Pulling Words Out of Thin Air: The Writer's First Aid Kit for Survivng the Drought

Sometimes stringing words together is a breeze… other times it’s like pulling teeth!

There is no cure for the various writing ailments that plague us but in order to survive the inevitable ups and downs of life as a writer you’d be wise to get prepared for when you get sidelined by a nasty virus. And as luck would have it, you have more quick fixes in your arsenal than you probably realize. These are free, easy remedies to help cure what ails you.

Ready to unpack your kit? First things first, assess the damage.

1. Have a story chat with a friend.

Whether it’s a writer friend or a normal ;)  if you are finding your words are blocked it’s a good idea to pull them out of your mind and air them out in the open. Sometimes they take shape when they are introduced to a new environment. Or sometimes you just need an outsider’s perspective. The diagnosis might be scary but at least you’ll know what you’re up against!

2. Take a walk/run.

Find a place where you can unplug for a bit and leave it all behind. Move your body. Get your blood flowing. When the pressure is off and you aren’t nearly seizing from that ever blinking cursor, the stress falls away and underneath the tough shell is the tender meat of your story ready to be plucked out and arranged on the page. Sometimes a drink of fresh air is all you need to clear your head.

3. Watch your favorite movie or tv show.

This is a different medium of story but it gets your gears going nonetheless. You start thinking about the way the plot unfolds. You make guesses. You get enrapt in the dialogue and character dynamics. Getting engaged in another story often helps you draw conclusions about how you want to craft your own.

4. Similarly, read a GREAT book!

Never stop being a student. Study craft, sure, but learn by example. Read something great that inspires you to greatness!

5. Eavesdrop and people watch. (mwahahah!)

Life imitates art! Real life is the best fodder for story! Pay attention. The plot is unfolding all around you.

6. Have a good cry.

Sometimes we’re all pent up dealing with life that we get congested on the page. There are times when the best remedy for that is a good old fashioned cry-fest. Let it all out. It’s healing, cathartic, and cheaper than any shrink in town. And once you’ve sobbed it out, just maybe some of that emotion can rearrange itself on paper to show more vulnerable, genuine emotion. If your dam is clogged your genius might not flow out onto the page. Just maybe try not to cry one your computer. Water and electronics don’t mix!

7. Pray.

This should probably have been number 1! When we don’t have the answers, HE always does.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -Phillipians 4:6-7

8. Dig out the chocolate…

The ultimate BRAIN food and mood-lifter. Simple pleasures work wonders! And well, chocolate sure never hurt so dig in and find your bliss!

 

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Amy Leigh Simpson is the completely exhausted stay-at-home mama to the two wild-child, tow-headed toddler boys, one pretty little princess baby, and the incredibly blessed wife of her hunky hubby.

She writes Romantic Suspense chalked full of grace that is equally inspiring, nail-biting, and hilarious. And a little saucy! Okay fine, a lot saucy. :) She is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, and now uses her Sports Medicine degree to patch up daily boo-boos. Her greatest ambitions are to create stories that inspire hope, raise up her children to be mighty warriors for Christ, invent an all-dessert diet that works, and make up for years of sleep deprivation. 

She is represented by Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary, Inc.

 

 

Facing Guilt

One thing that seems to keep coming up this holiday season in social media circles, conversations--hey, even at the store-- is guilt. Have you ever noticed that the higher the expectations or excitement, the more the feelings of insufficiency seem to grow? One of my new-mother friends posted on Facebook that she is forcing herself to stop looking at Pinterest until after Christmas, because every time she sees pictures of beautiful mantles and perfectly-wrapped gifts under the tree, she finds herself playing the comparison game and realizing she doesn't measure up.

Photo by By Feelart at FreeDitigalPhotos.net

See, the problem with comparisons is we're always comparing our reality to someone else's fantasy. Our brokenness, our imperfections--to someone else's Sunday-best-smiles.

