When Words Fail…

 Posted by Rosemary, on behalf of guest-blogger, Lesley Crawford. 

What do you do when you sit down to write but the words refuse to come?  I think it’s something that most writers face at some point.

 I have been blogging for almost nine years. For five years, I happily churned out at least one post a week without fail, and the words flowed easily. I wish I could say that the last four years had been the same, but often getting the words out has been a battle, and it caused me to ponder some tips for dealing with this.

•  Give yourself grace

Sometimes, life is crazy. Other priorities, such as work or family responsibilities, mean we find ourselves pushed for time or otherwise occupied.  It’s important to recognise that is okay at times. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 3:1: “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” (NLT) There is a time to push ourselves to write and there is a time to step back for a while.

•  Focus on what God has called you to write

Sharing our words means that sometimes we will face criticism, and, whether well-intentioned or not, sometimes the impact can be to stifle our writing. It’s important to learn from feedback we receive, but ultimately we need to accept that not everyone will like what we write, and continue being faithful to what God has called us to share.

•  Try journalling

We can get caught up in worrying about what others think in other ways. Discovering that someone I know in “real life” was reading my blog sent me into a spiral of overthinking every word I wrote to the point where I struggled to produce anything coherent. Journalling is a helpful way to remove the pressure and get the words flowing again.

•  Just write

Similarly, even when our writing will eventually be shared with others, the first draft doesn’t have to be perfect! Attempting to edit as we write can disrupt our flow and cause us to overthink. It is more helpful just to write and then to come back and fix it later!

• Use writing prompts

Since I started blogging, I have taken part in a community called Five Minute Friday. Each Friday, the task is to write a blog post inspired by a one-word prompt in just five minutes. Often I sit down with no idea what to write and am pleasantly surprised by what I managed to produce.

• Find an encouraging community

Another reason I have found Five Minute Friday so helpful is because of the sense of community and the encouragement that writers give one another. Writing can be a very solitary pursuit, and it helps a lot to know that there are others on that journey too. Communities such as FMF or ACW can be crucial in helping us persevere.

Do you have any other tips to share? Feel free to add them in the comments!

I’m delighted to share this guest post at the More Than Writers blog. Most of my writing takes place on my own blog: Life In The Spacious Place and I am a regular contributor at Gracefully Truthful.

Pieces of my writing have also been included in various collections and anthologies, including the ACW anthology “Merry Christmas, Everyone” and “The Jesse Tree Anthology.”