5 Steps To Overcome Discouragement as a Writer

5 Steps To Overcome Discouragement as a Writer

As a writer, I am sure you remember very well your first rejection letter and the feelings of discouragement that followed. The cold pain in the stomach, the anger and the insecurity that suddenly flood our minds with questions like “Is my writing good enough? Will they ever publish me?” With every new rejection coming our way, we struggle with more discouragement. 

Discouragement may also come when we enter a dry creative period, struggling to find words, ideas and inspiring messages to offer our audience. We may feel discouraged, too, when we compare our social media numbers and website visits to other writers and bloggers.

Friend, hear me well: If you are a writer, you will inevitably face discouragement and disappointment. This is simply part of our calling. However, as writers, God has also given us strength and grace to overcome discouragement and persevere in our calling. 

Here are five steps we can take to overcome discouragement as a writer. 

  1. The first step is to choose to acknowledge our feelings of disappointment as well as their source. We should not suppress and ignore pain. The best way to confront the pain is to weep it out in the arms of God, our Father and Friend, trusting His love and kindness.
  2. The second step is to resolve to let go of pain and bitterness by surrendering the situation to God. God is sovereign over our writing, and He knows best which doors to open and which to close. He also has His perfect timing. We can let go of our ideas and expectations and turn our eyes and heart to God, forward and upward.
  3. The third step is to decide to move forward in our writing, calling and ministry. The decision to move forward with God is a decision to expect good, because God is good. And because “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, NIV).
  4. The next step is to regain our hope. We regain our hope when we choose to put our trust in God as Redeemer and Restorer of everything, as a God who pays, compensates, rewards, vindicates and retributes. (Jeremiah 51:6) We trust that our work and efforts are not in vain, but God will use every word we write for His glory and our benefit, one way or another. 
  5. The last step is to recall and embrace our identity in Christ. God has called us not only His children but also writers, authors, bloggers, speakers, poets, creative ministers, podcasters, teachers and preachers of His Word. Everything we do stems from our identity and calling. Not our work or the acceptance and readership of our work define our calling and identity. We are writers called by God; that’s why we write and leave the results to Him.

As writers, we will inevitably face discouragement and disappointment. To overcome it, we need to stay focused on what is most important: our relationship with God and our unchangeable identity and calling as writers. God has appointed us and initiated our writing ministries, so He will order our steps and lead us on our unique paths to fulfill His purposes for our callings. God has placed these writing dreams in our hearts, and He is the One to take care of their fulfillment. Let’s trust Him and His process, knowing that every discouragement can grow us and shape us into strong and resilient writers who wait upon the Lord. 

Blessings,

Hadassah Treu  

What is your biggest discouragement as a writer? Share your tips to overcome it in the comments. 

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Hadassah Treu is an award-winning Christian blogger, author, poet, speaker, and winner of the Encouraging Blogger Award from Fluxing Well for 2020. She loves to encourage and motivate people to stand firm in their faith and grow spiritually by applying biblical truths to their lives. Hadassah is a contributing author to several faith-based platforms, and devotional and poetry anthologies. She is also a COMPEL Training Freelancing Community Group leader and Blogger Voices Network contributor. Hadassah has been featured on (in)courage, Proverbs 31 Ministries, Living by Design Ministries, Her View From Home, Thoughts About God, Today’s Christian Living, and other popular sites. You can find her online by visiting her blog at onthewaybg.com.

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Comments

  1. Thank you! I’ve read multiple of these articles by you and needed the encouragement today. May God bless you my sister-in Christ!

  2. I am so encouraged, thank you so much! Such encouraging words!

  3. Thank you for these beautiful words of encouragement. God bless you for writing to the writer’s heart.