Hiking Forward

Thank you for your honest sharing yesterday about the obstacles you've encountered on the writing path. I think I can safely summarize all the comments by saying: our lives are FULL of tiredness, sickness, depression, distractions, interruptions, and the unexpected.

To those facing an especially rocky path right now, our prayers are with you.

As writers how do we make any progress forward with so many obstacles tripping us up and slowing us down?

As always, I must refer back to Pilgrim's Progress (the inspiration for one of my novels). The main character, a man named Christian, came upon Worldy Wiseman who offered him age old advice: avoid all wearisomeness, painfulness, hunger and perils; instead seek the way of ease.

Modern culture often gives us the same message: avoid pain, search for the life of comfort and luxury, work the minimum, play the maximum, choose whatever feels good to you.

We're tempted (dare I say somewhat brainwashed?) by the world around us to search for the easy path to success. But the Biblical principle still holds true: our hardships develop perseverance, and that perseverance eventually leads to real joy (I wish I could add that it leads to publication!).

So back to the question. How do we traverse the obstacles? What do you do to keep writing in spite of life's difficulties?

Here's my thought: Keep hiking forward toward the goal, perhaps very slowly (100 words a day is still moving). When we keep our momentum going, we're less likely to stall and get stuck in one spot. And remember we're not alone in the journey. We have each other. And most importantly we have the strength of our ultimate Guide.

When the obstacles become insurmountable, could God be telling us to take a break or to get off the writing path altogether for a while? More on that next time. . .