14 Things to Remember When Writing is Hard

When writing is hard, there are some things I try to remember to keep me going. Maybe you need to remember them too.Most days when I sit down to write, my blog post is all written in my head.  I’ve been pondering it for a few days, looked up some Bible verses to go with it, maybe searched Pinterest to see if someone has written something similar.

By the time I sit down at my laptop, the words flow pretty easily from my brain through my fingers, stopping at my heart along the way.

Today is not one of those days.

Today it is hard. I’ve been writing all week for the More Than A Blog course and I feel like I am all written out.  Like I’ve used up all my words.

It’s days like today that I need to remind myself of these things.  Maybe you need to remind yourself of some of them as well.

1.  The fact that I’m writing at all is success.

2.  There is no such thing as a perfect blog post.

3.  Facing up to something hard and doing it anyway can be an act of worship.

4.  Starting is always the hardest part.  So just start.

5.  Admitting you aren’t perfect and sharing your struggles connects you to people.

6.  One little bit of positive feedback is enough to …. I don’t know.  It’s just enough.

7.  When you’d rather die than let someone else read what you’ve written, you’ve written something good.

8.  Putting it off until the last minute does not make it any easier.  But sometimes it makes it better.

9.  Every post is different.  Every idea has it’s own structure.  Trying to force it into the “5 Essential Pieces of a Blog Post” may ruin it.

10.  Doing something unexpected is risky.  But risk makes your heart beat faster.  It’s good cardio.

11.  Being persistant is not the same as being stubborn.

12.  Just because it’s hard this week doesn’t mean next week will be worse.

13.  I take #4 back.  Finishing is just as hard as starting.  Finishing well is even harder.

14.  There are more words in me. I’m not done yet.  God’s not done yet.  You’re not done yet.

 

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Share your favorite quote about writing. Is there something that inspires you to keep going when it’s hard?

Linking up with Holly Barrett at #TestimonyTuesday, Dawn Klinge at #GraceandTruth, Susan Mead at #DanceWithJesus, Jaime Wiebel at #SittingAmongFriends and Deb Wolf at #Faith’nFriends

27 thoughts on “14 Things to Remember When Writing is Hard”

  1. Great list! There’s a quote that’s eluding me, but essentially it says writers don’t wait for inspiration. They show up every day and put words on paper. Some of those words will be good and stick; others won’t. but we show up, exercise our writing muscle, and keep pushing ahead – even on the days where the words just won’t flow. That’s what I try to remember on those days – show up, sit down, and just write. Maybe inspiration will follow.

    Reply
  2. Thank you for your encouraging words. I told the Lord just yesterday I felt as if I didn’t have any more words in me….thank you for number 14.

    Reply
  3. I had one of those days yesterday, Christa! Thanks so much for this great list! I would love to have you come over and share it at Faith ‘n Friends Blog Hop today. I know it will be a huge blessing to the group over there! Thanks again and blessings!!

    Reply
  4. “Facing up to something hard and doing it anyway can be an act of worship.” I love this one. Someone once told me that when you are struggling or facing grief you might not be able to show up at your best (at 100%), but you can still show up. 70% is still better than not showing up at all, and the best part about that is that we are giving what we have and it’s God’s job to multiply it! Thank you for the encouragement. I’ll be pinning this one! Visiting from #graceandtruth today 🙂

    Reply
    • Thanks for stopping by, Angela. Honestly, I think we do our best work when we AREN’T 100%. When we allow God to fill those gaps and multiply it. That is when something truly special happens and we are reminded once again … this is not about us.

      Reply
  5. These are some great points, Christa! One of the best things I did for getting ideas for writing was taking time to just think. We live in such a busy culture…busy, busy, busy. We thrive on being busy – we even worship it. And good thinking suffers for it.
    Thanks for linking up with Grace and Truth.

    Reply

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