Tag Archives: writing

October 9, 2012 · 6:00 am

How to Hoist Myself Out of A Rut

If other writers knew how long it’s been since I’ve actually written anything besides a blog post here and there, well, I’m pretty sure they’d throw me out of the writing club.

I’m not going to admit how long it’s been since I’ve written.

Mostly because I don’t want to admit it to myself.

I’ve been in a rut.

I don’t have writer’s block– I’ve got great ideas tucked away. I don’t have brain freeze nor am I choking on my words or working off of a lack of experience.

What I do have is as follows:

1) lack of time

2) lack of inspiration

I have been so so so so so uninspired to write lately. So uninspired that the story ideas that once felt so good now feel sad and a little cold. So uninspired that I look back over things I’ve written–good things– and consider them drivel. So uninspired that when I think about writing, I feel passionless.

As for the lack of time, I don’t know any mothers who don’t live with a perpetual lack of time, so I’ve got to stop using that as my excuse.

The lack of inspiration is coming from that same ole place– discouragement. Don’t we all suffer from this from time to time, no matter our circumstances?

Even though I don’t want to admit it, that’s where I am. I’ve been suffering from a case of “I’m Not Good Enough” syndrome. But I know better, so I just need to banish that one, too. After all, I know the One who made me, and I know He has plans for me.

So here’s what I’m going to do:

1) Read. Reading a good book usually inspires me to write a good book.
2) Critique. When I read someone else’s work and help them develop it through a good critique partnership, I’m almost always inspired to write. Something about editing gets my juices flowing.
3) Finish reading the 4,682 craft books I’ve started. Okay, I’ll set a more realistic goal– finish reading ONE of the many craft books I’ve started recently.
4) Just shut up and do it. I’m going to sit down to a blank screen with a story idea and type. No more excuses.

Share with me: When you are in a creative rut, how do you get yourself out of it?

24 Comments

Filed under Writing

Tagged as discouragement, inspiration, rut, time, writing

August 27, 2012 · 9:08 am

I’m Back with Some Big News! :)

Long time, no see, lovely readers!

My how I’ve missed you these weeks I’ve been away! While I’ve been really busy during this little hiatus from the bloggie, I’ve missed connecting with you here. A lot. So believe me when I say that I am SO excited to be back!

Lots of things have happened in the past weeks. My oldest started 1st grade, my youngest started K3, and I’ve been working like a maniac. We’re back to our school routine and looking forward to the cooler temps of fall.

I’ve finished up the history course I was writing for the university (Praise the Lord!) and I must say, that was an experience. Throughout it all I was reminded of how much I love history and how much I love teaching– and how much I do not love writing curriculum, especially for someone else to teach. But, I do love the history and I look forward to teaching it again someday.

With that coursework now behind me I can FINALLY get back to my writing!! I have had MAJOR writing withdrawals. But the forced time away from it has been really healthy, I think. I’ve been able to hash out some more details for my WIP and I’ve come up with a new series idea that I absolutely cannot wait to start on. I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait, actually– that’s how excited I am about it. More about that later.

On to the big news and some updates!

During my time away from you, readers, my family received some very exciting news.

I am expecting! Our third child will be joining us in late March.

It’s still early in the pregnancy, so I ask for your prayers for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. We are thrilled with this news, of course. I’ll be sharing more about this in another post– this is another miracle as we wade through the waters of infertility, and gratefulness doesn’t even begin to describe my feeling. God is a miracle worker, friends.

Update:

Several weeks ago I shared with you about Rachael, the young girl from my church who is struggling with cancer. You can click on the link to read her story, but I wanted to update you on her current status. Rachael has undergone several rounds of chemo and has celebrated her 12th birthday! Last week she went in for a CT and was told that the tumor, while still massive and present, appears to be shrinking and in some places, appears to be dead. While we were all praying for the cancer to be gone from her body, this is the best news, other than a miracle.

Rachael will now undergo another round of chemo starting this week and then will have a very invasive, very big surgery to remove the tumor that is attached to several organs. Please pray for her, friends. Please pray for this sweet girl and her family. I know that Rachael wants to get back to the soccer field and back to school as soon as she possibly can. What a wild summer she’s had!

Now for some blog news– I will be back to my regular posting schedule from now on, with a few minor interruptions.

Mark your calendars for the week of September 17-21!!! My dear friend Lacie Nezbeth and I have planned a HUGE and FUN celebration that week that you are NOT going to want to miss. There will be tons of fun and TONS of GIVEAWAYS!!

Hope you’ve all had a wonderful summer. Update me on how YOU are doing!!

Share with me: What’s been keeping you busy this summer? What news, praises, prayer requests do you have to share? Any great books you’ve read that I need to put on my to-be-read list?

16 Comments

Filed under Family, Just For Fun

Tagged as blogging, cancer, history, pregnancy, updates, writing

July 11, 2012 · 6:00 am

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Programming…

Hey all.

Maybe you’ve noticed and maybe you haven’t, but my web presence has been a little wonky in the last week.

I suppose I had visions of grandeur that I’d be able to schedule time for everything in my life, but I’ve added something new and it’s absorbing most of my time right now.

I’ve taken a position with an online university, helping to re0rganize and re-vamp their history courses.

This puts my history and education degrees to good use while I’m not in the classroom, brings in a little extra cash, and cuts deeply into my writing time, both for blogging and novel-writing.

But it’s temporary.

I’m having a lot of fun diving back into writing curriculum and just being in the world of teaching history, which is one of my great loves.

So while I’m working on that, my blog posts are going to be much fewer and farther between, at least until the end of the summer.

Like I said, I had visions of grandeur.

But I want to be able to do a good job on this project, enjoy the last few weeks of summer with my family (school starts around here at the beginning of August) and produce posts that I’ve actually put time and thought into.

So for now, please forgive me if my posts are sparse and my Tweets are more infrequent that usual (some might actually celebrate that…).

I’d love for you to connect with me on Facebook (click on the link to the right) and make sure you are following me on Twitter (@JenniferKHale). I know I’ll be on both of those for at least a few minutes most days.

And I’ve got some GREAT blog post ideas for when I return to my regular schedule.

Until then, I’ll be working hard, hopefully packing in a trip to visit my sister in Nashville, taking my boys to see The Wiggles in concert, and playing chauffeur for soccer camp and swimming lessons and all the other activities we’ve got going on.

Happy Summer, all!

Share with me: What fun events are left on your summer calendar? When does school start in your area?