Monday, April 11, 2016

5 Ways to Stick With It




Recently, a close relative posted she was so glad she stuck with a difficult job. In the early days, she had to get up at 2:30 a.m. to get to work by 4:30 a.m. It involved heavy physical labor and long hours. Her faithfulness and hard work paid off. She received a promotion to a full-time position with benefits and decent hours.

The writing life involves a lot of "sticking with it." I can't tell you how many times I wanted to give up.

Here are some things that keep me writing:

1.  From the early days, I've had a vision to communicate truth through my writing. If my life experiences or knowledge gained can help someone else, I consider that my greatest blessing.

2.  Prayer - When things get tough, the tough get on their knees. Many times, I've had to walk away from what I was writing and ask for God's wisdom and direction. Since I started writing fiction, He's often given me answers as I slept or in that state between sleep and wakefulness. When our hearts are quiet, we can hear His still, small voice so much better.

3.  Connection with other writers and readers - I've attended a writers conference every year for the last 10+ years. Like other endeavors, writing involves steady growth. We build upon our knowledge base and make adjustments to our non-fiction and fiction writing.

4.  Take a break - Live life and be alert to ideas for blog posts, writing projects, and situations for the characters in your manuscript. You can then return to writing with fresh eyes and renewed enthusiasm.

Even negative experiences can provide fodder for writing. When I broke my elbow, I took note of all that was involved in the diagnosis and treatment. Hey, why should all that pain go to waste? Not long after, my main character, Ellie, in The Moses Conspiracy, was injured. I knew giving her a broken bone was a no-no because of where I wanted the story to go.

5.  A review or note from a reader, saying how much they enjoyed one of my books fueled my creativity. When I completed The Moses Trilogy, one reader said how much she would miss the characters. I may bring them back in the future for an encore performance.

Yes, there are days when I ask myself why I'm on this writing gig. I look back and think of all the joys and the thrill of seeing my work published.

Yeah, I'm glad I stuck with it, too.

Writers:  Do you ever want to quit writing? Please share.

Readers:  Have you tried your hand at writing? Please share.

Photo Credit:  Erhan Balkan

4 comments:

Karen Lange said...

Perseverance does pay off! We learn much by hanging in there, don't we? Have a great week! :)

Jean Fischer said...

I'm glad that you stuck with it, Susan. Love your books!

quietspirit said...

Susan: Oh, yes. I have not made it to where I want to be with the craft. I get discouraged very easily and think I will chuck it all. Then I receive a very kind comment on my blog. I begin to feel better about what I do. I am weighing going to a new writing conference come August. Its relative inexpensive, not very far away, and I am acquainted with several who areo on the conference faculty. Please pray about this for me.

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Karen - Yes, through faith and patience we inherit the promises. :)

Hi Jean - Aww, thanks so much.

Hi Quiet Spirit - A good writers conference is a great way to re-charge. Praying you'll receive new vision for your writing.