How I Keep Writing In Hard Times

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2019 was pretty awful in many ways. Three of my family members nearly died, and this year there's Covid-19, and everything that goes along with it. Writers have been saying they can't sit down and write, even when they have nothing else to do but write.

A friend of mine had congratulated me on continuing to write when most people would have quit under such circumstances. I told her it was writing that kept me going. This being said, I left out something very important. It is the One who gave me writing which keeps me going. It is He who gifts me with my muse so I can cope.

My own muse turned off last week during my free promotion campaign for "Pariahs." This weekend, I watched General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Spirit was powerful, beautiful and comforting. The whole world sang and I could feel it. The blocks in my mind lifted and a thousand ideas and solutions flowed into my brain.

It is my Heavenly Father who keeps me going. He has ways to keep me going. When I'm stuck, He answers me when I cry for help. My writing is linked to Him and I could not do it without Him. I would be remiss for not acknowledging it.

I write horror a lot, which may seem bizarre after what I've just written. Nothing can escape a horror writer. We can write about the worst things and there is no line. Many people don't like to read horror, and sometimes I'm one of them. Lots of times, I read and watch for study.

Because of my God, I pay close attention to where I draw the line, what needs softening, what needs careful handling. You won't find cuss words in my stories, or sex scenes. Anything like that occurs off-screen where it belongs. I don't glorify the evil, but show it being conquered. My writing is to make the reader forget their troubles, not to leave them feeling like they're living in a funeral parlor.

I can't write if I'm not happy, but Heavenly Father lifts me up and makes me truly happy.

Wherever you are, I invite you to fall on your knees and pour your heart out to Him, and then wait patiently for His answers.

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