Persevere Even While Feeling Like a Writing Failure

Feeling like a writing failure?

Perhaps you’re stuck on a scene.

Or your brain can’t find the words.

It could be that you’ve edited a portion of your manuscript, and it’s just not working.

Even worse, you’re thirty-thousand words into a project and your plot hole resembles an ever-growing sinkhole.

Maybe you’ve received another “Thank you but no thank you” rejection from an agent.

Three email rejections from your top three publishers all in one day.

You’re not making progress.

Life is busy.

Life takes every extra ounce of brain power and you’ve got nothing to give your writing.

All of these things have rung true for me and make me feel like a writing failure. How long will it take to reach…wait what was my goal?

And a realization smacks me right across the face. My goal in writing had always been to glorify God with my words. To write clean teen stories to share with other people and point them to the Maker. Have I done that?

All the other stuff are important little steps that can get you a publishing deal. But truth be told, if I don’t achieve the main goal to please God, is it worth getting the big contract? And couldn’t God open whatever door he likes in his timing? That’s happened before in several instances in my life. It’s happened in other critique group members lives. God can open doors in my future and your future too.

So, what do I do about this drab feeling that sucks away my joy.

First, I’m going to pray for joy. I don’t do this enough, and joy can mean the difference between quitting writing forever and remaining steady in my calling.

Second, I’m going to measure my progress by my original goal. Am I edifying God in my process? If the answer is yes, then I am making my goals.

Third, I’m going to choose to have faith that this feeling is going to pass. I’m going to keep going and…dare I say…have fun with my stories again. Enjoy the feel of the words. Play with new story ideas and possibly have fun with other people’s story ideas.

I learned a long time ago when I reached my dream to graduate with my bachelors degree that achieving a goal isn’t the dream. The dream is doing everything for the glory of God with a joyful attitude because we know that God has everything in his hands.

You might roll your eyes or say “I know, I know.” This response can seem like the Sunday school answer, but not helpful when you’re going through a negative spell.

Can I encourage you to search your heart?

Have you been putting your writing career goals ahead of your goals to please God? Have your priorities been getting out of sync? Have you allowed certain thoughts to consume your mind rather than giving them over to God? Have you been allowing your pleasure to come from affirmation from other people rather than God?

I’ve answer all of these with “yes” at some point or another. High quality writing does need to keep the reader in mind and to accept criticism. But if other people become the focus, we will ride the highs and lows of people’s approval. If we let achievement become the focus, even our greatest of achievements won’t be enough.

Keep writing because God has called us to be the light of the world. If we don’t tell our stories bathed with God’s grace, who else will tell them?

Why do you keep writing when you feel like a writing failure?