Becoming a Patient Writer

For the past month, I have been slowly navigating the hurdles and taking the necessary steps in Georgia’s vocational rehabilitation process. The lengthy process hasn’t been as easy as I had hoped. Some days, I just want to give up and cry.

But my hope is, in the end, all of the struggles, tests, and frustration will be worth it. The continuous communication and interrogation with state and educational representatives are overwhelming:

• Doctor appointments
• Skills assessment tests
• Cognitive evaluations
• Physical evaluations

Again, I’m reminded that things take time and we must go through the process to achieve our goals in life. I first experienced this hard truth almost 30 years ago after my accident. I wanted to get back to my old life and be productive in life at all costs.

I had to learn not to rush my recovery process or risk the abilities and health that I still had. Living with a TBI can make someone very impatient and emotional. It took both my faith and my disability to teach me to be more patient in life.

What Is Patience

Let’s face it; you don’t have to have a brain injury to struggle with patience. Our sinful nature and flesh want what they want and when they want it. Patience isn’t a natural quality. Patience is more than taking time to do things, it is how we wait and use the time we have.

Patience is defined as, “The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.” It is less about how long we wait, but how we handle the waiting period.

My brain injury has had a negative impact on my patience, concept of time, and emotions. It is a real struggle for me, especially as a writer to be patient. And we all know that the writing life requires a lot of waiting.

Patience in Writing

Patience plays a key role in a writer’s life. The path to publication can be lengthy and it requires a lot of patience and discipline for writers. The publication process may take years are even decades of: learning the craft, building a platform, networking, and pitching in addition to the actual act of writing.

The writing process looks different for each writer, whether you are a panster or an outliner. Your writing process will take time. Below are some reasons why writers should never rush the writing process:

1. You can’t immerse yourself for the one eye on the clock.
2. Identify the next step.
3. Give that next step your full attention.
4. Recognize when it’s good enough.
5. What would this feel like for you?

As writers, we want to give our audience clear and beneficial information or a great story. I go back to the mandate, “Think writer first.” Patience helps to give my audience the best prose and it doesn’t waste their time.

It doesn’t matter how much or how fast you can write if what you produce is garbage or isn’t beneficial and clear to the reader. My mindset in writing in life is quality over quantity; give your reader your best work.

Quality Takes Time

I know it seems counterintuitive, but quality work usually takes more time to produce, but it will pay more dividends than rushed and subpar work.

An adage I learned while growing up is practice is, “Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.” Other variations of this adage are, “Anything worth doing is worth the trouble or worth the pain.”

It has taken me most of my adult life and a lot of pain and mistakes to learn the benefits of slowing down and being patient. This principle is applied to other areas of life as well:

• Relationships
• Life choices
• Health and wellness
• Finances

Ironically, one of the main disses or comments about disabled persons is we are”Slow” or “Not hitting on all cylinders.” Sometimes this is out of a disabled person’s control and they struggle with it altogether.

Other times like in my case, is a necessary means to an end and we still struggle with it. Even when I read I have to slow down, because my eyes don’t focus fast and it’s hard to follow the text and a sentence line. Over the years I have learned to be patient during the struggles I face. How have you benefited from becoming a patient writer?

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com  and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.