Voice of Negativity

The voice of negativity is a plague for writers.

I know you’ve heard that voice because I hear it all the time. Writer friends, who share with me from their heart, hear it as well. It’s that voice that slaps you when you’re rejoicing. It says, in effect, “Why do you think you’re any good? Who will read this? You’re not really a writer.”

Have you ever heard similar accusations?

I recently finished writing my 9^th book. And do you know what that voice said to me?

So-and-so is about your age and she’s written 50 books.

Who wants to hear what you have to say?

You’ve invested how many days of your life in this project and you think someone will publish it?

And the list of negativity goes on. After writing for ten years, I should be used to it. But frankly, I still have to fight that demon of discouragement.

I have one writer friend who confided that she didn’t know why she was starting her first book so late in her life. I nearly laughed when she shared her age. She is much younger than I am!

I met another published author who shared that she didn’t think she had enough of a message for her readers because she was so young.

Are you seeing a pattern? It doesn’t matter your age, your experience, your height, your weight, the numbers of blouses in your closet. The point is, if God has called you to write, then NOW is the right time to “pick up that pen,” as it were, and pray for inspiration.

The God of the universe doesn’t care about the non-essentials. He cares about obedience. And he cares about spreading the message of the Gospel in many forms, be it non-fiction prose, poetry, historical fiction, whatever. God is far more creative than we will ever be. But he uses us and the skills we hone as wordsmiths, to help spread that message. And whether the words we write are read by one or by one-million, someone needs to hear the message that you were called to create.

There is a pro-active way that we writers—and others—can fight against that demon of discouragement. It’s called, Putting on the Armor of God in Ephesians 6: 10-18.

For years, I considered myself a failure at memorizing Scripture. Guess what? The evil one lied to me because I have now memorized this entire section of the Bible. To me, that is a major accomplishment. And, despite my skewed thinking that memorization was unattainable, I kept reading that section of Scripture over and over, day after day. It now lives in my heart as well as my mind. And it reminds me that I have a weapon at my disposal, if I choose to pick it up. It is the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”

Pick up that sword and wield it against that demon of discouragement.

Then, carry on.

Elaine Marie Cooper is the award-winning author of Fields of the Fatherless and Bethany’s Calendar. Her latest release (Saratoga Letters) was finalist in Historical Romance in both the Selah Awards and Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She penned the three-book Deer Run Saga and has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. She freely admits to being a history geek. Look for her upcoming series set in Revolutionary War Connecticut. The 4-book series is entitled Dawn of America. You can visit her site at www.elainemariecooper.com

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