A change in the weather pattern by Jane Walters

I had in mind for this month’s blog an interesting delve into a writing topic that’s close to my heart but something happened the other day which I want to tell you about instead. I’m tempted to apologise for once more describing the latest leg of my limping writing journey but I’m not going to. You can always move away from this page if you like. The important thing for me is that I’m honest about how it’s going; and I suspect that some of my struggles aren’t unique, which gives me hope that these words may be useful.

For several months, I have been aware that my writing was in the Doldrums. I was still afloat, still sort-of-getting-somewhere, but with a sense that the wind had gone from my sails. I have three WIPs but felt stuck in the headlights with all of them. My writing routine had dwindled to keeping up with the short piece deadlines. It felt like I was chewing a diet of vitamin pills instead of savouring a hearty meal.

Two things happened this week to make me feel that the writing weather was at last changing. In our house-group meeting on Tuesday evening, we were continuing our study on corporate prayer and were encouraged to put it into practice. We split off into groups and four of us stood in our leaders’ kitchen, poised for action. Each took it in turns to say what we needed prayer for, then the others all prayed out loud at the same time. All I could say for my need was, ‘It’s my writing. I’m not writing and it hurts.’ They launched their verbal prayer assault that made me feel carried, like they’d arrived with a sedan chair. After a short while, individual voices stood out in snippets. I heard a plea for me not to panic (they must have read my diary!) and someone else asked that when I started again, it would be better than ever before. As I left the meeting, I still felt carried.

The following day, I shared all this with my counsellor, along with a whole raft of details I wouldn’t admit to anyone else. We picked at the issue, pulling at loose ends until it didn’t feel quite so tangled. When I said, ‘I don’t even know who’d read what I write anyway,’ I heard her simple reply: ‘I’d love to read it.’

Do you know, that’s as close to a commission as I’ve got – and it’s enough. That evening, I bravely opened up some of the chapters I wrote months ago. I was hoping to find that they weren’t terrible. And I don’t think they are. Thank God, thank God. I’m writing again.

Jane Walters is vice-chair of ACW and leads two ACW groups in Norfolk as well as Ready Writers writing retreats and workshops elsewhere. 

www.janewyattwalters.com