The only person we know intimately enough to truly be honest about strengths and faults is our own selves. So comparing ourselves to others is only robbing us of seeing the beauty of who we are in God.

The thing is, guilt that leads to feelings of worthlessness is not from God. Genuine, helpful guilt grows us-- it leads us to repentance and makes us stronger as we are prompted to better see who we are in Christ. False guilt does the opposite. It keeps us from seeing who we are in Christ, because it weighs us down.

It's amazing how in holiday seasons in particular, the guilt can rush in fast. Maybe you haven't finished your shopping, or you're not feeling crafty enough with your desserts, or your holiday lights are subpar. Stop. Worrying. Over It. Seriously. Instead of beating yourself up all day and all night, remember that God created you with a beauty and a purpose all your own, and He wants to spend time with you this holiday season.

It's difficult to see ourselves as a people who are sought-after, prized by God, when we're so worried over our burnt Christmas cookies that we've convinced ourselves we are failures at life.

And it is oh-so-easy to allow this tendency to slip into our perception of our writing. Maybe you're reading a good book right now and feeling like you'll never write like that. Well, guess what. You won't. Because that author is following God's plan for her writing, and you have an equally unique, equally powerful calling for your own. By worrying about being as good as someone else, we strip ourselves of the ability to see the gifts God has put within us.

I think sometimes we consider ourselves "humble" when we look at ourselves with these guilty eyes. It's a "good job, me-- I'm living in humility" kind of moment. But we've got it all wrong. Why stumble and hobble through the writing life, convincing ourselves of our many faults, when God has called us to leap and dance and run? Confidence has never been the same thing as pride. And false guilt has never led to productivity-- in writing or in our spiritual lives.

So here's to taking a break, slipping on some fuzzy socks, grabbing your Bible, and enjoying a nice cup of hot chocolate today. Who cares if you haven't wrapped all your gifts, finished your word count for the day, or even put your tree up yet? You are loved, precious, and sought after because you are God's. Take a few moments to reframe your perspective today, and I think you'll find your list of perceived failures much shorter than you once thought.

Since I won't get another chance before then, I'd love to wish you all a Merry Christmas! All the Alley Cats appreciate each one of you readers and the time you spend with us on the blog. Enjoy this holiday season!

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Ashley Clark writes romance with southern grace. She's dreamed of being a writer ever since the thumbprint-cookie-days of library story hour. Ashley has an M.A. in English and enjoys teaching literature courses at her local university. She's an active member of ACFW and runs their newcomer's loop. When she's not writing, Ashley's usually busy rescuing stray animals and finding charming new towns. You can find Ashley on her personal blog, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. She is represented by Karen Solem.

Guest Post by Preslaysa Williams: Easy Ways to Nurture (and Sabotage) a Creative Life

Have you ever heard of a neurosurgeon who suffered from neurosurgery block?

You know what I’m talking about?

It’s the moment right before a scheduled surgery when a medical professional freezes and forgets how to wield their scalpel on an unsuspecting patient.

You haven’t heard of neurosurgery block? How about school teacher block? I know you’ve heard of this one. It’s the moment right before a teacher steps into a classroom, and he or she forgets how to teach multiplication tables to a sea of rambunctious children.

You haven’t heard of school teacher block either, huh? How about writer’s block? Ever heard of that?

Thought so. Why does creative self-expression cause many to avoid doing something as simple as scribble words across a page?

Image by Idea go, courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

A lot of the problems of so-called writer’s block stem from the fact that, as ego-centric human beings, we are intrinsically attached to the work we create. If we write something bad, this proves the deplorableness of our fallen moral nature. On the flip side, if we write something brilliant, this proves we are God’s gift to the publishing world. (And with brilliance comes the added pressures of having to continue to produce more brilliance before everyone discovers the truth: You are a hack and, on top of that, you possess a deplorable, fallen moral nature.)

