Journeying Joyfully

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It’s easy to get sucked into a rut when it comes to writing. From there it’s easier to get sucked into a passive routine where we only sit down to write because this hour has been blocked out on the calendar and the kids are tied up—er—playing in the back room with Barney (only children and their parents from my generation will know this reference ;-) as a babysitter.

It’s easy to become complacent and do it because someone, or even ourselves, expect our backsides to be in a chair and our fingers clicking away on the keyboard. But writing shouldn’t be all about taking each step forward because we have to. We should take every step forward because we want to. It shouldn’t always have to be plodding, but should be filled with times of joy.

Even if we have to search out that joy.

One of the inspirations I saw on Pinterest (yes, I realize that most of my conversations has this word slipped into it) was a jar. A jar to be filled with slips of paper, with a simple note of something good that happened that day. Maybe it’s something as simple as someone made you feel special on Facebook or chatted with you on another social media site, but you really needed the encouragement. Or maybe it’s something big—an agent requested your full book or offered you a contract. Do it before you begin writing or maybe it’s something you do after your writing session is done… but take the time to be thankful. Find some joy in the day to rejuvenate and remind yourself why you started this journey in the first place.

Take the time to send a quick email to another writer friend. Not only will you encourage and uplift them, but you’ll reconnect with a friend and remind yourself of those connections you’ve made within this industry. I don’t have to tell you writing can become a lonely place and it’s these relationships that keep you going more often than not. This definitely the truth on my journey. :- ) Remind yourself frequently that you’re not on this path alone.

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Place an encouraging scripture in plain sight.

Spend time before each writing session in prayer.

Surround yourself with reminders of why you love writing.

Be purposeful in finding and putting joy into your writing journey.

Yes, writing takes a lot of work. By yourself. Spending time putting your fingers on the keyboard and clicking away, creating characters that are only in your head. But don’t let yourself become sucked into a trap of solitude. It’s a handhold for the devil to bring discouragement down on your head.

Sometimes you have to search. Sometimes it comes easy. But in being purposeful to find the joy in the journey, you’ll rediscover why you fell in love with story crafting in the first place.

How do you fall in love with writing day after day?   

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Casey Herringshaw is a homeschool graduate and has been writing since high school. She lives in rural Eastern Oregon in a town more densely populated with cows than people.