Whether you’re able-bodied, disabled, or experiencing one of life’s many storms, every writer needs a strategy to stay focused. (Click-to-Tweet)
Hello, writers! My name is Yvonne Weers and I’ve had my share of setbacks over the years. In fact, the longer I’m involved in this business, the more people I meet who struggle with health issues, are caregivers, or have full-time jobs that prevent them from writing as much as they’d like.
Rather than feeling defeated over something we cannot control, why not set ourselves up for success with a healthy perspective and a few strategies when life interferes?
Here are two things that help me move forward:
Focus on God, not other writers. It’s hard watching friends publish multiple books when it takes eons to finish a novel. I totally get it, as I’ve struggled with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Lyme Disease, and thyroid issues for more than forty years. All that to say, I don’t have as much energy as most people and sometimes I feel left behind.
Trust God’s timing. During moments like these, it helps when I remember that God made me unique, set aside for a specific purpose. So, it makes sense to keep my eyes trained on God, as He has my best interest at heart. And if this is true, then it only makes sense that his timing is perfect.
We hear a lot about God’s timing in this industry, but it can be especially devastating to someone who’s disabled, plugging along like the proverbial tortoise, while everyone around you runs like the hare.
In my experience, trying to force things in my own timing only leads to frustration, further setbacks and exhaustion. I take comfort in knowing that God only asks me to run the race He has set before me, as the Apostle Paul suggests in Hebrews 12:1 (KJV):
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us…”
So, how do we run with endurance without ending up exhausted, discouraged, or feeling inadequate?
Over the years, I’ve adopted four strategies that help me pick up where I’ve left off when life gets in the way. (Click-to-Tweet)
1. The Bullet Point Method. I’ve found this to be invaluable for capturing plot points when I’m unable to concentrate. It enables me to jot down ideas as they spring to mind and I can rearrange them later in chronological order. This “shoot-from-the-hip” method of brainstorming gives me permission to be messy, which helps me think outside the box.
2. Create Detailed Character Sketches. If life takes you out of sync, it’s helpful to have character sketches to remember backstories, goals, conflicts and motivations. That way, the character’s arc is fresh in your mind whenever you’re able to get back to work.
3. Exercise Your Creative Muse. If you’re having trouble concentrating on a long-term project, try writing short stories for a while. It helps tighten your prose and you can even submit them to magazines or self-publish a collection.
4. Celebrate the Victories. It’s important to acknowledge each accomplishment no matter how small. Even if it’s just having coffee with a friend or buying yourself a bouquet of flowers. Why not? You’re totally worth it!
Today, I’m honored to share a little victory of my own, a collection of short romances I’d written during one of life’s many setbacks. Short & Sweet: 10-Minute Romances to Warm Your Heart, is an anthology of short stories by Kadee McDonald, Bonny Dahlsrud, Beth Boyden, and yours truly, Yvonne Weers.
I hope I’ve inspired you today to never give up on your dream when life interferes.
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Short & Sweet: 10-Minute Romances to Warm Your Heart by Kadee McDonald, Bonny Dahlsrud, Beth Boyden, and Yvonne Weers.
Short & Sweet: 10-Minute Romances to Warm Your Heart
Do you love reading sweet romance, but can never find the time for a nice long novel or even a shorter novella? This volume of 20 love stories from four talented authors is the answer! Read one (or more!) at lunch, on a coffee break, while riding the bus to work, or even while waiting for an appointment at the doctor’s office. A matchmaking grandma hopes to knit two hearts into one. A guy meets his dream girl on a commuter train, but a misunderstanding causes a sticky situation. Mistaken identity at a library leads to a new romance. And a meeting of The Red Hat Society brings two sweethearts back together after time and distance have kept them apart. Settle back and savor these short, sweet romances guaranteed to warm your heart.
Author Bio:
Yvonne Weers is a California transplant living in rural Nebraska with her husband of 33 years. Together they have two adult children, a daughter-in-law, and three crazy doodle dogs. She spent childhood summers lounging on beaches, riding horses, and has lived in South Africa and Taiwan.
Yvonne loves to connect with friends and readers via Facebook and Twitter. Follow her on Amazon at: Author Yvonne Weers.
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SHARING IS CARING
How to keep writing when setbacks happen. Four strategies to adopt!
Frustrated with your writing journey? Feel like the tortoise when others run like the hare? Set yourself up for success with these four strategies.
MORE GOOD STUFF
Thinking Beyond the Bad to Focus on the Good
Know a glass half-empty or a bone-dry thinker? It’s time to move beyond that!
via Julia Kay
When writer’s block and exhaustion threaten, is it still possible to get words on a page? This author shares her secret.
Original Image Credit: Kevin Yang/Unsplash
During life’s storms, what methods do YOU use to stay focused?
Can you think of a personal victory that encouraged you to keep going?
How has timing played a role in your writing journey or a goal you’ve pursued?
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Thanks so much for joining us today, friend!
I loved Yvonne’s strategies for dealing with life’s storms. It makes a world of difference when we have a workable plan and we execute it! Thank you, Yvonne, for sharing.
Now, as I enter the last leg of my blogging sabbatical, I wanted to offer a hearty round of applause to my blog guests of the last several months. Each blogger has contributed a unique perspective about the writing journey and I hope their insights have encouraged you.
I have several guests scheduled through early fall, and then I’ll be back at the blogging helm offering my heartfelt, homespun wit, wisdom, and charm. 😉 Until then, in addition to my guests, I’ll sprinkle in a few of my own blog posts, too, so be sure and check in!
I hope you’ll join the conversation over at my Facebook group where we’re all abuzz about good things—one of which is Her Hope Discovered, my January 2019 début novel! And for even more goodies, please sign up for my monthly e-newsletters. This month, we dished up another round of encouragement and I shared some fun shots from a recent day trip to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. What a cool place! (Totally free.)
See you back next week!
Much Love and Many Blessings,
Comments 18
Great post, Yvonne – and perfect timing for me. Just what I needed to read today. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Laura! I’m so glad it was helpful to you. Thanks for stopping by today.
Yvonne, thank you! Your strategies are great! Though my current slow writing period is not caused by health issues, I do get frustrated with my slow progress. I will use your ideas, such as turning to short stories.
I cling to the knowledge of God’s perfect timing. During this season of writing only a few words, I focus on the gift of connecting with others who share the desire to craft words for His glory.
Thank you, Cynthia and Yvonne for the encouragement! Blessings!
Yvonne, you are such an inspiration to me! We all need the reminder to focus on God and what plans He has for us. And I believe that most of the time, it’s only our perspective which makes it seem like others are racing along like hares and we’re the tortoise. 🙂 As a wise woman once told us, “what you see on social media is the other person’s highlight reel”!
Everyone once in awhile it pays to sit back and review our own highlight reels.
Have a wonderful day!
You’re so welcome, Sherida! I think whether we’re weathering one of life’s storms or just enjoying a new season in life, we’re always adding new experiences that make our content richer.
God endowed us with the desire to write, but sometimes writing involves quiet observation of what He has to teach us, so we can share it with others.
There’s no question that finding a like-minded group of writers helps encourage and lift us up. God is a relational being and we’re made in His image. As we connect with others, we sense His pleasure and presence among us. He’s not concerned with how fast or slow our progress is, only that we’re focused on Him.
Enjoy this season of life! And keep sharing pictures of all your adventures. You’re inspiring us, as well.
Good morning, Laurie!
I love what you shared about our highlight reels! That’s so true. We tend to compare ourselves with others when they’re puttingtheir best foot forward. But the truth is, we don’t really know what that person might be going through behind the scenes.
Our job is to run the race that God gave us to the best of our ability. We’re only accountable to Him. How comforting it is to know that God is for us and not against us.
Thanks for sharing today, Laurie. You’re such an inspiration to me.
Wonderful post, Yvonne! You are not only wise but a true inspiration.
We can all use your helpful reminders on this journey, no matter where we are or what we may be dealing with at the moment.
I can certainly attest to God’s perfect timing! 🙂 It seemed years were going by as I attended writers’ conferences, worked on my writing, and even received encouraging feedback – – yet remained unpublished. Now looking back, I see clearly that during those years I had other major events going on (including 2 daughters’ weddings and 4 back/spinal surgeries) and could not have handled being under a writing contract! Yes, His timing is certainly perfect, and we must trust. 🙂
Thank you again for sharing this with us, and I’m looking forward to reading more of your writing in the future. (I have a copy of the ten-minute romances and love it!). 🙂
Hugs, Patti Jo
Hi Patti Jo!
So good to see you today! Isn’t it amazing to see God’s hand and infinite wisdom in the course of our lives? I sincerely hope and pray you won’t need anymore surgeries! I feel the same way about God’s timing in my career. I’m so excited for your sale this year and feel honored to have celebrated it with you. Thank you for the kind words on my latest release. I can’t wait to read your too!
Yvonne, thank you for your tips on moving forward. Focusing on other writers really saps energy away from one’s own writing. And thanks for the reminders about how you’ve applied moving forward and moving at your own pace to your writing. Thanks for the tips.
You’re welcome, Tanya! I agree, there are so many things that can sap energy away from what really matters. Thank you for stopping by today.
What an inspiring blog post, Yvonne! It was a pleasure to read.
Oh, thank you, Betty! That means so much to me, coming from my very first writing teacher, mentor, and critique partner. You’ve been my inspiration for many years. You’re a treasure to me. Thanks for stopping by the blog!
This is a shout out and thank you to the wonderfully talented Cynthia Herron for inviting me to blog today. “Thank you, Cynthia!” I love the graphic you choose with the lighthouse and your kind words of inspiration. I can’t wait to get my hands on your debut novel! A sale well deserved!
You’re so kind, my friend. Thanks for visiting with us today!
Your encouragement is a blessing!
Such golden words rolling off that keyboard. This is a keeper post for sure. Yvonne, I really loved Short and Sweet. What great stories, cute ideas and lovable characters. I agree – short stories can be therapy for when the long and winding path through that novel leaves us burned out and exhausted.
Ah, thanks for your encouragement, Cindy. I’m glad you liked my short stories. They were so much fun to write I feel refreshed and ready to tackle my novels again. So glad to see you here, my friend.
Yvonne, thanks for the reminder to focus on God and not others. It’s so easy to get my priorities in a jumble in this crazy business.
I think it’s human nature to compare ourselves to others. We all have unique voices and callings. I love the analogy the apostle Paul gave that we all have a different function in the Kingdom, yet we’re one body in Christ.