Using Prayer to Battle Writer's Block is a Great Way to Get the Words to Flow

by Larry J. Leech II @LarryJLeechII

Some days the words just don’t want to flow when I sit at the computer to write. Doesn’t matter if I need to work on a ghostwriting chapter, some of my fiction, or a blog. Even this blog didn’t come easily.

Stress, lack of sleep, thoughts wandering to chores, or adulting can keep the words from flowing freely. During my twenty-three years as a journalist, writer’s block just was not an option. When I sat to write a story for the next morning’s paper, I had to produce. I can’t say that I didn’t struggle once in a while to cobble together a coherent story. But this book, and later blog, writing gig taught me that writer’s block was a real thing. 

For many years I didn’t even acknowledge it. I thought I suffered from brain freeze from time to time or worse, I wasn’t good enough to write books. But as the years have worn on and a few thousand gray hairs have taken over my head, I’ve realized that when the words get stuck, the reason is that dreaded writer’s block.

When that happens, I have a quick “go to” to unlock the words so they flow. I shared this technique with my son during his last year of college. He called one day about mid-morning and sounded frantic, which isn’t his normal demeanor. He said he had a paper due that afternoon and the words wouldn’t flow. Not his words, but that’s what happened. He asked what he could do. I told him, “Write.” 

Agitated, he said, “But I can’t. That’s the problem.” 

I took a deep breath. This was worse than I thought. He doesn’t lose his cool often, so I said, “You have to write. That will get the gears turning.”

“But I can’t.”

I explained that writing can be like a roller coaster. The struggle to get started is real. Think how a roller coaster clicks and clacks up to the top. Then there’s that moment the car feels like it is suspended in the air before it takes off. Fast with plenty of twists and turns. 

He listened, and I suggested that he write about the weather or what his roommate was doing. Anything to get the brain up the hill so it could take off. He hung up at that point and finished his paper before class started.

During my first draft, when the block usually happens, I will babble onto the page, sometimes for up to one and a half pages. That did the trick—for a while until I discovered another option. Now when the words are locked up behind a wall, I type out a prayer. I usually start with “Lord, I need help today” and go from there.

I leave the babbles and prayers in the first draft. When I start my rewrites, I can see God’s hand on the work that day. I smile and say a quick “thank you.”

So, next time the words just don’t flow, this is another option for breaking down the writer’s block wall. Try it. You might like it.

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Using Prayer to Battle Writer's Block is a Great Way to Get the Words to Flow from @LarryJLeechII on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Editor-in-Chief at Bold Vision Books and writing coach of award-winning authors, Larry J. Leech II has spent more than forty years writing and editing. He started his career as a sportswriter in southwestern Pennsylvania where he covered prep, college, and pro sports, including the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers. 

In 2004, after 2,300 published articles, Larry moved into the book publishing industry. Since that time, he has ghostwritten 30 books, edited more than 400 manuscripts, and coached hundreds of authors through the writing and publication process. You can find him online on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Featured Image: Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash