Just Do It - Lorrie Orr

 

Anne of Green Gables' bedroom - Cavendish, Prince Edward Island

Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables and numerous other novels battled depression, ill health, loneliness, her husband's mental illness, along with the challenges of being a minister's wife and a mother. She fought self-doubt and fear, and yet, she wrote and wrote, sending stories and novels to publishers who often rejected them. Anne of Green Gables was rejected numerous times before finding a willing publisher. 

Montgomery exemplifies the 1988 advertising campaign Just Do It that lifted Nike's image around the globe for many years. She wrote in spite of, and because of her circumstances. 

Just Do It is something we writers must tell ourselves. Having others tell us to sit down and write can cause resistance. Using the words to challenge and motivate ourselves has a different effect. I acknowledge that there are things holding me back from writing - often self-doubt and questioning my ability. Taking the time to analyze why I am reluctant to write and then releasing them to my loving Lord frees me to tell myself to get on to the job at hand. 

Elisabeth Elliot used similar words to encourage herself and others through uncertain, anxious times. She quoted part of an old poem, 

Do the next thing

Do it immediately

Do it with prayer

Do it reliantly, casting all care;

Do it with reverence, tracing Christ's hand

Who placed it before you with earnest command.

I pray that each of us will do the work of writing God has called us to. He is ever faithful in his love and encouragement. We must fulfill his call upon hearts. 

Lorrie Orr writes from Vancouver Island. She is glad to be home again after an 11-week road trip from her island in the west to the island of Newfoundland in the east. Doing the next thing currently involves getting back into a routine with writing - easier said than done.

Just Write - Again! Tracy Krauss

 Just write. I know it's already been used, but I just had to use it again! 

This was the phrase I chose one year as my motivation to help keep me on track. The message is so simple, yet so very profound. 

At times authors need a little shot of writerly adrenaline – a way to rediscover the wonder of writing. The admonition to ‘just write’ might be the simplest and best way to do that. Be it rants, prayers, observations, or actual story ideas; in a journal, blog, on a fancy software program, or even on a napkin, there is something about transferring words from one’s brain into written form that stirs the creative juices and inspires the soul.  All the prompts, ‘how-to’ books, and motivational gimmicks still depend on ACTION.  It’s the difference between thinking about something and actually doing it. 

Establishing good habits takes willpower and discipline. Setting daily word counts or scheduling uninterrupted writing times are just a couple of ways to make sure writing becomes a habit. It has been my experience that forcing myself to start on a writing project is often all I need to ‘feel’ inspired again.

For those of us who love to journal, writing daily is a no-brainer. Whether we call it ‘morning pages’, journaling, or prayer writing, it amounts to the same thing – a way to process thoughts, express emotions, or generate ideas. Later, my own words, sometimes written in haste, have provided fertile seeds for more words - the law of multiplication at its most basic level. 

It’s why the advice to ‘just write’ remains so powerful, despite its simplicity. Set aside time for writing – with or without deadlines. Nothing else will help to recapture the joy of putting words to paper like actually doing it. 

Tracy Krauss is a long-time member of inScribe who loves to write from her home in northern BC. As the current BC rep and the new acquisitions editor for FellowScript, reach out! Visit her website for more: fiction on the edge without crossing the line. tracykrauss.com