Getting
a Jump-Start from God
When Your Writing Stops
by Karen H. Phillips
No one writes
books on how to stall a writer's writing. We learn immediately how
easy it is to stop after we've barely begun. On the other hand,
bookstores jam shelves with volumes that instruct us how to begin.
As a new, inexperienced writer, I can express what I've gleaned
from peers and mentors about the phenomenon of straying from our
writing goals. Here's hope for both newbie and veteran to return
and stick to the path where the Lord leads us with our writing.
Before we become
analytical or methodical about plotting our course, we need to apply
God's grace to our writing. If He forgives us for other sins and
shortcomings, why not for falling short of our writing goals? We
also need to forgive ourselves. God sent His Son to provide our
forgiveness by His death on the cross; can we do less than to claim
and accept it? We can forgive others for their offenses, but we
can't even allow ourselves leeway to miss a day, week, or—horrors—month
of writing. If we wander from our writing goals, will self-condemnation
help? Maybe we shouldn't waste time on fruitless blame; instead,
we can seek what got us into this fix and avoid the same problem
from sidetracking us in the future.
Common Stop Signs
Knowing we're
forgiven, now is the time to ask ourselves, "Why did I stop
writing, or stray from my writing goals?" Here are some common
reasons:
- Writer's
block. We run out of ideas or get stuck in the middle
of an assignment.
- Family
crises. Something has to go when emergencies arise, and
it may of necessity be our writing, especially if that isn't our
sole income.
- Obligation
overload. Sometimes we simply have difficulty balancing
obligations. We can't make enough time for our writing because
we're feeling pulled by so many commitments, from housecleaning
to day job, from church committees to soccer matches.
- Dread
deadlock. We may dread dealing with our least favorite
aspects of writing. Often as writers we prefer creative expression
to dealing with the technical or business side of writing such
as revisions, marketing, queries, cover letters, or proposals.
- Low
self-esteem. We slide into a slump due to unfavorable
critiques or rejections from editors. Self-doubt convinces us
we're not cut out to be writers.
- Overambitious
expectations. We set far too lofty goals for what we
should accomplish in a day, a week, or even a month.
Reinvigorate Your Writing
We may struggle
with something not named in this list, but finding and addressing
the cause specific to our case can draw us back into regular and
reinvigorated writing.
Regardless of
what arrested our writing plans, the important focus must be how
to regenerate our lives as writers. What will it take to motivate
us back into action so that we are writing on a regular basis? How
do I get myself to sit back down at the computer and start filling
a blank page, when I've gotten out of the habit? What steps and
motivators can jumpstart my writing? Below, I discuss some of these
that have proven helpful to me.
Eight Essential Steps
As God helps
you refuel, take the following eight steps to ensure your writing
stays on track.
- See
the vision. I need to look at the overall picture of
my long-term and short-term goals as a writer. Do I plan to freelance
articles? Have I begun a book? Or will I eventually write one?
Is my forte at this time fiction or nonfiction? What is my plan
for querying to magazines or for writing a book proposal? Am I
so new at writing that I need to concentrate on instruction or
finding suitable markets at this time? Where can I seek the best
advice as I set my goals?
- Take
small steps. Once we establish where we want to go as
writers, small steps can be less intimidating than expecting ourselves
to take on a huge project the first day we attempt to renew our
writing plan. An experienced writer and conference instructor,
Joseph Bentz, shocked me recently when he suggested in a workshop
that new or jaded writers benefit from beginning with a strict,
short time or word limit, something like five or ten minutes a
day and no more than 100-500 words.
- Just
write. Bentz also reiterated what I had heard others
say about the need to establish the habit of sitting down and
writing, no matter what. Regardless of whether we feel like it.
No matter how blank our minds seem. Just write. Whatever comes
to mind, even, "I don't know what to write, and this is a
really boring, bad idea." Sure enough, any time I have followed
that prescription, after a few minutes, the blankness fades, and
the ideas begin to flow.
- Resume
routine. Lately my own routines fell into a funk when
I left town for a writers' conference, returned to entertain Easter
guests, and both my son and I became ill. I finally acknowledged
that the biggest problems lay in my neglect to spend time with
the Lord and the omission of my writing routines.
- Re-establish
priorities. Writing is subject to life priorities, which
means that sometimes other activities take precedence. However,
if writing is one of our priorities, and if we ask Him to bless
our writing, He will. He promises to answer. We just have to act
like writers by sitting down to write.
- Write
through distractions. Life by nature is distracting,
because people and events pop into our day with surprises out
of our control. We must come to grips with the realization that
life consists of phases, waves, and troughs—so will our
writing lives be any different? When interruptions come, a writer
writes anyway.
- Overcome
perfectionism. Are my standards too high? To start writing
and to continue writing, I may need to overcome perfectionism,
the overachieving-writer syndrome. Insidious perfectionism creeps
from one area to another in our lives, until we are able to enjoy
little and accomplish little, for fear we won't do it perfectly.
Sometimes the best motto is, "Finish the job, and move on
to the next one."
- Maintain
balance. The balance between slovenliness and perfection
in our writing teeters daily for some of us, and it can paralyze
us. Here's where we return to the exercise of writing daily for
a few minutes and not editing as we go. We write first, and then
revise afterwards. Even then, we don't want to revise a piece
to death.
Mighty Motivators
As you follow
the steps above, remember to tap into the following three motivators
to ensure you'll have the energy to achieve short- and long-term
goals.
- Family
and friends. Encouragement from others can keep us going
when we can't go it alone. Local or online writing friends can
straighten us out quickly if we're just whining, and they can
empathize when we suffer genuine struggles.
- Craft-related
books. Reading helps, too. No one can make me laugh over
a writer's plight like Anne Lamott, who doubles me in laughter
when she shares her hateful jealousy of other writers' successes.
No one can remind me of my writing foibles like witty William
Safire, who penned such brilliant writing rules as, "Never
use a long word when a diminutive one will do."
- Inspired
Words. An avid quote-collector, I surround myself with
and abide by many quotes on writing each day. When we hear that
others fight the same gremlins as writers that we do, or rejoice
in the same triumphs, our spirits lift in an instant. We're not
alone, and for each of us writers, every day is a "do-over."
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