Weekly Writing Inspiration

Is it normal to sit down to write and be flooded with all the other things you need to get done? An answer to that probing question in this week’s Writespo.

A conversation with a friend made me think again about the big picture of my writing and yours. I believe God has given you a desire to write because he has prepared something in advance, ahead of time so that you could “walk” in it. There’s something bigger going on with this desire you have.

I have two items in a plastic sandwich bag that I’m keeping. I think this idea will be something that sings in the hearts of readers down the road. I share these items with you because they show the time it takes for an idea to simmer and the spark that can come at the most mundane moments. Whatever you’re working on, allow for the simmer and the spark.

What could be unleashed from your soul, from your life, from your experience that would penetrate hearts and lives who read your words? The only way to write this way is to be brave. Words from author Min Jin Lee encouraged me last week and I hope they encourage you today.

In the Writespo on Waiting I told you about a book idea and how hard it was to wait for an answer from the publisher. The answer came. But then came another aspect of waiting I had to do. I had to make a hard decision. This post gives the “rest of the story” and how waiting can help your writing process.

There was a song sung by Johnny Cash I heard as a kid. Three words captivated me in that song. “The mud and the blood and the beer.” There’s a lesson for writers in those words. There’s encouragement for you if you feel discouraged today.

What might happen with your writing if you were to truly believe God was at work in you? What might become of your words if you truly invested them with a heart that believed there’s a purpose for what you’re doing? Three lessons from Michael Card are included in today’s writespo.

Fresh fruit from the editing process. Here’s a nugget of truth from a question an editor posed to me and a change suggested in the process of writing my next novel. The purpose of an editor is to refine your idea, to help make your story clear, better and on target with readers. Here’s a little of what goes on in the dugout between innings.

It’s easier to look away from your own wound than it is to really see it. It’s easier to analyze someone else’s problem. But perhaps you are drawn to writing, as I am, because of some of the hurts you’ve been through. Allow God to meet you at this intersection of your life.

Why do you have the desire to write? Is it because you connected with a story long ago and you want others to have the same feeling you had? Listen to this encouragement—especially if you feel like giving up.