Stories—one of the most impacting creations we’ve been gifted on this earth. Stories have been changing lives and shaping the world since the creation of time. Stories are powerful. And it is such a privilege to tell them. But sometimes (many times) it’s not always easy…

The writing community is swarming with memes about the struggles of the writing life, with jokes about how we’d rather move to Antarctica to raise penguins than make progress on our WIPs, with endless conversations about how hard writing it is.

Because it is.

Writing is hard. It takes so much energy, so much brainpower, so much time, all while having to wear a dozen different hats and juggle a hundred different things. Being called to be a storyteller is not for the faint of heart. Managing our life on top of writing time and having to always come up with new ideas and pull clever words from our exhausted brains and follow the writing rules but wait don’t follow all the rules and make realistic characters and let’s not even talk about marketing and and and…

It’s a lot.

But…

BUT.

What about the other side of it?

What about that moment when we land on a sentence that hits just right? What about when we create a character that utterly steals our hearts? What about when we form a story that sets our souls on fire? What about when we touch others with our words?

It’s worth it. It’s always, always worth it.

Whenever you look back at things you’ve written, think about that thrill you get thinking about how you did that. You wrote those words. You put in the effort and time to create something you love. I think it’s very rare for us to look back at all our works and think, “What a waste.” No, there is satisfaction.

Our writing time, our stories, they are worth fighting for. And sometimes it is a fight, with ourselves. So very often we have to just sit ourselves down in a chair and spill out words, no matter how hard it is.

Now. There is a balance. Some seasons are busy or come with their own problems. Health, family, jobs, general busyness—those often have to take priority, and it’s healthy to step back from things like our writing to tend to them. I am never one for pushing ourselves past the limit. It’s so important to prioritize and not run ourselves to the ground.

But giving up when it’s hard? That’s when it’s time to truly look at our writing and find that love for it again and give it a chance once more.

We all write for different reasons, and every single one is valid.

When I’m feeling myself wondering why I bother, I have to pull back and find that why. Why do I write? Why do I pour hours upon hours upon hours of my life into creating stories?

• Because stories have always touched me deeply
• Because I love discovering different worlds and people and plots
• Because it is therapeutic to explore themes in my own life
• Because I hope to touch others with my words one day
• Because the wonder of it lights me up
• Because it’s fun

On and on and on it goes. Is it hard? Yes. Is it worth it? YES.

This passion we hold for telling stories exists for a reason, and we owe it to ourselves to pursue it. One day those words you fought back the doubts and hardships to get down will touch others, will bring someone delight, will move hearts, yours included. Jesus Himself often used parables because He knew the impact stories have on us. They are needed.

It is worth it to break through the difficulties and carve out time to create stories. You and only you can make yourself do it, and you and only you can create the stories inside you. Your stories, your words, they matter. There is no cap on the amount of creativity this world can hold. It is like an endless source of water, ever needing our unique form of creativity to keep it going to flourish the world.

And isn’t it such a privilege that we get to? We don’t have to tell stories, but we get to? That simple mindset shift is life-shaking.

You have stories inside you, dear writer, you have words worth sharing, so in the midst of the hardships and busyness and discouragement and doubts, I encourage you to fight for them.

It’s worth it every time.

The joy of the writing life is that there are others out there who get it. Writing is often labeled as a lone venture, but I am a firm believer that it should never be. We need people who get it and can lift us up and inspire us when the discouragement and exhaustion seep in. People to get just as enthused about our characters as we are. People to hold us accountable.

Simply speaking, we writers need community.

If you’re looking for that, I have exciting newssss.

Summer’s FicFrenzy is almost here!

The Fiction Frenzy Writing Challenge a.k.a. FicFrenzy is a seasonal writing event I created a few years ago that takes place on Discord. Every spring, summer, and fall, we FicFriends gather together in the Discord server for a month, set our own goals, and make some progress on our WIPs (all while chatting away, doing wordsprints, and sharing cute pics of our fur babies because #priorities). It is such a fun and encouraging community, and I’m so blessed by it!

The Summer event launches from…

June 15th – July 15th

And all are invited! Plus the Discord group is open year-round! So even if you can’t participate in the events, you are still welcome to join the community.

Check out THIS PAGE for more info and how to join the Discord server.

If you have friends who’d be interested, please send them that way. The more the merrier!

Needing a bit more one-on-one aid in finding that spark (and time) to fight for your storytelling?

If it’s not obvious, I am hugely passionate about encouraging writers. I truly think stories are one of the most beautiful, powerful things on this earth, and it brings me such joy to see writers’ hearts on fire for their storytelling.

But boy do I get that it can be hard.

I’m with you, friends. And that’s why I’ve opened writing coaching services to help writers find that balance between their writing life and life and general and rekindle that love for simply writing. If you need someone to come alongside you and help cater rhythms unique to your schedule, find the heart of your story again, and/or seek the joy in it all, I’d love to talk with you.

You can check out THIS PAGE for more info. 💛

Your stories are worth fighting for, friends. Never stop creating.

Let’s fire ourselves up for our creative pursuits! What is your favorite part of storytelling OR of stories in general if you’re not a writer? And what’s your favorite part of any creative endeavor you love?