Writer, how are you doing?

Fierce writer,

Have you felt stifled lately? Are there days when you feel stuck? Are you trying to be creative, but the blank page is not only intimidating, but it’s actually screaming at you before you can even get a word in?

Does your pen keep running dry? Is your pencil feeling dull? Are you tired?

It’s okay.

I was talking with my friend Hannah this week. She had just gotten done hosting a conference about financial freedom, and she said something that really stuck with me that one of the speakers shared.

She said, “money is attracted, not pursued.”

As she and I unwrapped this quote, we realized it could be applied to our writing journey as well.

Writing, creativity, ideas and stories…. They are attracted, not necessarily pursued.

I love this because it takes the striving out. It allows me to take the pressure off and “just be.” It allows me to BE a writer, to BE creative, to let it all come to me. I’m not pursuing it so forcefully. It’s more of an exploration. I’m lifting the veil… I’m waiting and ready to put words and ideas to paper when they come.

One thing that I believe stifles us and creates what we like to call “writer’s block” is the straining stretch of striving.

When we are striving before we’ve processed. When we are striving before we’ve gathered enough information. When we are striving for the words, it’s like we’re forcing them too quickly. Writing takes processing and time. Creativity needs space to breathe.

It’s the same idea that music is defined and displayed by the silence in between the notes. I would argue this same margin is necessary in creativity and writing. It needs space. Ideas need boundaries of silence around them. Writing needs life and ideas to support and build it. Words need space to build off of each other.

If you’re feeling stifled. If you feel stuck. If you’re tired. Let the words breathe. Let your ideas float. Give your mind rest. Release your grip.

Meditate.
Rest.
Pray.

Breathe so your words can breathe. Research so the ideas can gather. Let them gather. Let the story form, and then write like your life depends on catching every single detail. Like unraveling and then a collection. It will come. 

You’re doing good. Let it come. Let it be what it is. Let it be beautiful.