How to Discipline Your Writing

Isn't it amazing how we find the time or make the time to do the things we truly want to do?

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We also find the time and strength to take care of tasks we don't necessarily want to do but are convinced the importance of completing the project outweighs our mood and physical needs.

For example: Some of us are parents. The 2:00am feeding certainly doesn't cause us to leap from bed and cheer--until we gaze at the beautiful baby in the crib.

Some of us have moved. Our muscles scream about hauling the twentieth heavy box of household items --until we step over the threshold of our new residence.

What causes a miner to ride the elevator down the shaft until it reaches tunnels far beneath the earth's surface every day for years?

Why did Jesus allow himself to be beaten and hung on a cross for crimes he didn't commit?


All of the above required an inner drive to complete the task. And the inner drive demands fuel. In each of these cases, love was the fuel motivating the task.

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There are, of course, the days and tasks in which the inner voice doesn't win no matter how much it nags. Dishes, laundry, paperwork, phone calls, etc get put on hold for tomorrow. In this case, the inner voice is hungry, tired, apathetic, discouraged, distracted, and etc. Who cares, the work can be done tomorrow.

Dallas Williard, a godly speaker, recently had a conversation with a man at a conference. The man said, "I can't stop getting angry with my wife, nothing works." 

Dallas answered, "Go home and tell your wife you won't get angry with her any more, and if you do, you agree to give $5,000 to the charity of her choice."

Talk about motivation! 

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As Christian fiction writers we say God has called us to write. We write because we love to write. Yet days flitter by without a word being written. What has happened to our inner drive? Our passion. Our calling?

Here are some suggestions to feed our inner drive a high grade fuel strong enough to disciplines our writing:

*Start every day with prayer.

*Meditate in God's word before writing. Choose a verse that is especially uplifting for you and  post it by your computer. Feel the power of God's love strengthening your drive.

*Fully prepare yourself for the calling by:
  taking a class or doing a self study to learn the craft
  setting aside a specific time to write-grow the length of time as you improve
  plot/plan the next scene before writing-feel the emotions of the scene in your heart
  get to know your characters intimately-laugh, cry, roll your eyes at and with them
  brainstorm ideas with other writers to deepen the plot-hermits idea vats can run dry

*Make morning and afternoon goals, daily goals, weekly goals, annual goals. Be specific and make the goals reachable. Not too difficult, not too easy. Modify the goals as you succeed and improve. Challenge yourself to improve, lengthen, submit, edit, and etc.

*Write.  Honor your Father who is in heaven by writing. Send His message of love through the same venue Jesus used to communicate: story. 

Friend: I challenge you today to make a goal, one that is stronger than you may have had last week. Write your goal in the comment box. Let's encourage each other.  Rise up...Write for Christ.

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photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

This blog post is by Mary Vee

Mary has moved to Michigan with her husband, closer to her three college kids. She misses the mountains of Montana, but loves seeing family more often. She writes contemporary and romance Christian fiction and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids.

Visit Mary at her website and her ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids. Or chat on Facebook or Twitter