Overcoming Resistance by Steph Beth Nickel

 

I first came across the idea of resistance as it pertains to our writing in Steven Pressfield's book The War of Art.

If writing is a regular part of your routine—and you've overcome the resistance that threatened to keep you from putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, at least for the most part—you may not be able to relate to this post. And that's awesome!

However, if you, like me, are still dealing with resistance, read on. 

I can come up with any number of excuses for not working on my long-neglected manuscripts. Maybe you can relate.

My clients' work has to be my priority, as do my volunteer responsibilities.

I have an excess of "starting energy." But pushing through "the messy middle"? That's a different story.

Do I really want to finish my manuscript(s) and revise it/them two, three, or more times?

Do I have what it takes to learn to self-publish?

Would it be worth the financial investment to get my books out into the world?

Since I've planned to self-publish one or more books annually for several years but have never done so, maybe I should simply give up on my publishing aspirations completely.

And seriously . . . does the world really need the books I have chasing each other around in my mind?

It's so much easier to work on short pieces like blog posts and articles.

I have errands to run and housework to tend to.

I have so many books TO READ (and podcasts to listen to).

And, to be perfectly honest . . .

I think I'll just lie here on the couch and scroll on my phone, pausing long enough to watch a series of mindless reels, another YouTube video, or a full-length TV show.

Talk about resistance!

Whenever we encounter resistance as writers, we have to be honest with ourselves, acknowledge that much of the time we're simply making excuses, and develop a detailed plan to overcome.

So, here are a couple of steps I'm going to take: 

Before needs to become one of my new favourite words. Before I lie back on the couch and pick up my phone on any given day, I will work on my manuscript—if even for 15-30 minutes.

I will schedule actual timeslots into my week for writing and others for researching self-publishing. I am not only a pantser when it comes to writing but also when it comes to life. I vehemently resist a rigid schedule. And while a certain amount of flexibility can be a very good thing, some things have to be done at a specific time on a specific day or they will remain undone. At least that's how it is in my world.

I'd love to hear what you do to overcome resistance.

Run with the Bison by Joylene M Bailey

 

Between stimulus and response is our greatest power - the freedom to choose.

- Stephen Covey -

At the time of this posting it will be exactly two weeks since our 10-year-old grandson was rushed into emergency brain surgery. A CT scan showed that what they had been treating as a migraine was actually a 3 X 5 cm abscess in his brain caused by severe sinusitis.

Needless to say, it's been a shocking and traumatic time for our family, not to mention the courage it has required from our grandson.

During his recovery, he and his mom have been talking about the difference between cows and bison. When a storm is coming, cows will turn away from the storm and run. The storm will eventually overtake them, and they'll be in the storm for longer because they're running with it. Bison, however, will turn towards an oncoming storm and run into it. They still go through the storm, but their time within it is much shorter.

This is such a great picture of courage, and I've been thinking about it a lot as I go through these days. It's a good anecdote to remember for all aspects of life, whenever we are facing difficult circumstances.

I wonder if you might be facing a writing challenge, or even something God has been nudging you to write that you'd prefer to run away from. It's too hard, possibly it's a controversial or unpopular topic, or something else that requires a lot of courage.

Take a moment to consider your response. Do you want to be a cow or a bison? I encourage you to turn towards this challenge, and even to run into it. If God brought it to you, He'll give you the courage of a bison.

******

Feature photo by Unsplash

  In this photo our grandson, Deklan, is holding a stuffed bison his mom found in the hospital gift shop. He named it Courage. If you think of it, please pray for his recovery. Through many prayers and the grace of God, he's come a long way, but he still has a long way to go. 

R is For Razzle-Dazzle by Bob Jones

Some people use up words, and some people make up words.

 

Think of the words okeydoke, fuddy-duddy, super-duper, roly-poly, fiddle-faddle, and my mother’s favourite, dillydally. “No dillydallying! We’ve got things to do.” You’ve most likely heard them or used them at some time, but somebody made up those words from their imagination.

