Keep the FAITH in your Writing

Keeping the faith in your writing can be difficult. I remember sitting on my back porch with a rejection letter in my hand just sobbing. I had received the go ahead from this publisher to send in my full proposal. I’d been waiting in anticipation for several months and believed this was the publisher the Lord had provided. I’d worked so hard to perfect this manuscript but then it came. The dreaded rejection letter. It wasn’t what they needed at the time. Rejection letters weren’t new to me as I’d already received a year’s worth of them, but for some reason, this publisher hurt me the most. I just wanted to quit.

Have you been there? Are you experiencing this or something similar now? It seems that rejection letters aren’t sent so much anymore, as the dreaded silent treatment. No news is not good news in these cases. Luckily my youngest daughter, saddened at seeing her mom sobbing at that time, cuddled next to me and said, “You have to write, Mommy. You’re a writer.”

That was just what I needed to hear at the time to gradually snap me out of my Writers Pit of Despair. We all have one. Some of us visit it more than others. But believe me, we all have them.

What do we do when we don’t have a precious toddler telling us that we have to keep writing?  I think it’s okay to visit the pit once in a while for a brief pity party, but don’t set up camp down there. Claw your way back out. Keep the FAITH. That may sound cliché but I’ve come up with an acronym of FAITH for writers to keep us out of the pits of despair.

F – Fully believe in God’s anointing of your gift of writing.

God gave you the gift of writing for His glory. We don’t know what that means to Him, but we are to use the gifts He’s given to us. You may be asking, “How do I know if He’s given me the gift of writing or not?” People who do not have the gift of writing know it. They don’t like anything having to do with writing. They probably don’t journal, they dreaded writing assignments in school and don’t doodle in idle time. They aren’t looking at the world differently. They may not even enjoy reading. But if you can’t NOT write, you’ve probably got the gift.

A – Actively write or create. God is the Great Creator and I believe loves to see everyone creating in one form or another. Even when you’re visiting the pit, reach for a pen and your beautiful journal (life is too short to use ugly journals) and scribble your thoughts, your feelings and prayers down. Scratch out a note to your mother. Write a letter of praise to God. Draw. Color in those new adult coloring books. Make a craft with your child. Paint. Organize a drawer. Cross stitch. Sew. Find something to create to get your creative juices flowing again.

I – Involve yourself with other writers. Join a critique group. Word Weavers has local chapters all over. See if there’s one close to you or check out http://www.meetup.com/ to find local writers groups. Attend a conference to network with other writers. Join a writers group on facebook. Get creative to find other writers. You know they’re out there.

T- Thank God for your inspirations, for your time to write, for blessings and anything else that comes to mind. Giving thanks brings joy. In fact, giving thanks may be what lifts you out of the pit.

H – Hope, have faith. You have a hope in Jesus and in His love for you. Believe he has the best in mind for you and will use you and your writing in ways you probably can’t even fathom at this point. Be open to His leading. Believe in Him. Believe in your gifts and have FAITH.

Know you’re not alone in this. Anybody who claims to be a writer will receive a rejection or ‘silence’ at some point or many points. Rejections are the battle scars that show we’re writing. Keep writing and keep the FAITH.