When Life Gets In The Way Of Writing...

As I considered what to write about in this blog post, I struggled. Thinking back over the last month, I couldn’t help feeling like a bit of a failure as a writer. A single blog post plus an outline for a blog series I hope to write for Advent was all I had managed to achieve. 

     I had begun October with good intentions, but then life happened. 

     A particularly busy spell at work combined with a viral infection, then supporting a friend who is struggling, had left me lacking in both physical and mental energy, so writing had to take a back seat. 

     I think it’s important to recognise there are times when that’s okay. As the title of this blog reminds us, we are “more than writers.” There is a time to push ahead with our writing projects, and there is a time to give ourselves grace. We are only human, our time is limited, and there are seasons when our priorities need to change. 

     As I reflected some more, I also realised that while I may not have made much progress on writing projects this month, I have still done some writing of sorts, and I have participated in other activities that will help with my writing as I move forward. 

     I have written hundreds of emails this month. Most of these have not been the most exciting type of writing, but some have required sensitivity and careful wording in order to communicate in the right way, which has helped me practise tailoring the message to a specific audience. At other times, the need to respond to several emails quickly has helped develop my skill in saying what needs to be said clearly and concisely. 

     I have written various talks or Bible studies to be delivered verbally rather than in written form. While I don’t tend to deliver these word-for-word, the process of putting them together has given me practice in structuring a piece, and in deciding what to include and what to omit. 

     In all of this, I have had plenty of opportunities to practise time management and meeting deadlines, and I have experienced situations and explored topics that I’m sure will help fuel future blog posts. 

     Maybe I’ve been more productive than I realised. 

     As you look back on the last month, I hope this encourages you that even if you haven’t been as effective as you hoped in achieving your writing goals, there will have been opportunities to develop skills and there will have been experiences that will contribute to your future writing. 

     And remember, there will always be times when other aspects of life have to take priority, so give yourself grace!

Lesley Crawford blogs at Life In The Spacious Place and contributes regularly at Gracefully Truthful. She has written One Big Story, a Bible curriculum for school groups and contributed to various anthologies, including the ACW anthology, "Merry Christmas, Everyone" and "The Jesse Tree Anthology".