By the third quarter, half our guests were packing up their nacho fixings. Did you watch the Superbowl last night? What a game! But if you were a Chiefs fan, you might have struggled with the urge to turn the channel to the puppy bowl, not wanting to watch the defeat of your beloved team.

Good thing you didn’t.

Both teams deserved to win, but the Chief’s managed to rise to the top during the 4^th quarter and come back from a double-digit deficit to win the game. People put down their nachos.

But it was the words after the game, spoken by QB Mahones and Coach Reid that really struck me.

“We had to keep the faith.”

Mahones said in an early interview that coach Reid told him, when he was struggling to complete his passes…keep your eyes open and keep throwing. You’re a good QB. Just do what you know how to do, and keep the faith.

Powerful. Just keep doing what you know how to do. And Keep the Faith.

What does that mean, exactly?

As a writer who’s experienced the 3^rd quarter slump—you know the one where you’re on chapter 11 or 12 and you are simply…lost. What is this story about? Have you veered too far off track? Do you even have what it takes not just to finish but write a story people will want to read?

I’m tellin’ ya, this happens to me more often than I care to admit. And when it does, these are the three thoughts that keep me on track:

• Have faith in your story. If you have worked out the Story Equation—figured out your characters and the plot and it resonated with you when you told yourself the story, then follow your plan. You might just be stuck in the weeds, and can’t see the other side. Keep hacking through that jungle of story-crafting creativity, believing you’re on track. You can always go back and fix it after you’ve made it through to the other side.
• Have faith in your creativity. (And if you’re a person of faith—in the God who gave you that creativity!) You write because you’re creative. It’ll come to you—just keep seeking. Or praying. Or worshiping. Or filling yourself up with scripture. Read a good book; watch a good show. Your muse will show up if you go hunting for it.
• Have faith in your calling. You’re a writer. You got into this mess because you love to write, because the story won’t let you go, and if you give up, the desire to write won’t go away. So, if you’re called to this, then have faith that if you just keep writing, eventually the story will turn itself out. You only fail if you quit. You didn’t see Mahones laying down on the field eating chips and watching reruns of Outlander, did you?

Listen, I get it. I myself am a little stuck on a scene right now. But I’m going to sit down and start writing. What does my character want right now? Why? What stands in her way? And, what’s at stake? Easy questions, and I know the story is in there. If I keep the faith, eventually, I’ll find it.

Your story matters. Keep the faith and go, write something brilliant!

Susie May

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