I’ve suffered both sides of this crazy spectrum, and I’m here to say it can drain you, folks. In addition to being a writer, I am an actress. I love, love, love the acting craft. As a child, one of my favorite pastimes was curling up with a good Uta Hagen book on theatre technique and then studying old movies to see how the masters worked. However, the day to day grind of going out on audition after audition (488 auditions to be exact) and getting a bunch of ‘no’s’ was a lot to take.

As a young girl, I believed those rejections were a reflection of Preslaysa the Person. As I got older I learned that to succeed in my creative pursuits, I needed to build a psychological construct around myself or else I’d end up in a padded room. And I’m not kidding. There was a time when the acting work stopped, and I went into a deep, crippling depression for many years.

So here are my profound, life changing ways to ensure that you nurture (and not sabotage) your creative life:

1. Repeat after me: “I am not a bad writer.”
When I seriously pursued the craft of fiction years ago, I joined a critique group with a bunch of writers who ripped my work to shreds. Yes, those first attempts at writing novel length fiction were not the best, but I took it personally and believed I was an untalented hack. Of course my writing sucked, I was a newbie. All newbies suck. Duh! Yet, I created a lie which said: “Why even try? I am no good at this.” That lie set me back from growing as a writer.

Know this, you are not a bad writer; you are a writer embarking on a very beautiful journey.

2. Repeat after me: “I am not a good writer.”
Yes, you read that right. You are not a good writer. Don’t believe the hype. You are not an innately talented genius who could never be replaced by anyone in the world. When I gained success as an actor, I believed I was an “innately talented genius who could never be replaced by anyone in the world.” A couple of years later when the acting work dried up, my genius self (ahem, my ego self) was crushed.

Same thing happened to me in the writing world. After I started to get a hang of the craft, people complimented me on my work. I started to believe it, but when I turned over my next project to someone I trusted, they red-lined it like crazy. I was crushed. How could they do that? Everyone said I was a great writer. Past success doesn’t ensure future results. The only thing that matters in the writing game is what I’ve produced or edited for that day.

All writing starts out rough, whether it’s written by a newbie or by a master at the craft. It’s only time, effort and skill which shapes a rough piece into a thing of beauty. So don’t believe the hype. Keep a clearheaded view of your writing skill, and you’ll last a very long time.

3. Repeat after me: “I am a writer.” 
You are a writer. You are not a brain surgeon. You are not a school teacher. You are a writer. Although you may have a day job, your calling is to write. Don’t doubt it. Don’t question it. Write every day. Write good stuff. Write bad stuff. Show up when they praise you. Show up when they rip your work to shreds. Show up because it’s your job. That’s what professionals do.

Preslaysa Williams is a wife to one, a mom to two and a writer of inspirational romance and middle grade fiction. A 2014 ACFW Genesis semi-finalist and a 2013 ACFW Genesis finalist, she enjoys writing stories that make you smile. Visit her online at www.preslaysa.com where she blogs about romance, faith, writing and mommy brain randomness.

A detour in the road

I’m going to get personal today. I want to talk about something I’ve avoided broaching for some time. I’ve worried about what people might think. Whether other writers would understand. Whether I’d be criticised or given well-meaning advice. Whether there would be condemnation.

“Writers write. If you’re not writing, you’re not a writer.”

Here’s my dirty secret: I’m not writing right now.

Well, not exactly.

It’s time for me to confess. Tell the whole truth. And hope that somebody out there understands. This is my story, but who knows? It could be yours, too. So, please forgive me my transparency. I’m gonna bare it all.

The path

See, I’ve always wanted to be a writer. Ever since I was a shy, imaginative kid with my nose constantly in a book and my head in the clouds. So, I wrote. Short stories. Scraps of novels. Eventually, much later, a whole book.

8 years ago, God gave me a promise about my writing. It was one of those goosebump moments when heaven collides with earth and you know without a doubt God has spoken.

