Nellie wrote both fiction and non-fiction, with wide-ranging topics that included gambling, women’s suffrage, prohibition, marriage, balancing a career and family, women’s role in the church and justice.

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Nellie wrote 16 books over 37 years. Her first, Sowing Seeds in Danny, was published in 1908, and became the best seller of the year in Canada, eventually running into 17 editions. It sold 100,000 copies and earned her $25,000.

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In addition to books, Nellie wrote numerous articles for newspapers and magazines such as Maclean’s, Canadian Home Journal, Country Guide, Chatelaine, and Onward. She also wrote a pamphlet on missionary work in Canada entitled Before They Call (1937).

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She so loved writing that even near the end of her life she kept up her correspondence, writing letters and speeches to stay connected to the political movements in the country.