Write hard and clear about what hurts.
Ernest Hemingway
Writers can get multiple types of glitches, writer’s block probably being the most common.
But this is not that kind of glitch.
The Glitch
Recently, I published an article about singleness. Partly because it’s a topic I’ve been requested to write on, but mostly because my heart was burdened by what needed to come out.
While it was mostly well received, publishing it did something strange, and more than just inducing the did-I-actually-just-publish-that nausea you get right after releasing something dear to your heart for anyone to see. It kind of messed up my week.
Writing it dredged up stuff that I’ve experienced as well as put a lot of me out there. While it is a positive piece and doesn’t go into relationship specifics or anything like that, singleness is a sensitive subject for a lot of people, and sharing those parts of our lives isn’t easy, even when it’s in a positive way.
So what does this have to do with brain glitches? Well, I had scheduled a newsletter to my subscribers that deals with another iffy topic—anxiety and writing—and I just couldn’t send it. My brain had a freak-out glitch and I canceled it the night before.
It’s not that the writing wasn’t ready (although it definitely needs some proofreading;)), but more that I wasn’t ready. There are various kinds of writing glitches. Some are from tiredness, some are from writer’s block, and others are from a reaction to the effects of baring your soul to your audience—which is the hard part about what makes writing so fulfilling, so beautiful, and so impactful.
So friends, here are a few ways to work through this very particular, very difficult type of writing glitch:
1. Keep Speaking Truth
We all have different life experiences. Because of this, each of us has valuable insight and heart to share with others. Don’t think that your message won’t make a difference because it will. And even if it feels like the hardest or easiest or most painful or most fulfilling thing you’ve ever done, you need to share that message. As Ernest Hemingway said so well, “Write hard and clear about what hurts.”
2. Do It When You Can
Just because you feel like you should say something doesn’t mean you have to say it right away. A good message will keep for years if necessary. You may even refine it the longer it’s in there. Think about a marinade or a nicely-aged wine. The longer it waits, the better it tastes.
The same can be true of our writing. Sometimes when we’ve experienced something intense—whether good or bad—we want to talk about it either right away or never, or both. But often we get a clearer picture of it, of how to talk about it, and of how to apply it to our readers, if we give it time.
So while I do want you to keep speaking truth, don’t force yourself to share it until you’re ready. Sharing it might bring reactions (in others and in yourself) that are difficult to deal with. Make sure you’re ready for that, and be okay with taking a break afterward if you need to.
3. Don’t Give Up
No matter how hard it is, don’t give up. Don’t chicken out. Don’t skip writing about what hurts because it’s too painful. People need to know they aren’t alone. Your pain may help them see that. Think of it as giving your pain a greater purpose. Don’t rush, but don’t give up. We want to hear what you have to say, when you’re ready.
4. Use Every Experience
Like this one. I just had a random freak-out glitch and decided I couldn’t send something I was planning to send—literally the night before. And now I’m using that experience to tell you that we all have them, and what to do to work through them. Using our glitches as illustrations shows we learned something from our mistakes that we can share with others. It also shows that we’re human. People always connect with others who prove they are real humans. And no better way to prove we’re real humans than by messing up, right?
In fact, humankind’s exquisite ability to mess up changed history. (Did you know that?) It’s why Jesus had to leave Heaven to come to earth and rescue us. Think about that! Because we messed up God’s plan so thoroughly, God Himself had to intervene, sending His Son to live among us, to minister to us, to sacrifice His life for us, to die for us—to be killed by us. But then He rose again.
Because He was perfect and because His sacrifice for us was perfect, Jesus rose again. And because of all that, we can have new life in Him. We can be rescued from our mess-ups, from our sin. All we have to do is repent and believe in Jesus Christ and we will be saved.
Life here will never be perfect—we have to wait for Heaven for that. We’ll still sin. We’ll still have glitches and deal with tough stuff. But when we have Christ as our hope, this life is so worth living, and we’ll really have a message that’s worth sharing.
Happy writing, friends, and I know this might be early, but speaking of Jesus coming to earth, Merry Christmas!
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