I sat down to write with the wind blowing my pad of paper up into the air. I came with determination to get writing done. It wasn’t long before I started to feel distraction come in. To name a few, it was the bugs, noises of someone using a weed wacker, or someone stopping by to say hello. I thought I had managed to get to a spot where I wouldn’t be bothered. Just getting to that spot alone was a chore. Delays, the kids needed something, a phone call, did I get this done, oh wait I forgot to eat something, and the list could go on.
I finally brought my writing things to the table, sat down and put my head up into the air. I thought for a minute about all the things that continued to distract me. When all was said and done was some of this really my choice? Could I avoid these conflicts somehow? How often do we wish to get to a task, or say we are finally going to cross this or that off our list for once and for all, to find ourselves frustrated that it’s just not happening the way we wish? It’s something to give thought to.
As a writer, where exactly is the right or ‘write’ place to write? When exactly is the right or ‘write’ time to ‘write?’ Sure we could write anyplace. It’s as easy as bringing a pen and paper, or device that we can write on, right? Or is it that simple? I think it’s important to identify specific places that seem to work best for our writing. At the same time, allow flexibility that maybe other places might be feasible to get some writing done as well. Maybe a lot of it comes to mindset. Perhaps maybe the ‘write’ mindset.
If you’re anything like me, you get a great idea and say “I’ll get to this later.” Then you think about it later and that thought never was written down. How do we prevent this? If you’re writing a poem – then maybe 2 sets. If you’re writing a song – maybe a verse per day. If you’re writing a book – maybe it’s about what is your word total goal for the day, week, or month? If you’re writing a script – how many pages in a certain time frame? Maybe you just want to write a to do list and can’t seem to find time to sit down. You need the ‘write’ mindset to set a time and place to do it.
Give yourself some time. Today I write from ___ to ___. Find and identify your ‘write’ places. You must also identify your ‘write’ times. Put it on your calendar as ‘write time.’ We are all unique in that another person is never going to come up with the exact same time ideas as you. Nor will what works in our life, work exactly that same as it would for even our very best friend. This might require trying out places too. When we buy new clothes we sometimes need to try them on in the dressing room to see if they are the right fit, style, and then look at the price. The correct writing time and place are sort of like the fit! We may need to try different options on.
As I sat down at that table and stopped allowing the distractions to affect my ‘writing’ time, I just began to refocus my thinking. In the first photo above, you can get an idea of my surroundings. The sun was shining almost perfectly. The wind was blowing the trees to set a nice breeze into the air. The temperature couldn’t have been more perfect. I saw a flag that I hadn’t ever realized was at the campsite. The water was flowing so peacefully. I could hear the quietness of the day, despite all the things that might have been going on. I made it an intentional thing to listen, to look, and to get my focus on the view of what was around me that I don’t usually see. I could be at camp fifty times in a season and not realize what things look like close up, or from a different view. I saw the deck at the pond. I never realized what the colors of the boat was, nor what it said on it. Did this really matter? I believe it did, and does matter.
For me as a writer, that day at the camp pond sitting on the bench I thought of a new concept. It is more than time or place, but what was my ‘write’ reason? If you have a calling to, or a gifting for writing, you may struggle with this concept. I asked myself to identify the ‘why’ of my writing, then a whole lot of reasoning started to come into view. Just like those little things I began to see which I hadn’t paid attention to, all of as sudden the complexity of my reason for writing came to surface. Most importantly, finding my ‘write’ time has now become imperative to the success in my craft. It’s not an option!
A writer has something greater inside of them that needs to be heard on paper. There is a creation waiting to be released. Every piece of writing creates something new. Something within that piece of writing can make an impact in the writers life, as well as the lives of others. Writing forces thoughts to get out of your mind and into a different form of existence. Writing is a sense of sharing, giving, and being generous of not withholding something just for yourself.
So many thoughts were coming to my mind when I found myself staring into space. As I looked down there were some weeds in the pond in my view from the table. In my stare, and concentrated effort I soon noticed some beautiful dragonflies. There were so many I couldn’t count them all. If you look at the image you can see the weeds, then over to the left there’s several dragonflies in the air. They fly around so fast that it’s hard to capture them! They are a beautiful creature. They take this ugly image of weeds, and make this photo so much more meaningful.
Too often we focus on the weeds or ugly things in our lives, that we miss the beauty of the things nearby. If you just looked at this photo you probably wouldn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until I mentioned the dragonflies that one would probably consider what I was speaking about. Pointing out even one small thing can change the perspective by deepening the whole meaning. It is the job of the writer to point the reader or viewer to the deeper meaning.
An artist that paints creates something that can be captured by the eye. A writer creates something that is captured by the eyes as well, be it in the form of a reading (book, magazine, internet, etc.). It could be something that ends up being filmed and then later watched on a screen in some way, shape, or form. It then goes into the mind, and often drips down into the heart. Writers are among us. Have we ever stopped to think about how someone (a writer) wrote everything we read? Someone also wrote everything we view. Someone wrote the songs we listen to. Without those writers we wouldn’t have our favorite verses or books of the bible, songs, television shows, books, movies, News media, commercials, instruction manuals, and countless other things that we need and love creatively and commutatively. Writers make an impact. Writer’s are needed. Writers have a reason to be!
You may struggle with wondering if your idea is good enough, or important enough. Just like there are various genres of books. Writers all over have different purposes in their work. Some have multi purpose writing abilities. We all have favorite styles of music, drinks, scents, detergents, air fresheners, or brands for cars/clothes/etc. If you are a reader, you may like a variety of styles. We can’t count ourselves out just because ‘everyone’ doesn’t see us at their favorite! Someone might be searching for exactly what is said through you, while someone else might stumble on it by accident. What’s important is to have it available for whatever reason that might be!
Like those dragonflies, ideas in a writer’s mind can come and go so quickly or often that it’s hard to capture them all. This can pertain to any writer no matter what you write! Use your phone and text yourself if you need to (without a pad of paper available). Keep paper and pen in your purse or car. Set yourself up for your ‘write’ organizing! Organize your ideas. Really look at what you’ve written down. Stop seeing the weeds, and start to focus on those ‘dragonflies’ of ideas that serve a bigger purpose in the scenery of life! Your poem might be what helps someone through something they thought no one could understand. That character in your book or screenplay might be so unique that their story is so relatable to someone that just specifically needed that story. That devotional topic or blogpost might be just enough to help someone have a great start to their day, or an wonderous ending to a bad one.
Your writing is meant to impact a specific audience. It may be small, or widespread. Don’t let that stop you. Get it written down. Get it written down. Yes I meant to repeat myself, get it written down! Your audience alone is enough reason to get it done. They may be waiting for exactly what you have to say. Know how big or little your words, that we must not allow the people who are meant to read what you have to say miss out due to any reason, doubt, or distraction. Remember your ‘write’ purpose!
I can see myself with a book coming from this blog down the road…so stay tuned! I have some other projects I’m working on first.
Bonus on my blog: If you are a Christian writer think of it as this; God protects what he gives to his writer’s. When you pray, devote to, and allow him to give you the insight for your writing, he wraps it in his protection. Everything inside of it is like the inside of a burrito. The substance is rich and flavorful in taste. Your writing is then used as a deliverable in the lives of others. It is produced out of something within you. It requires you to do the work that God has provided you with his ability to do. It provides something tangible that people can chew on, then digest, and later can produce something fruitful in their lives. All of this because you were obedient to his call as a writer to be used for his purposes and make a difference for him. Remember God has a ‘write’ purpose for you, for this time in this world!