“Use it before you lose it.”
I have been writing for over two years, and I’m currently working on my second novel. Patience is something I struggle with, and I like to think we all struggle with it (because it makes me feel better). I take time each day pursuing patience with myself and the writing process.
To be honest, and a little vulnerable, I think waiting is the pits! Waiting for my words to come together just the right way, waiting for story to be completed, waiting for the responses to the querying, waiting, waiting, waiting. I’m not sure about the waiting involved with publishing, but I have heard some doozies, and I hope to struggle with them too some day.
Through my shortages of patience, I’ve found a few ways to help replenish it. The best way to conquer my problems is to understand them better…
pa·tience
- the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
- an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.
- quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience.
Right now, I’m in a place that I feel the need to get my storytelling out there. The need is leading me to think more and more about self-publishing, and I can’t decide if I’m just being impatient. Either route I take, patience will be essential, but through the process of deciding what path to take I’ve learned a few things. Here are some techniques that already helps me with exercising patience, hopefully they can help all of us!
- OUTLINING: Seeing my story in an outline helps me see the big picture. An outline also gives me perspective one what I’ve written and what is left in the story to write.
- CALENDAR: In addition to outlining, a calendar can give you a better idea of the time you should expect to spend finishing your novel. Just make sure to be realistic!
- MULTI-TASKING: Whether you work on more that one project at a time, have a full-time job, or other responsibilities that take you away from writing, these distractions can actually be good. Stop, and remember that you’re doing more than one (and probably more than three) thing(s) at a time, and when you feel impatient with writing, step away and do something else for a bit. These tasks outside of writing may be a great creative inspiration.
- BITE-SIZE GOALS: If you can set more, smaller goals for yourself in a shorter time period you’ll feel more accomplished!
- ENCOURAGING WORDS: Surround yourself with people that will lift you up and encourage you! If you don’t already have those people, now you do. I’d love to encourage and challenge you in your writing.
Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.
Heraclitus
3-5 There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! Romans 5:3 (MSG)
Remember, I (we) have to pursue patience… It isn’t always going be easy, and it is probably better that it’s not.
