I woke up early to write but sat staring at the computer screen instead, writing sentences only to delete them, wondering what happened to the beautiful thoughts that came to me at 2:00 a.m. I hadn’t lost them since then; they just weren’t flowing out the same as they had in my head, and this version sounded really lame.
The above scene takes place at least one a week for me lately and it’s driving me crazy, leaving me wondering if my days as a writer are up, if maybe I should apply for a job at that cool book store I like so much. But I continue to plow through, because something in me says my struggle is normal—that I should let myself off the hook and keep at it.
The truth is my mind has been through a lot and is probably screaming, “I’m taking a break whether you okay it or not.” Here is a brief outline of what my creativity has been up against:
My son and I recently moved.
I am still adjusting to a completely different writing environment and schedule.
We have experienced a great deal of loss and change over the past year that we are still working through.
The move prompted a decision to homeschool for the rest of the year.
No wonder I’m stuck. But I don’t want to stay here, so how do I get out of it? My only choice is to take my own advice—to do what I would tell any other writer who was struggling like I am:
“Be patient with yourself. You’ve been through a lot. You know you’ll write again.”
“Just write something, even if you never do anything with it.”
“Write about what you have been through. Eventually God will use it and you don’t want to forget anything.”
So that’s what I’m trying to do, along with praying about what God wants me to write next.
Are you in a place where you feel stuck? If you aren’t right now, you’ve probably been there or will be in the future. When these frustrating seasons come, borrow some tips from the paragraphs above:
- Examine why you are stuck. Are you going through a rough patch in life that is zapping your creative energy? You might be experiencing something exciting that is simply time-consuming. Have you been writing the same old stuff for years and grown a bit bored? Or maybe it’s a combination of things. Ask God to show you what is really going on.
- Give yourself a break. Everyone, whether we’re talking about writers, teachers, or truck drivers (well, I can’t really speak for them), goes through dry spells. Let the possibility that God could be preparing you for something new keep you from beating yourself up or giving up.
- Write anyway, especially if you are going through something big. You never know what God plans to use later.
May God inspire you today!
Submitted by a Christian Editor Network member.
Stuck
The above scene takes place at least one a week for me lately and it’s driving me crazy, leaving me wondering if my days as a writer are up, if maybe I should apply for a job at that cool book store I like so much. But I continue to plow through, because something in me says my struggle is normal—that I should let myself off the hook and keep at it.
The truth is my mind has been through a lot and is probably screaming, “I’m taking a break whether you okay it or not.” Here is a brief outline of what my creativity has been up against:
My son and I recently moved.
I am still adjusting to a completely different writing environment and schedule.
We have experienced a great deal of loss and change over the past year that we are still working through.
The move prompted a decision to homeschool for the rest of the year.
No wonder I’m stuck. But I don’t want to stay here, so how do I get out of it? My only choice is to take my own advice—to do what I would tell any other writer who was struggling like I am:
“Be patient with yourself. You’ve been through a lot. You know you’ll write again.”
“Just write something, even if you never do anything with it.”
“Write about what you have been through. Eventually God will use it and you don’t want to forget anything.”
So that’s what I’m trying to do, along with praying about what God wants me to write next.
Are you in a place where you feel stuck? If you aren’t right now, you’ve probably been there or will be in the future. When these frustrating seasons come, borrow some tips from the paragraphs above:
May God inspire you today!
Submitted by a Christian Editor Network member.
By Kathy Ide • The Writer's Life •