Are Your Writing Bags Over Weight? Thoughts on the Burdens Writers Carry

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

It’s getting close to my summer travel season as a writer and speaker, and that means airplane travel. I don’t mind flying, but I absolutely hate packing. You see, I’m a chronic overpacker. 

A few years ago, one of my travels gave me trouble. This particular trip was a bigger than usual challenge because I was going to be away for nine days.

I spent several days planning my wardrobe—packing and repacking—weighing and reweighing the suitcase. I was determined to come in under the fifty-pound maximum. Finally success! I even had two and a quarter pounds to spare. I was off, zipping through check-in with no problem, literally flying high.

I enjoyed my week and a half with other writers. It’s always fun to get away with people who truly understand the way your mind works. But in the midst of having fun, I didn’t pay attention to the extra stuff I was accumulating. At these conferences publishers and authors give away tons of books…literally. And I’m a writer—I can never turn down the temptation of a free book—especially from friends! I didn’t prioritize what I needed to carry home versus what I just wanted to carry home.

It turned out there was be a big difference and a high cost.

By the time I had to check back in for the return trip home, I knew I was in trouble. Sure enough, when the clerk at the counter weighed my bag it was four pounds overweight. For those of you who aren’t aware, airlines are serious about weight limits. Even with rearranging, the overage cost me a cool one hundred dollars extra to get home.

As I pondered what I could have done differently, I couldn’t help but draw the comparison of the spiritual weight I carry with me daily as a writers. 

Here are some of the things I've been guilty of carrying:

• The expectations I take up without reason, 
• The stress and worry I seem to always add to my load
• of course I can't forget the guilt I insist on carrying. 
• Some of the guilt comes from things I should have done. Some of the guilt is added because of things I shouldn't have done. 


The bottom line is that these extra burdens comes from not paying attention to what God is saying, and from not prioritizing my life. 

I’ve learned, through experience, this extra spiritual load can cost me as a writer even more than my over-loaded luggage. 

It can lead to:

• burn-out
• exhaustion (physical and mental)
• and worst of all, depression

Whenever I see that I’m overloaded, I come back to these verses and hand over all the extra stuff to Jesus. I exchange what I thought I wanted for what He knows I need. And it’s ALWAYS more manageable load.

Now it's your turn. How do you deal with extra weight in your writing life? Share your thoughts and insight in the comments section below. 

Don't forget to join the conversation!

Blessings

Edie

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Are Your Writing Bags Over Weight? Thoughts on the Burdens Writers Carry from @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Edie Melson is a woman of faith with ink-stained fingers observing life through her camera lens. She’s a writer who feels lost without that device & an unexpected speaker who loves to encourage an audience. She also embraces the ultimate contradiction of being an organized creative. She knows the necessity of Soul Care and leads retreats, conferences & workshops around the world on staying connected to God. Her numerous books, including the award-winning Soul Cares eries & reflect her passion to help others develop the strength of their God-given gifts. Her blog, The Write Conversation is recognized as one of the top 101 industry resources. 

She and husband Kirk have been married 40+ years and raised three sons. They live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and can often be found hiking—with Edie clinging to the edge of a precipice for the perfect camera angle and Kirk patiently carrying her camera bag and tripod. Connect with her on her website, WWW.EDIEMELSON.COM and through social media.

Featured Image: Photo by Oliur on Unsplash