Everything you want to write about has been written about. And that’s good.

“How could that possibly be good?” you might wonder. I know I didn’t always think this way either. I once wanted to write a book that would help Christians pursue purity from a biblical-theological framework. However, I never completed it because I found other excellent books on the topics of both purity and biblical theology. “What’s the point?” I thought.

Most writers feel like they’ve run into a roadblock when they find out that something they want to write about has already been written about. However, there are at least four biblical reasons to write what’s already been written.

1. You Have No Other Choice

The second-wisest man who ever lived declared, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecc. 1:9). The wisest man never contradicted him on this point.

When it comes to writing, there’s still “nothing new under the sun.” You’ll never have a completely new and original idea. Consider this article. A Google search for this article’s topic brings up over three hundred million results (though not all of them are relevant). I still wrote it, though, and you’re still reading it.

Hopefully this doesn’t discourage you. It simply means you don’t have to be completely unique in order to write a blog post or a book. You have the liberty to take something that already exists “under the sun” and present it in a new light. Examine it from a fresh angle. Offer readers a creative insight on a familiar topic.

When you write your next piece, don’t waste time trying to think of something nobody has ever thought of before. That’s not your responsibility, nor is it even a possibility! I once heard author and Bible teacher Jen Wilkin say, that our responsibility is to “write about old truths recently forgotten.”

2. People Forget

The apostle Peter wrote, “Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder…And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things” (2 Pet. 1:12-15).

Was Peter a grumpy guy who wanted to preach on his soap box as much as possible before he died? No, Peter understood that repetition aids learning, and that people forget things—even important things. That’s why Peter, guided by the Holy Spirit, wrote an inspired reminder of gospel truth.

Your readers are just as forgetful as Peter’s. God may use your writing to remind them of crucial truths in critical times. The father who loses his job may need a reminder that God provides for his children (Matt. 6:19-34). The woman diagnosed with terminal cancer needs to be reminded about the hope of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15). The person discouraged about sin needs a reminder that, in Christ, there is no condemnation or separation from God’s love (Rom. 8).

Reminding people of what’s true, good, and beautiful is a good and necessary work.

3. God Did It

Peter’s reminder also points to the larger truth that God repeats himself in the Bible. If anyone could write something completely original that hadn’t been read before, it would be God. Yet, if you look at the larger picture of the Bible, you see the same themes repeated throughout.

Sometimes God repeats himself for emphasis. In Genesis 1, God says seven times that what he made is good. Why? Probably because he wants us to believe that his creation is, in fact, good.

Sometimes God repeats something to highlight its beauty and worth. Why did he inspire four gospel accounts, three of which are very similar? To give us four uniquely beautiful perspectives on the same life, death, and resurrection of his Son.

Other times, love and joy motivate God’s repetition. Why does God tell us so many times not to be afraid? Because he loves us! Why does he demonstrate and celebrate his faithful love over and over? Because it brings him, and us, great joy!

Throughout the Bible’s sixty-six-book, multi-genre, multi-author diversity, God repeats the same essential message: Trust God! Why does God repeatedly hint at, teach, and apply this same truth throughout the whole Bible? Because it’s the most important truth anyone could know, believe, and practice.

As communicators made in God’s image, shouldn’t our communication do the same? Perhaps your writing will call attention to a beautiful aspect of the gospel that hasn’t received enough attention recently. Perhaps you’ll rehearse old truths for a specific demographic because you particularly love that group. Perhaps you’ll write on a familiar topic in a fresh way because it gives you joy, and you want to share that joy with others. Perhaps you’ll repeat the good news of the gospel until as many as possible have heard it. Whatever the case, write, even if it’s already been written. 

4. God Gave You a Unique Voice

Closely related to the discouragement of not having anything new to say is the idea that someone else has already said it better. Even if you accept the first three points above, you might still wonder, “But what’s the point, since someone else likely said it better?”

Consider that J.R.R. Tolkien couldn’t write like you can. We usually compare ourselves to great writers and think, “I could never write like them.” While that may be true, it’s helpful to flip that idea around and realize that the great writers could never write like you, either. This doesn’t mean that your writing will be better than theirs, but it does mean that you have a unique voice that’s different from theirs.

While this form of discouragement is often rooted in selfish pride, it’s both encouraging and humbling to realize where your unique voice comes from: God. He’s the one who fearfully and wonderfully formed and knitted you together in your mother’s womb (Ps. 139:13-16). This extends beyond your physical body. It also includes your creative instincts, the way you think, the experiences that impact your imagination, and more. God has given you a unique voice, and he wants you to use it for his glory.

As author Jerry Bridges says about Psalm 139, “Not only did God create David’s physical body, He also created his personality. David was the person he was because God created him that way, physically, mentally, and emotionally. And just as God was personally involved in the creation of David, so He was directly involved in creating you and me” (Trusting God Even When Life Hurts, NavPress, 1988, p. 161).

Even more encouraging is the fact that, if you are a child of God, he is working to renew you into his image—including the way you think and communicate (Eph. 4:20-24). The more you grow in Christ, the more God, by his grace, will remove sin’s effects on your mind and make your thinking, imagining, and writing more like Christ’s.

Who is the writer you both admire and feel discouraged by? What author’s writing makes you think that your writing is pointless? C. S. Lewis? John Piper? Jen Wilkin? By God’s design, you may never be able to write like them, but they’ll also never be able to write like you.

Your unique voice also means you’ll reach a unique audience. Believe it or not, some people will read your writing who will never read Lewis or Piper or Wilkin! They may like your writing better, or they may read it because they know you personally. Don’t waste your God-given opportunities to influence the personal connections you have.

Yes, someone may have already written about your topic. And they may have done it better than you could. But God has given you a unique voice to reach a unique audience for his glory. Use it and write what’s been written.