 

RAZZLE-DAZZLE

Take the word razzle-dazzle. If you follow the NHL and the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I guarantee you’ll hear that expression sometime over the seven-game series on a did-you-see-that goal scored by Connor McDavid. The word means “a complex maneuver designed to confuse an opponent” or “brilliance”.

Razzle-dazzle has been in use since the late 1880s as a descriptor of a scarf with a disjointed pattern. During WWI, Allied ships were painted in bright zig-zig patterns to confuse German U-boats. The term was even good enough for kids because when I was one in the early 60s, there was a daily CBC TV program called Razzle Dazzle. Did you watch it?

CHICAGO

If you watched the Broadway musical, Chicago, you heard the song “Razzle Dazzle”. The lyrics imagine the impact of the word:

 

Give 'em the old razzle dazzle
Razzle Dazzle 'em
Give 'em an act with lots of flash in it
And the reaction will be passionate
Give 'em the old hocus pocus
Bead and feather 'em
How can they see with sequins in their eyes?

What if your hinges all are rusting?

What if, in fact, you're just disgusting?

Razzle dazzle 'em
And they’ll never catch wise!

 Give 'em the old Razzle Dazzle

Razzle dazzle 'em
Give 'em a show that's so splendiferous

Row after row will crow vociferous

Give 'em the old flim flam flummox
Fool and fracture 'em

How can they hear the truth above the roar?

 

TRUTH

Good question. How can they hear the truth above the roar? The strategy behind propaganda is, the louder a lie is roared, the easier it is to be believed. When I travelled through Ukraine I asked people, “Is it easier to believe a lie or the truth?” Every person answered, a lie.

The R word for June, razzle-dazzle, is a reminder to be on guard against lies in all their forms.

 

Lies told to us.

Lies sold to us.

Lies we tell ourselves about ourselves.

Lies that undermine relationships.

 

The other reminder is in our writing to remember we are truth-tellers.

 

The truth sets people free.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the ultimate truth.

Writers who are followers of Jesus are freedom fighters using truth.

 

There is no need for razzle-dazzle in writing Christian truths. The gospel is brilliance enough.

 

Thank you for writing, reading and commenting.

Restoration is a Beautiful Thing by Brenda Leyland (Guest Post)

 

"He restores my soul."

The Psalmist

It turns out to be a grander word than I initially thought. It's not likely a poet will reach for it first when composing a new poem. Not exactly thrilling to the lyrical ear, it is a good, solid word. I'm talking about the word 'restoration'. There is a kind of hopefulness threading the letters together that conveys well-being because something old and worn can be returned to its former state of beauty and usefulness. Looking at the world around us, it doesn't take long to notice all kinds of things in need of restoration. Our world needs this good, regenerating word. We need its fulfillment in little ways and big ways.

For example, when spring arrived you no doubt hoped—fingers tightly held to your steering wheel—for the restoration of those pothole-infested roadways. Perhaps a peek around the house revealed it was high time to restore order to cluttered closets, cupboards, and desk tops. When I was a girl of four or five, my mother would clean my tiny bedroom. Though I was nervous that she'd toss something I secretly treasured, I vividly remember the thrill of walking into my tidy room—bed made, toys sorted, clothes picked up—and everything felt 'right' in my world. It was once again my happy place in which to play and colour. This probably was my first awakening to how a place restored to order made me feel, although it would be years before I knew, or cared, about the word itself.

I marvel at the patience and creativity of people involved in the restoration of tired old things, including crumbling ancient buildings, forgotten gardens, antiques, worn out toys, vintage clothing, heirloom photos, and classic movies, to name a few. My husband and I enjoy owning antique couches in the Duncan Phyfe style that we bought and had restored years ago when we first married. The woman who restored the pieces learned her craft in England. We watched as she poured her heart and soul into fixing, refinishing, and reupholstering these old couches in fabrics suited to their era. We love using them to this day. I've heard of crafters lovingly restoring heritage quilts to hand down to a new generation, and I recently read of someone who revitalizes discarded, worn-down leather shoes and makes them 'like new'. A family friend sometimes restores old pianos. And then there are the vintage car enthusiasts. It's often fellows, but not always, who take dream cars of their youth—investing time, energy, and grit, not to mention a bit of ready cash, to revitalize those 'babies' to their former glory. What a thrill to catch sight of them on the road, especially if it's a classic Thunderbird or a 1967 red convertible Mustang, although I must admit it's those 1950s cars with their elegant fins that make my heart flutter. Even though I'm not a car buff or a restorer of old objects, I admire and applaud other people's creative workmanship on pieces they treasure.

