Some Encouragement

This was sent by to me by a My Writing Mentor reader, Holly! Thanks so much for sharing this with us Holly!

Two things that have probably been the most instrumental to date in keeping me on track mentally and spiritually in my writing. The first is a quote from Anne Lamott in her book Bird by Bird:

"What people somehow (inadvertantly, I'm sure) forgot to mention when we were children was that we need to make messes in order to find out who we are and why we are here--and, by extension, what we're supposed to be writing."

To me this is always humbling, and has on many occasions been what I needed to keep going. I have this on a prominent place on my desk and when I freeze up or get frustrated, I take another look, smile once again as I realize my problem is not my inability to write but that awful monster called perfectionism, and I keep writing.

And the second thing is a stanza from a poem by Robert Frost, "Two Tramps in Mud Time." The poem is about two woodcutters who come across the poet chopping wood for fun. They can't understand why this work that they're paid for would be his pleasure, and they want to try and wile him out of doing it himself so he can pay them to do it. But the poet ends his observations with this statement:

But yield who will to their separation,
My object in living is to unite
My avocation and my vocation
As my two eyes make one in sight.
Only where love and need are one,
And the work is play for mortal stakes,
Is the deed ever really done
For Heaven and the future's sakes.

This also has a prominent place on my desk, and these words echo over and over in my head as I realize just what it means for me to play with my words for "Heaven and the future's sakes."

Thank you again for all your effort, your words, and the blood, sweat and tears that are poured into them! May God bless your words and use them for His great purpose! (He already is doing this!)

Your sister in Jesus,
Holly Heisey