Feel frustrated as a writer when your words don't get published? Don't worry. Keep writing. It's about the craft. You ARE a writer, even if it never gets on a page. Here are some words to motivate your work:

I’m always writing—
In my mind, at least.
Creating words,
One thought juxtaposed with another

Sometimes they're filled with rage
At injustices that pervade
The hurt, blatant lies
The degradation of lives created in the image of God

These words leave a bitter taste on my tongue.

Sometimes they're filled with tears
Probing inquiries with no answers
Why? What now?
Where do we go from here?

These words come out in cathartic spurts.

Sometimes they're filled with creativity
A need to put together phrases
As if my sanity depends upon it
An itch that needs to be scratched

These words blossom with potential.

Sometimes they're filled with compassion
Reaching out in text or card
Letting those around me know
They are seen; they are valued

These words create connection.

Writing doesn’t always happen
In published books that line the shelves
In 280 characters that all the world can see
In lyrics fit with melodies that stick inside your brain

Writing happens in the heart
Where jumbled thoughts sit entangled
Mixed with emotion, faith, and lived experience
Put together to make sense of it all

These words define my soul.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Writers can be perfectionists. 

There. I've stated it. It's out in the open. Yes, my perfectionism pushes me to create the highest quality material. But it can also prevent me from stopping before I start. 

The scariest thing I face with each new idea—the blank page. 

I feel in my bones the spirit of the thoughts I want to convey. Yet when my standard is to make everything the absolute best, where do I begin? How do I write it better than before? What if I look back and I'm not satisfied? The blank page looms at me, purporting all my potential downfalls.

When I push past the mental hurdles and simply get something on the page—anything at all—there is a sense of relief. I have begun a draft. And drafts can be edited. 

After 20 years in this profession, the blank page still has the power to intimidate me. But I can't let it. 

Neither can you. Keep writing.  

Photo by Anomaly on Unsplash

I give and give out words

But are these my best?

What if use them all now and then run out?

What if I give them away—

Never to find new ones again?

Can’t I keep a few?

Yet a thought was impressed upon my soul—

There will always be more words

More thoughts

More inspiration

There will always be more words

Besides, they are from the Lord

Not my own

He gives to me, if I seek his inspiration

Then I am to pass them along

Think of all the times I move too fast—

And miss the words that got away

They are not a gift to be squandered—

These words

There will always be more words

So

Give them out

They don’t cost—

But they can bring value

Give them out

They are a gift—

To be shared, not kept

Give them out

They were given to me in the first place—

Give them out

To those he asks me to give to

We have certain places we exist on this earth

Certain gifts

At certain times

With certain roles to fill

I was given words

Not to keep, to hold, to retain for my own worth

Not to build me up—

To give

To breathe life into others

To encourage, uplift, and adore

To press others onward

To remind them how precious they are

To help make them everything they are supposed to be

I give and give out words

Because they were given to me

There will always be more words

And always those who need to hear them