Has someone encouraged you along your writing journey?
When I was first starting out, encouraging words were like soothing balm to a bad sunburn. I used to write those little snippets on stickie notes and post them on the bulletin board above my writing desk. When filled with doubt about what my tired fingers were pounding out on the keyboard, those stickie notes often kept me from giving up.
It is a cliche to say ‘writing is a solitary journey.’
While that may be true, we do interact with others at writing conferences or in a critique group. While it’s easy to focus on what needs to be fixed when looking at others’ works in progress, it’s important to stop and say something positive.
“Good job on that character.”
“Nice description – I could see the place in my mind.”
“Don’t give up – you’re almost there.”
Scripture tells us words have power. God spoke the world and all that is in it with His word. Jesus is the Word. The power of life and death is in the tongue (or words we speak).
Next time you doubt yourself, remember the words spoken over you. If you can’t think of anything, I will give you some words from Walt Disney:
If you dream it, you can do it!
This post was originally published on Substack. You can follow Jane’s writing there also.
Jane S. Daly is the author of two nonfiction books and over 13 novels.
Jane is addicted to coffee, purple pens, and her husband, not necessarily in that order. A self-proclaimed introvert, she enjoys the solitude of riding shotgun in Rigsby, her 37-foot motor home. But when they pull into a new campground, her favorite thing is to make new friends and find hangouts featuring local musicians. Her fantasy involves writing lyrics for country music songs and hearing them played on the radio. In the meantime, she’ll stick to writing novels. And seeing as much of the country as possible.