He made it very clear that writing was my calling, and that the dream I’d longed for since I was a little girl would come to pass. That soul-deep certainty carried me through years of solitary hard work, rejections and near-misses, sparse encouragement and questioning. I doubted myself frequently, but I never doubted the call.

Positive things happened in that time. I landed an agent. Was contracted to ghost-write a full-length book. Met kindred writing friends. Joined the Alley. Finaled in a big contest. Had a short story accepted by a respected journal I’d courted for years. I felt like I was finally right on the brink of a breakthrough.

Only that breakthrough never happened.

Image by duron123, freedigitalphotos.net

The roadblock

When I fell pregnant with my third child in the space of three years, for the first time, I hit a roadblock I couldn’t see my way past. I was exhausted, busy and overwhelmed. My first novel had been shelved after being shopped around unsuccessfully for a couple of years, and I was about two-thirds through writing the second. I believed in the story. But discouragement hit me from left-field.

You talk about negative contest feedback? I’d finalled in a contest, and yet the judges tore my synopsis to shreds. They hated my plot.

I panicked. Asked for help from some authors whose opinion I respect. They all hated it too.

Only problem was, no-one could tell me how to fix it. It seemed that everyone except me thought my book was terminally flawed.

Perhaps I was deluded. It seemed increasingly likely.

Fast-forward nine months, and in my post-newborn, sleep-deprived, mushy-brained state, I still couldn’t imagine my way out of this fix. I had three preschool-age kids to mother; writing required a sacrifice of time and energy that I just didn’t have in me at that point. I think I could have done it if I’d been able to sustain the delusion that I was on the brink of something wonderful. If I truly believed that what I was writing was worthwhile and would be snapped up by a publisher as soon as I wrote “The End”.

But how could I pour myself out for something everyone said was flawed? Something that would likely never succeed?

It seemed like an enormous waste of time. Time I did not have. With three little tots requiring all the energy I had to give, I couldn’t seem to find the time to wash my hair or shave my legs, let alone salvage a masterpiece from the smoking wreckage of my novel.

I was stuck. It was more than writer’s block. It was the dark night of the writer’s soul. I’m sure it was a contributing factor in why I suffered from post-natal depression after my third child.

I felt like I’d lost a part of myself, and yet I didn’t have a clue how to find it again.

The amber light

The stuck-ness continued for what felt like forever. My biggest worry? Feeling like I’d somehow dropped-out on God’s plan for my life. I’m not a dropout kinda gal. I still believed whole-heartedly in that word God had given me 8 years before. Still believed my dream would come to pass.

So why was I stuck in this place of failure and shame, unable to see my way clear?

As I prayed it through, I slowly began to see that I’d imposed my timeline on God’s promise.

He never said when my dream would be realised. Just that it would - one day.

And so I sat waiting at a giant amber light, gradually coming to realise I was in some pretty good company.

Joseph was promised he would rule, and ended up a slave in a prison cell.

Sarah was promised a child, and ended up an old and barren woman.

David was anointed king over Israel, and ended up in exile in fear of his life, hiding in a rocky hillside with a band of outlaws.

The Israelites were promised Canaan, and ended up walking circles in the desert for 40 years.

In each case, the dream did come to pass. It did. God is always faithful to his word.

But always, there was a season of contradiction, where for a long period of time, the dream seemed further out of reach than ever. Instead of leading toward the goal, the path seemed to veer in the opposite direction, carrying the dreamer even further away than they were at the start.

Image by ntwowe, freedigitalphotos.net

The detour

And that’s when I saw the sign I hadn’t noticed before. I was so focussed on the impassable roadblock in front of me, that I hadn’t seen the “detour” sign erected at the side of the road. It pointed away from where I’d been heading. I couldn’t see exactly where it led, and yet if I strained my eyes, I could’ve sworn the two paths met up again somewhere in the dim mauve distance. 

I took a tentative step onto the path. Then another. It was different to the road I’d been travelling. Yet somehow, it felt familiar. Right. I walked farther. For the first time in over two years, the dogged sense of failure was beginning to slough away. The inner unrest, the sense of “where did I lose myself?” was turning to vapour and drifting away on the breeze. 

