audience this year and also share music I’ve written. I’m grateful for these opportunities.

If you’re wondering, “is it too late to publish my book?” The answer is always “no.” It’s never too late to achieve your goals and dreams. If you want to pivot, if you want to publish, and if you want to put your stamp on the world, publishing, and specifically self-publishing, is a wonderful way to begin your own journey as an author.

By: Lauren Hunter · In: Growth, Work · Tagged: #leavingchristianscience, becoming a freelance writer, becoming an author, english literature, freelance writer, leaving christian science, public relations, wahm, write your journey, writing

About Lauren Hunter

Lauren Hunter is a freelance writer, author, HSP-trained life and book coach, musician, and celebrant who loves exploring the big picture of the journey we are all on together. She is the author of two books: Leaving Christian Science and Write Your Journey. Lauren lives in Northern California with her husband and their four children.

you’ll also love

20 Unique Gifts for the Writers and Readers in Your Life20 Unique Gifts for the Writers and Readers in Your Life
Write your journey fast track classHow to Write Your Story of Leaving Christian Science
What do Christian Scientists believe about the Blood of Jesus?What Do Christian Scientists Believe About the Blood of Jesus?
Next Post >

14 Bible Verses for Entrepreneurs

Primary Sidebar

Meet Lauren Hunter

Lauren Hunter is a freelance writer, author, HSP-trained life and book coach, musician, and celebrant who loves exploring the big picture of the journey we are all on together. She is the author of two books: Leaving Christian Science and Write Your Journey. Lauren lives in Northern California with her husband and their four children.

Work With Me

Let's Connect

Let’s Journey Together

I'm so glad you're here. So much of what I write about has to do with this crazy journey called "life" that we are all on together. As a thank you for joining my email list, I'd love to give you the first chapter of my latest book, Write Your Journey. Sign up and look for the free download in your inbox!

Recent Posts

  • An Open Letter to Myself
  • 5 Creative Breakthroughs for Sensitive Writers Using The Artist’s Way
  • 12 Bible Verses for Cancer Patients (Plus a Prayer)
  • Book Coaching Packages for Sensitive Nonfiction Writers

Follow on LinkedIn

  • Privacy Policy
  • Work With Me

Article Categories

  • Book Reviews
  • Faith
  • Growth
  • Leaving Christian Science
  • Motherhood
  • Music
  • Poems
  • Work
  • Write Your Journey
  • Writing

AMAZON ASSOCIATES DISCLOSURE

I am participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Freelancer's Union
Bible gateway blogger grid member

Footer

Recent Posts

  • An Open Letter to Myself
  • 5 Creative Breakthroughs for Sensitive Writers Using The Artist’s Way
  • 12 Bible Verses for Cancer Patients (Plus a Prayer)
  • Book Coaching Packages for Sensitive Nonfiction Writers
  • What is a Funeral Celebrant and Why Do I Need One?

Categories

  • Book Reviews
  • Faith
  • Growth
  • Leaving Christian Science
  • Motherhood
  • Music
  • Poems
  • Work
  • Write Your Journey
  • Writing

Pages

  • 1:1 Coaching with Lauren Hunter
  • About Lauren Hunter
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Leaving Christian Science
    • Write Your Journey
      • Write Your Journey Resources
  • Freelance Writing
    • Portfolio
  • Home
  • Join Lauren Hunter’s Email List
  • Music Services
    • Funeral Music and Memorial Service Music
    • Singing Celebrant
    • Worship
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Veritable Books
  • Work With Me
    • About
    • Contact Lauren Hunter

Copyright © 2025 · Theme by 17th Avenue

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the ...
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT