Doing What You Don't Want to Do

The Apostle Paul said, famously, and this is my paraphrase, "I do what I don't want to do, and I don't do what I want to do."

The Writers Life is chock-a-block full of examples of this lament.

Take me, for example.

I don't blog.

I know, you're reading this on a blog, and you're thinking, "She doesn't know what it means to blog, obviously."

Allow me to repeat myself -- I don't blog. I don't sign up to blog. I don't read other people's blogs. I don't follow blogs. I don't friend blogs.

And yet here I am, doing as I have done since January 2009 (Yes, I went back and checked), something I don't want to do.

You might ask how that came about. Well, I missed a meeting. And got volun-told to blog.

Rule #1: Don't miss a meeting. Missing meetings might get you doing something you don't want to do, or you might miss out on doing something you really want to do.

And that leads me into Rule #2: Do what you don't want to do because it's not all about you. Sometimes your decision to participate is about others. See, this blog thing wasn't about fulfilling some desire in my heart to have millions of people read what I write. This blog was about being part of something bigger than myself, and being able to contribute to that.

And, like I said earlier, writing is about doing what you don't want to do.

I know people who say they are writers who never write; they just talk about writing. Maybe they get caught up in the research, or the outlining, or the plotting, or reading books on writing, or going to writers conferences. But they never actually start a story. Some of that is fear, some of it is a reluctance to put aside other activities and distractions, some is a lack of support or a lack of community.

Which brings me to Rule #3: If you are a writer, set a goal to write more than a list of books to get at the library or a schedule of conferences to attend this year. Write something that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. A story of some kind.

Rule #4: Find a community. Yes, that means join a writers group, find a critique group, join a book club -- anything that will bring you into a bunch of like-minded people who get you when you say you hear voices in your head.

Many people who write seem reluctant to join into a community of writers. Maybe the reasons are the same as above: fear, busyness, feeling like they're on the outside looking in. The only way to overcome fear is to jump in. The only way to overcome busyness is to make a date with yourself. The only way to not feel like you're on the outside is to join.

One of my characters says about herself: You don't join because you feel you don't belong, and you don't belong because you don't join.

This month, as you read these blogs about Milestones, consider what leaps of faith you need to make in your own writing --
Do you need to join?
Do you need to meet?
Do you need to write?

And if the answer to any of these questions is Yes, then make your mark on your writing path and join, meet, and write. You'll be glad you did, and so will all the others in your group.

Lazy Hazy Days of Summer

Finally it seems summer has arrived in Colorado. Although we still have those "scattered" thunder showers most every afternoon, at least it isn't raining all day every day like it was in June.

And with the warmer weather comes the desire to seek out summertime activities. Swimming, hiking, camping, sipping iced tea in a hammock, reading under a shade tree, working in your garden.

Almost anything except writing.

Because after all, writing is primarily an indoor activity, and who wants to waste all this wonderful sunshine by staying indoors?

MereditH Efken, our speaker at HIS Writers in North Denver on Monday past spoke about Overcoming Creative Block. And one of the things she talked about was changing your surroundings to stimulate the right side of your brain to come up with things to write about.

My thought is a good way to do that would be to take my writing outside. I have a great deck with a topper on it. I could sit in relative comfort, sip my iced tea, enjoy my garden, and still write on my laptop or Alphasmart word processor.

Or, I could go to a park, take a pad of paper and pencil, and brainstorm ideas for my current project or a whole new series or something completely different, all the while enjoying the sounds of kids playing on the swings, while I sit under a shade tree.

Here's another idea -- I could go sit by a swimming pool, under an umbrella, and watch people go by, listen to their conversations, and make notes for future characters.

As a writer, I cannot afford to look for reasons to take the summer off from writing. As a Christian writer, I cannot afford to ask God to please not bother me while I enjoy myself. I am called to write, and write I must.

Of course, there's nothing in the Bible that says I can't do it under a shade tree, sipping an iced tea.

Just Do It!

I have recently been struggling with a physical ailment many writers have endured. As a result, I was wearing a wrist brace, and using hot and cold packs on my right hand (I am right handed). For anyone who has ever hurt their hand, even the simplest tasks become monumental. Cooking, cleaning, even getting dressed or going potty become nightmares.

And still I stood on faith in God's healing ability and desire, and instead of naming this infirmity, I called it Healed. When ever someone tried to give it a different name, I refused to accept it, and said, "You call it what you want, I'm calling it Healed."

This went on for several weeks. And then just this past week, the Lord said to me, "If you are calling it Healed, act like it's healed."

Off came the brace, no more packs, and -- why should I have expected anything different? -- it has been getting better. I am using my hand, there is minimal pain, and God took me down a completely different path of faith.

So, what does this have to do with writing?

Last night, the Lord spoke to me again, this time about my writing. He told me to act like I'm a writer.

Maybe that sounds like a no-brainer, but really, admit it, we have all fallen into the trap of calling ourselves something we aren't doing. The thing is, a writer writes.

And I haven't been doing much writing lately.

I have thought about writing.
I have written about writing.
I have critiqued others' work.
I have submitted my work for critique.
I have printed off returned critiques.
I have made some revisions based on those critiques.
I have brainstormed with others on their projects.
I have researched conferences -- oh, I love conferences and I love research!
I have read books on writing -- I love to read.
I even sent out a query to an agent.

But I have not written ten new words on my latest project in about two weeks.

So today I committed to another writing friend to have at least 2000 words written by Monday on my project. And I will report on my progress on Monday to that friend.

I encourage you to think about your calling as a writer. I know God has called me to write. I know He has plans for my books. I know He has put me in a group of like-minded writers for support and encouragement. And that encouragement sometimes includes a kick in the butt to get going again.

Today, let's commit to do what we are, to act out the part of what we are, to respond to God's calling in our lives -- TODAY I WRITE!

How about you????