I was in motion again. Not on the road I’d planned to walk, but on a different path. And yet somehow, I was at peace.

The new path

Has anyone else been there? Where life has taken you in a different direction than you expected? Has anyone else experienced that detour in the road?

For me, the new path was clear. I felt a strong sense that I am not ready to be published in this season of my life – that God is saying “Wait” to that dream. It’s not a decision I’ve taken lightly. It took me two years of inner turmoil to get to that place. I still believe in the call he’s given me, but I also recognize that he’s given me another, pre-eminent calling: to be a mother. And in these chaotic, overwhelming, joyful, maddening, wonderful years of parenting in the trenches, I’m experiencing life in all the richness that will one day, once again, find its way into my books.

But God is good, and he hasn’t asked me to sacrifice my sense of self on the altar of parenthood. He hasn’t asked me to stand immobile, gazing yearningly into the distance. He’s given me another task, one more compatible with the stage of life I’m in now. It’s a new dream that runs parallel to the first: to write a blog for other mums and home-makers.

This is writing in a new skin. It’s writing in small doses, individual posts. It’s the ability to feel the satisfaction that comes from completing something. It’s immediacy. It’s a new conduit for the creativity that is bursting in my veins. It’s a channel for some other lifelong loves – art, design, interior decorating, working with kids.

It began with the niggling urge that I should be “doing something” to build a platform in this time I have available pre-publication. And so, always, it feeds back into the overarching dream that will never go away – to write novels, to one day have an audience who will turn the pages of a book I’ve written.

So, while it may seem like a divergence, it’s all part of the same river finding its course to the sea. God’s plan can never be thwarted. Block a stream, and it will break its banks if necessary to carve a new water-course. The dream won’t die.

freedigitalphotos.net

What road are you walking?

It’s been eleven years since I wrote my first book, full of naïve enthusiasm and certainty that it would be the next big thing. That’s a long time for a dream to stay alive, despite all the setbacks and discouragement along the way. And yet, it is alive.

Even now.

I share all this because I wonder if anyone else can relate. Have you ever hit a roadblock in your writing journey? Have you ever taken a detour off the path?

Is the road you’re walking now different to what you’d imagined or hoped it would be?

I want to encourage you, if you’re facing a roadblock right now in your writing life. A detour is not the end of the road. It’s a way around. A way through.

No matter which direction you seem to be walking, if the peace of God is your compass, then every step you take in faith is one step closer to your dream.

TWEETABLES

When your writing journey takes a detour: Click to tweet

Is it ever okay to step away from your dream of writing? Here's why I did: Click to tweet

Karen Schravemade lives in Australia, where she juggles writing with being a SAHM to three small kids. She's had short stories published in two literary journals and is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such. Find her on her website, Twitter, and getting creative on her home-making blog, A house full of sunshine.

The Writer's Notebook

A few days ago I finished reading a book of interviews with writers. All of them are successful Australian authors who've written bestsellers, received critical recognition for their work, and in most cases, earn a comfortable living from their writing.

When you immerse yourself in the mind of writers for a solid 280 pages, patterns begin to emerge. In this case, the predominant pattern was not one I'd been expecting. It's a takeaway so simple that if I hadn't heard it repeated at least a dozen times by a dozen different authors, I probably would have just skimmed right past it.

Simple. Elemental. And yet, it's something I don't do.

Do you want to know the one thing that most of these authors have in common?

Well, let's use a process of elimination. It's NOT any of these things you may be thinking:

• Their path to publication. Some had agents, some didn't. Some self-published first and were discovered through that avenue. Some wrote for years before breaking in; others wrote a couple of chapters and were contracted on that basis by the first publisher they submitted to (one at the age of fourteen!)

• Their chosen genres, which were varied - from crime thrillers to literary works.

