Writers, P.R.A.Y. When Stuck

 

By Tammy Karasek

 

Have you ever found yourself at a loss for words to write? In your frustration, did you whine, slam your fist on the desk or quit and get up and walk away? I have to admit I’ve done all of these at some point (or maybe all three at one time). But I’m still writing, so what made a change for me?

 

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud:

and he shall hear my voice.  (Psalm 55:17 KJV)

 

I’ve managed to create a plan to keep these instances to a minimum. When these moments happen, I stop and blow out a huge breath, then pray. I think I know what you might be thinking … wow, that’s real news there, Tammy. Hear me out. Not only do I take it to God, I use an acronym of PRAY to aid me when I am tempted to participate in one of the above reactions to my frustration at the keyboard.

 

Here they are:

 

PERSEVERE and PRESS-ON: Don’t you dare quit! Don’t throw away your writing instruction books, cancel all your writing group memberships, give away your computer and go hide. Remember, the old tortoise and hare story? Slow and steady wins the race. Take a moment to breathe. Get up from your writing space and take a little walk around the room or visit a coffee shop and grab a fresh beverage. Well, don’t grab one if you’re at a coffee shop, they prefer you pay for them! 😊

 

REALIZE then RESEARCH: Realize you’re stuck, then research something for the piece you’re writing. I’m not telling you to research Pinterest for home decorating or a new recipe here. Take the topic you’re working on and use our friend Google to see what comes up. Character problem for your fiction? Research a flaw your character has and see what comes up. Working on a non-fiction piece? Dust off your King James Version and dig through the concordance for some Scriptures regarding the topic you’re writing about. There’s just something about the beautiful words of the ol’ King James Bible, right? 

 

ACKNOWLEDGE and ASK: Still stuck? The obvious of the acronym should be where we always start, but what about sending an email to a writing buddy asking for them to pray as well. Who knows, maybe they might have a suggestion for your piece or would be willing to give you a call to do a quick brainstorm session. 

 

YACK and YEARN: Yack about God everywhere and in every way you can. Yearn to have the opportunities to share of His goodness. What does this have to do with being stuck in your writing? Sometimes through these opportunities is where God gives us more to write about. Keep a notebook of things that were said or questions that were asked in these events, then when stuck, pull out the notebook and read through it. You never know what may jump out for you to use. Always look for the opportunities to share about God.

 

Pray without ceasing.  (I Thessalonians. 5:17 KJV)

 

I hope you can use the P.R.A.Y. ideas above should you find yourself stuck in your writing at some point.

 

What about you? Do you have an idea or two that helps you when you have this happen? Please share in the comments below, we’d love to know your tips as well.

Photo by Naassom Azevedo on Unsplash

 

 Tammy Karasek uses humor and wit to bring joy and hope to every aspect in life. Her past, filled with bullying and criticism from family, drives her passion to encourage and inspire others and show them The Reason to smile. She’s gone from down and defeated to living a “Tickled Pink” life as she believes there’s always a giggle wanting to come out!

 

A writer of romantic suspense—with a splash of sass—her debut book, Launch That Book, released in 2023. She’s published in a Divine Moments Compilation Book—Cool-inary Moments. She’s also a writing team member for The Write Conversation Blog, Novel Academy, Blue Ridge Conference Blog, The Write Editing, and more.

 

Known as The Launch Team Geek, Tammy helps authors launch their books. You’ll also find her as a Virtual Assistant for several best-selling authors, the Social Media Manager for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, Founding President and current Vice-President of ACFW Upstate SC, and Founding President of Word Weavers Upstate SC. Connect with Tammy at https://www.tammykarasek.com.