Go Ahead and Quit!

During the first week of January, I received an email from a dear writer friend. She admitted to having trouble getting back into the groove after taking time off from her writing during the Christmas season. She said, “Sometimes I just want to quit.”

Have you ever felt that way? Yeah. So have I. Considering my experience, you’d think I would offer a verbal pat on the shoulder and encourage her to persevere. Offer to pray for her.

But I didn’t. Not right away. Instead, what popped onto the return email page was, “Go ahead and quit! See how long you last.”

I said this because, like my writing-weary friend, I’ve been there. There are times I just want to go shopping with my daughter without thinking about deadlines and edits, or clean out the closet without thinking about how many blogs are waiting to be written. Or even just read a book or watch a movie without guilt. I haven’t ever completely quit because I’m a finisher by nature, but I have certainly slacked off.

However, if I’m away from my computer for too long, I get itchy fingers. I need to get back to recording my ideas, to reviewing that great book I just read, to sharing some writerly bit of information with those who are kind enough to read my blog.

So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by life and not zealous about writing, or underwhelmed by the process of creating fiction, don’t despair. Take a break, be good to yourself, talk to a friend who understands. And then, when your fingers start to itch for the keys or the ideas begin to tumble through your mind as you’re cleaning the closet, run back to your computer and write.

If you need someone to pray you through it, let me know. I pray for my friend daily, and she knows it. There are many of us who understand. We’re in your corner. And so is the dear God who uses our words to do His work.