• Their approach to research, which ranged from the extreme dedication of one author who learned French in order to be able to read primary sources for her novel set in France, to another author who said "the joy" of writing science fiction is that "you don't have to do any research."

• The amount of words they write per day, or even the requirement of writing a certain amount of words in a day at all. (John Marsden, author of the multi-million bestselling "Tomorrow" series for young adults, surprisingly said of his writing time, "it may only happen twice a week or it may not happen at all some weeks.")

• Their approach to platform and marketing, which varied from "out there" to "really not my thing - my publisher does it all."

• Even their love for the craft. (One award-winning and prolific author cynically remarked, "I mean, there are important things that people can do in the world. Writing more novels in a world that doesn't need any more novels is not one of them.")

So what on earth could it be?

The answer surprised me.

The one thing most of these authors had in common is this: 

They use a notebook to record their observations of daily life.

Image by Stoonn, freedigitalphotos.net

So simple it's easily overlooked, and yet actually - the more you think about it - so fundamental.

We're not talking about a notebook where you jot ideas for your WIP - plot twists, character descriptions and the like. That probably comes more naturally to all of us, out of necessity. 

By comparison, the observation notebook seems almost... trivial. Non-essential. 

But when a dozen successful authors, interviewed independently of each other, all cite this one common habit as a foundational element of their work, it sure made me sit up and listen.

It also made me think. What's the big deal? Why is it so important? This is what I came up with. You could probably add more to this list.

4 Benefits of using an observation notebook:

• It will breathe life into your characters. The personality quirks, physical appearance, facial expressions, modes of dress, habits and reactions you observe in the people around you are rich fodder. If you want to create characters who seem real, instead of cardboard cutouts, observe real people everywhere you go - and record those details.

• It will enrich your settings. How often do you sketch a setting in a line or two, using the same stock-standard phrases - because you really can't visualize the setting with any certainty in your own head? Our memories are unreliable. We forget the pungent, particular details of the places we've been - unless we write them down.

• It will keep your writing brain in gear. Many of us compartmentalize our writing and non-writing time. I know I do. But this makes it harder to switch gears when you do have time to write. The habit of keeping an observation notebook has the power to change your daily mindset, so that you approach the whole of life with the curiosity and keen observation of a writer. To use another metaphor, keep your writing brain simmering away with ideas instead of turning off the heat once your writing session is over - it'll be that much quicker to bring it back to a rolling boil when you next sit at your computer.

• It's an endless source of ideas and inspiration. In an interview with novelist Louise Zaetta, she was asked whether she ever experiences writer's block. Her answer? "No, and I'll tell you why not. There's a beautiful way to avoid writer's block, and that is to have a notebook with you at all times where you endlessly record the things that happen in life. Out and about. Anywhere. At someone's place for dinner. I once interviewed Claire Astley, who said she does that. She has her little basket of bits of paper on the floor. Whenever she gets stuck she just pulls one out, and it may have something on it that she observed a year ago and she'll write about that. Somehow or other you can fit everything you have observed into your work. There's hardly anything you'll ever have observed that you can't use. So if you have a good notebook you should not have to suffer from writer's block, because you can just use something from there. Write that and it will lead you on to something else. It's a marvellous resource." (Literati: Australian Contemporary Literary Figures Discuss Fear, Frustrations and Fame, 2005)

Image by greenphile, freedigitalphotos.net

I don't know about you... but I'm inspired.

I've used an observation notebook in the past, but only very sporadically, and never for long. It was a habit that didn't stick, because I never fully internalized the value of what I was doing, and therefore didn't prioritize it.

From now on I'm making a commitment to carry a notebook with me everywhere I go, and take a minute here and there throughout the day to jot down the rich and colorful details of daily life, which will otherwise be forgotten.

Who'll join me?

