Refreshed and Ready - Glynis Belec

   It's not that I have any super powers. Nor am I a brilliant writer. and no, rejection is not unknown to this Ontario gal.  But I just can't ever remember having writer's block.

  I do have something else, though. I have another affliction called "Lackofopportunityitis".

     I have SO much to write. But little opportunity to do it it seems these days. My ideas bubble forth like an overflowing glass of hastily poured club soda.  I write down idea after idea. I record inspiration after inspiration. My ledger has sticky note after sticky note grasping pages. I subscribe to a sticky note software program and on any given week I have purple stickies filled with ideas about what to write, multiplying like mosquitoes in a stagnant pond on my screen.

     But I am not complaining. I am actually grateful to God that He fills my world and every waking moment (and sometimes the sleeping ones, too) with ideas about what to write. I know my season is not here yet, where I am able to sit in my office and write prolific pages for hours on end. My interruptions are reasonable and necessary so I am happy to write whenever I can. Caring for some pretty special people in my life is an honour and I try not to resent not having the privilege of writing for extended periods.

                                  God has me right where he wants me so no complaints here.

 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.

                                                                                1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

     I do talk to writers who are troubled a little with writer's block. I try not to be impolite and I try to understand the issue. Then I sometimes wonder what it might be like to have writer's block and how I would handle it if I did deal with it. I understand it is real for some writers so as someone who loves to help other writers, I thought I would share a few ideas on how to combat writer's block.

     This first idea, I actually tried, just because it seemed a fun thing to do. I was listening to a webinar the other day as I was cooking dinner. I stopped chopping the carrots when they got to the 'free stuff'. I didn't want to miss out. One of the things I saw was a website that helped bloggers who didn't know what to write.

1.   http://buildbookbuzz.com/cool-tool-hubspots-blog-topic-generator 

     This handy dandy cool tool is called HubSpot's Blog Topic generator. It doesn't do the writing for you, but it sure does help you think of ideas. I am all in for fun things, too. What you do is you enter three nouns and then they randomly find ideas for you to write about, including tentative titles. How neat is that? Has anyone seen this or tried it before? Check it out. You never know.

2.  http://www.daydreamingonpaper.com/random.html

     Then I came across this Daydreaming on Paper site. It's interesting, too, and provides inspiration at the press of a button. It asks you questions and then makes you think.

3.  http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/

    This website is a neat prompt when you are totally out of ideas. I use it with my writer's group for homework sometimes. You pick a random number and then press it for the prompt.  Sometimes you can even get inspiration for blog posts. Our group loves it and it plays like a game.

4. http://www.plinky.com/

     Plinky is a straightforward site that offers you thought-provoking questions/comments/prompts. Often it asks you about an emotion and how something made you feel and so on. Plinky's tagline is 'You have answers, we have questions!'  Give it a try and see if it stirs your muse.

Check these out if you are having troubles figuring out what to write. Check them out for fun, too, even if you are like me with a plethora of ideas begging to be written into a story.

Remember that writer's block can be an opportunity to be still and listen to what God has planned; a time to refuel and rethink. (Being still and listening is always a good thing whether one has writer's block or not, too.) But when those deadlines beg and time ticks on, then sometimes we need a little inspiration.

Be Still and Know that I am God. Psalm 46:10




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Glynis lives, loves, laughs and does an awful lot of reading, writing, publishing and praying in her home office. Her latest childrenbook - Hopeful Homer - offers hope and encouragement to anyone who might find herself in 'the pit'. 

Check out Glynis's bookstore here