When the thrill of the new becomes the dread of the familiar

Few things stir the imagination and evoke palpable feelings of excitement as new beginnings. Whether it’s the electricity of a new relationship, the jitters of the first day at a new job, or the jolt of adrenaline when a brand new story idea pops into our heads, beginnings are thrilling.

In the beginning the limits are the outmost reaches of the universe. Anything can happen. Which is what makes the start of the thing so exciting.

I was looking at the first chapter of Genesis recently and it dawned on me that those magical first moments of creation still echo in our lives today. Just as he did with Adam and Eve, God remains the imaginative Creator who places each one of us in our very own garden.

In the beginning, we celebrate (like Adam when he met Eve). We imagine all we can do and all we may become in the days ahead. We plan big, we dig in, and we start off feeling all but invincible.

Then comes the hard work. We hit the first stump; we get tangled in weeds that refuse to break loose. We toil and labor away until what was shiny and thrilling becomes dull and monotonous. When we don’t see the harvest we were hoping for, the doubts begin to creep in.

This is the moment the enemy of our creative soul waits for. The moment we begin to feel the loss of wonder and the passion of newness fades, is the moment he suggests that something good is being withheld from our lives. He points to what we don’t have and to what others do have. He suggests that maybe we don’t measure up after all. Or that what we do have to offer isn’t needed by anyone else.

If we’re not careful, those seeds of thought will replicate and spread to the point that they’re all we can see when we look out over our garden. Instead of seeing the flowers of promise, all we see are the thorns of the lies.

First, Uncover the root of your doubt.

Pushing aside feelings doesn’t make them go away. In fact, it only compounds the problem. When you start doubting yourself as a writer, acknowledge that feeling and take a look at your life to see if you can pinpoint the event that triggered it.

Maybe a friend just signed a 3-book contract or perhaps the first book of another writer you know just released and everyone is talking about it on social media. Maybe you have a blog that no one seems to ever comment on or share.

Once you identify the cause of your melancholy, take it to the Lord. He’s able to handle your hurts, your frustrations, and your doubts. He’s also able and willing to help you work through whatever struggle you’re currently facing. If you have a good friend or councilor you can talk to, reach out! Dealing with the problem now instead trying to push it aside and ignoring it prevents a single root of doubt from spreading like a wild blackberry bush and turning your garden into a desolate field of thorns.

Second, Take a break.

Let’s face it. We all have busy lives and aren’t able to get through half the things we set out to do each day. When we work past the point of exhaustion, we’re unable to function on a creative level. Looking back to Genesis, we see that rest was something He designed not because He was tired, but because He knew it was valuable and needed.

Schedule in breaks for yourself and then respect them! Unplug from technology. Walk barefoot through grass. Jump in some leaves. Make snow angels. Build a sandcastle. You know what simple activities feed your creative soul better than anyone. Engage in them regularly and watch how it ignites your creativity.

Third, Return to your Eden.

We tend to think of Eden as a perfect paradise. In reality, it’s just the origin of our story. It’s where we started and it reminds us of what we are working towards (and with whom). If you’re doubting yourself as a writer, ask yourself why you started writing in the first place. If you haven’t already done so, write it down! I have a writers journal that goes back to November 2002, the month I first called myself a writer. I don’t always update it, but I have enough in there that I’m easily reminded of the initial excitement I had the first day I set foot in my garden.

The next time you start feeling bogged down trying to build your platform, attempting to write yet another synopsis, or starting over on the the same paragraph for the fifteenth time, go back to the beginning and remember the day you looked at your new creation and said, “It is good.”

Add a few drops of your own:

What encouraging suggestions would you offer a fellow writer who is struggling with the melancholy middles? Share your words of refreshment in the comment section below.