My heart leaps when I hear about the many restoration and reclamation projects underway around the globe in our natural world, such as the restoration of destroyed wildlife habitats, roadside ditches being reseeded with wildflowers to help the bees, and the reforestation of decimated or burned-out forests. I have admiration for the former First Lady of the United States, Lady Bird Johnson, who was known for her concern for North America's native plants, inspiring conservation and the beautification of one's surroundings, whether they were in wide-open spaces or crowded urban neighbourhoods. As the Creator of all things, we know God has a vested interest in the care and restoration of all his creation. I'm glad for the folks on this planet who share this passion, too.

With hot summer days nearly upon us, what about the restoration of a body tired and thirsty? It's a sweltering, breezeless, summer day and you're tussling weeds entrenched in the garden, wondering why you picked the hottest day of the year for this job. Not only have you worked up rivulets of sweat down your back, but a parched throat as well. Too long without a break, you'll soon be giving your firstborn in exchange for a restorative jug of cool water. It's mind altering, when seconds earlier you thought you'd perish for thirst, and then you feel the reviving, cold water running down your throat. The sigh of satisfaction—and relief—is huge.

It's such a hopeful thing to return a damaged or worn item to its original state, giving it a second chance at life, perhaps reviving it for a future generation to enjoy. Even my niece, Chiante, discovered the great thrill of refurbishing worn out library volumes and textbooks. While a student at Briercrest, she worked part-time in the college's bookbindery—fixing dilapidated spines and covers, cleaning pages, rebinding volumes to once again make them shelf worthy. Fascinated with the craft of restoration and repurposing, she opened her own bookbindery studio, The Bundle Bee Bindery, in the Ottawa area where she now lives and creates.

Of course, I cannot ponder about restoration without thinking about the restoration of health and peace for troubled souls. God himself, as the Great Restorer of the universe, is in the grand, eternal business of repairing souls damaged from living in a world that's tilted sideways. Willingly he begins the slow and careful refurbishing work of making lives beautiful and whole again. What a passion he has. Such tender care he gives his cherished treasures. He even takes our unfulfilled, lost dreams and finds creative ways to restore them to us as something fresh, unexpected, and delightsome. Browsing my Bible, I find favourite references that help me see that God is big into restoration:

- He restores the joy of my salvation (see Psalm 51:12).

- He is a restorer of life and a nourisher of our old age (see Ruth 4:15).

- He restores to us what the locust has eaten (see Joel 2:25).

- He restores to life our mortal body through His Spirit who dwells in us (See Romans 8:11).

- He himself restores us and makes us strong (see 1 Peter 5:10).

Restoration work, regardless of its focus, is a beautiful thing. Thank goodness for the Great Redeemer who continues to carry out his restorative, beautifying work in our world... in our lives. I'm glad for the Lord's invitation to "Come, sit beside quiet waters. Lay down in green pastures. I will give you rest...I will restore your soul" (see Psalm 23:3). Here, in this quiet place we allow his restoration work to begin in us, so we can bring that restoration to the world around us. I think, perhaps, the word is lyrical after all!

Photo credit:

Top Image by Catkin from Pixabay

Inspired by the beauty of God's world, Brenda Leyland writes about life, as she sees it, on her blog at It's Still A Beautiful Life. She enjoys walks in nature and taking pictures of the flowers in her garden. And at this time of year, June's lingering twilights go a long way to restoring her soul.