TWEETABLES

One surprisingly simple secret of many successful authors - it's probably not what you think! Tweet 

Many successful authors keep an observation notebook. Here's why you should, too: Tweet

Why a pocket-size notebook and pen could be the most powerful writing tool you use this year: Tweet

Karen Schravemade lives in Australia, where she juggles writing with being a SAHM to three small kids. She's had short stories published in two literary journals and is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such. Find her on her website, Twitter, and getting creative on her home-making blog, A house full of sunshine.

The reasons you write

Have you ever struggled with the daily commitment to writing?

Image by m_bartosch, freedigitalphotos.net

Perhaps you started out strong, but the middle has become a hard slog, and you feel like you’ve lost your way. Perhaps you’ve received negative feedback from people whose opinions you value, and you wonder if the whole thing is a waste of time. Maybe your characters have fallen down a plot hole and you can’t see any way for them to climb out. Perhaps your life circumstances have changed (new job? New baby? Elderly parent to care for? Fill in the blank) and your writing routine has been thrown so badly out of kilter that you’re scrambling to make any time to write at all.

I could put my hand up for all of these things. I’ll be honest: the book I’m working on right now has become a struggle. A mental, emotional, physical, spiritual struggle.

 

Recently I’ve been reading “Platform” by Michael Hyatt. Great book. Hyatt suggests writing down seven reasons for why you write, and reviewing these daily.

I did this. I actually came up with eight. Today I’d like to be completely transparent, and share them with you. These are very personal, very intimate reasons, and while it makes me feel quite vulnerable to share them, I hope my honesty might help someone else who may be struggling just as I am.

Eight reasons why I need to finish my novel.

1. To finish what I started. “I want to suggest that you finish what you started to do… Let your enthusiastic idea at the start be equalled by your realistic action now.” (2 Cor 8:10-11, TLB) Finishing when it’s tough takes character. I CHOOSE to be a woman of character, no matter how I feel.

2. To experience pride in my accomplishment. The results of not writing? I feel defeated, useless, inadequate. The results of writing? I feel energised, completed, purposeful. This state of mind flows out to every other area of my life.

3. God wants me to finish this book. A pastor once stopped me after a service and spoke this word over me: “You’ve sometimes thought that writing is your dream and your desire. But God wants you to know, it’s His desire.” I love him so much, and writing for God is my expression of love to him. It’s my daily sacrifice of praise.

4. Writing is my purpose in life. If I want to live a life that’s purpose-driven and meaningful, I need to walk within my purpose. To walk outside my purpose is to live a half-life, an incomplete life that doesn’t fulfil my potential.

5. I want to impact others. My biggest prayer has always been that I might produce fruit for God’s kingdom. God has given me a voice, and writing is my platform. Through the power of the written word, my sphere of influence will expand to reach countless more people than I could ever reach alone. My greatest privilege and joy in life would be to impact many others for God. 

6. I am a better mother when I follow my dreams. Following my dreams feeds my spirit. Do I want to feel begrudging and resentful that I don’t have time for myself, or do I want to make that time, and then mother with generosity and joy, out of an overflowingly abundant heart?

7. I believe in this book. I love my story. I love my characters. Those who’ve read it so far have found it gripping and compelling. I believe this story has the potential to be a success.

8. I choose to live my dream. Writing is what I’ve always wanted to do, ever since I was a little girl. The dream will not happen on its own. I alone have the power to make it happen through my daily choices.

The power of a reason

I’ve begun a practice of reading over my eight reasons at the start of every writing session. It centers me on the purpose behind the task. Gives me a bigger perspective. Inspires me to continue when it’s tough.

What are the reasons YOU write?

28-Day Challenge check-in:

For those participating, how is your new habit coming along? Don’t forget – double entries for the Amazon gift card in two weeks’ time if you’ve stuck with your habit every day!

Karen Schravemade lives Downunder and likes to confuse her American friends by using weird Australian figures of speech. When she's not chasing after two small boys or cuddling her baby girl, she spends her spare minutes daydreaming about the intricate lives of characters who don't actually exist. Find her on her website and Twitter.