Read, respond, write by Joy Lenton

Do you have a tendency to get involved with things you never intended to? I do.

And I'm not talking about gazing out the window while munching chocolate biscuits instead of pressing on with the 'work in progress'.

Unless that is, window gazing people watching, coffee drinking and biscuit eating are your necessary research aids, in which case please carry on.

No, this is when you see an idea on-line, seize it by the throat and run with it.

Your mind full of 'why don't I do that?' - why not, indeed. Impulsive, moi?

It happened to me recently as I read the given prompts for 31 days of five-minute-free-writing (helpfully provided well in advance) while linking up a five-minute-friday post.

I paused, pondered and prayed. So far, so good.

Ideas flowed. Inspiration came, and I began to put aside a few posts in draft form ready for the writing month to come.

It began with a 'here's-one-I-made-earlier' poem, then new ones appeared alongside prayer whispers, prayers and reflections. 

Before long, I was reading (the prompts), responding (the thinking stage) and writing like a seasoned 31 day pro, although my only prior experience was in writing '31 days of poetry for the soul'. With no pre-planning then, I found myself nearly drifting into Advent in my drive to produce new poems.

This time, a warm happy glow came over me after the first two weeks, as if I'd completed a marathon, and in a way I had, even while missing some days.

As a non-fiction writer, I haven't yet participated in the NANOWRIMO writing marathon, and would have great difficulty in achieving the daily word count.

Because I type slowly and have uncooperative arthritic hands and joints which seize up if too much is required of them. Not to mention brain fog and chronic fatigue problems.

But scribbling fast into a notepad for 5 (ish) minutes is doable, even if it takes much longer to decipher my scrawl, type it up, edit and add images. 

Sometimes a blank screen/piece of paper can be daunting. And that's why this daily prompt has been such a gift, as well as a huge act of faith that words will come.

Our minds can often falter plucking words out of the ether but give them a word to chew on and the creative juices start flowing. At least, that's how mine seems to be wired after a few years of joining in with word prompts on a regular basis.

This year I didn't announce my intentions beforehand on the blog, just dived straight in with a splash. No promises or heavy expectations. No fancy theme button.

If you're liking the sound of the 31 day writing challenge, then you could always join in now (who's counting?) on an occasional basis as I am, or carefully and prayerfully consider what to write and plan ahead for next year. 

The joy of it is the flexibility because you get to choose your main theme, style and length of posts to suit you.

And I love the supportive community too. I'm actively trying to read and respond to some writing friends' posts and others do the same for me.

Hope this taster has whet your appetite. 

Click here to find out more about 31 days of five-minute-free-writes and how to link up your blog there. 

Or to discover how it all began and how to officially link up in community, click here. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a notepad and pen. Happy writing, friends! 

Joy is a grateful grace dweller who finds community among the weak and the broken, the edge-dwellers and truth-tellers.

She enjoys having fellowship with poets, writers, mystics and contemplatives as she seeks after God's heart.

You can find her raking for beauty out of ashes at poetryjoy.com and wordsofjoy.me where she writes to encourage others on their journey of life and faith.

She would love to connect with you on her blogs, or on Twitter, Facebook or Google +