by CJ Myerly, @mdippedinink
Life is beautiful, crazy, and ridiculously hard. Isn’t that what we often try to convey in our stories? Writing is an emotional endeavor. We develop characters who our readers can relate to and create problems that will take them on their journey toward truth. Often, the lessons our characters learn are lessons we needed to learn as well.
However, sometimes, life gets in the way. Last week, I suffered my third miscarriage in six years. To be honest, I have been too emotionally drained to write.
What do you do when life intervenes, and writing becomes a struggle?
When you’re emotionally drained, take the time to fill up your soul with God’s truth.
Grieve. No matter what troubles you, take the time to grieve. If you need to take a break from writing, do it. I didn’t work on my blog or spend time on my book. I recharged the only way I knew how. I spent days crying on my husband’s shoulder, cuddling with my children, and praying.
Grow. It’s in those moments of tribulation that Satan fills our thoughts with lies that threaten to tear us apart. It’s in those moments when we need to seek truth to find peace. It’s in those moments that God shows nuggets of His truth.
As I struggled to come to grips with my loss, my four-year-old wrapped her arms around my waist and clung tight. “I love you, Mommy,” she said. “Rest, so you feel better.” My two-year-old doused me with soggy kisses that made me laugh. A few minutes later, they ran off, giggling and playing in a sea of toys.
A beautiful reminder of God’ grace.
Learn. A seed of a story blossoms into something beautiful and unexpected, as we write the story God impressed upon us. Through this trial, my understanding of the lie journey deepened. Each character has a lie that they believe that can only be set free by the truth of God. When my third miscarriage happened, lies I thought I had banished cropped up again, and it was only through God’s Word, that I could send them packing. This week I experienced the lie journey in a raw way that will hopefully add depth to my stories.
Write. Writing can be therapeutic. Returning to your story makes life feel a little more normal. It allows you to return to the calling you feel from God. It brings you closer to Christ, which is something you need more than ever in the face of grief.
If it weren’t for the beauty, the craziness, and the difficulties, how could we write a genuine story? I truly believe that God can make beauty out of ashes, and by continuing to write when life is hard, we can share about the only One who has the power to set us free from the lies.
Take the time to grieve, grow, and learn. Then, keep on writing.
CJ Myerly lives in Texas with her husband and two children. She balances her passions of teaching and writing by homeschooling during the day and writing contemporary romance while her family sleeps at night. She hates clutter, loves organization, and has a love-hate relationship with technology. CJ is an active member of the ACFW and My Book Therapy. She was a 2017 Genesis semi-finalist in the contemporary category and a 2017 First Impressions finalist in the romance category. She blogs about books, motherhood, and homeschooling at http://momentsdippedinink.com. To connect with her, find her on Facebook or Twitter.