From Edie: Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes shares how faith, resilience, and perseverance can help writers overcome discouragement, rejection, and the desire to quit.
The Writer's Greatest Superpower: How to Build Resilience and Keep Writing
by Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes @KHutch0767
Many writers dream of the perfect writing retreat. For me, I often fantasize about writing at a quaint beach house by the cerulean-blue Caribbean Sea. I imagine days spent with gentle ocean breezes, bright fragrant flowers perfuming the air, my notebook filled with brilliant ideas, and uninterrupted hours to create. In my mind, writing is as peaceful as watching the sun set over the foamy rippling waves.
The manuscript stalls. The rejection emails arrive. Family responsibilities interrupt our schedules. Health concerns demand our attention. Self-doubt whispers and sometimes yells defeating idealizations. “There are much more talented authors than you, so why bother. Besides, you aren’t disciplined and deserving of success. You should just quit while you still have some self-respect.”
Despite this tendency toward self-doubt and imposter syndrome, if writing for any length of time, you’ve probably already discovered an important truth. Great writers aren’t usually shaped during calm seasons. They’re usually shaped by the storms. Like a pristine pink sand shoreline carved by relentless waves, resilience is what transforms aspiring authors into seasoned storytellers.
One of my favorite sights at the beach is watching small children build sandcastles. They spend hours creating towers and moats, only to have the tide roll in and a wave wash everything away. Yet they don’t sit in the sand analyzing what happened or blaming the ocean. Instead, they grab another bucket, pick up their shovels, and begin again.
Writers could learn a lot from those children.
We pour our hearts into a manuscript, only to receive a rejection letter. We launch a book that doesn’t meet our expectations. We rewrite chapter after chapter, wondering if the story will ever come together. Somewhere along the journey, many of us begin believing that one or more setbacks means the story is over.
But what if the next draft or the hundredth is the one that changes everything?
A few months ago, I experienced a lesson in resilience that had nothing to do with writing and everything to do with perspective. During a season filled with health concerns, business pressures, family struggles, and unanswered prayers, I took my German Shephard, Archie for an evening walk. The night gave us cover as I tearfully stumbled through my neighborhood having a good, old-fashioned pity-party.
I was carrying more than I realized.
Then, quite literally, I fell.
One moment I was walking, and the next I was sprawled facedown across the concrete sidewalk, wondering if anything was broken. In an instant, all the worries consuming my mind disappeared. I wasn’t thinking about deadlines or responsibilities anymore. I was just grateful that I could stand, unravel Archie’s leash from around my ankles, and didn’t have any serious injuries.
As I wiped gravel from my bloodied knees, I looked across the street. I saw my home, a place of safety, family, and love. In that quiet moment, I sensed God reminding me that while life wasn’t perfect, it was still deeply blessed.
Writers need those moments of perspective.
It’s easy to become consumed by algorithms, comparison, reviews, sales numbers, platform growth, and publishing trends. Those things matter, but they should never define our worth or our calling.
Our identity isn’t found in bestseller lists but in faithful obedience.
Discouragement can be like a rip current at the beach. It rarely sweeps us away all at once. Instead, it pulls us gradually under through delayed dreams, disappointing critiques, missed opportunities, and comparison with others. Before we know it, our dreams have drowned.
The safest response to a rip current isn’t panic but steady focus while treading consistently and making it to the shore.
The same is true for writers.
When discouragement comes, keep your eyes fixed on what initially inspired you to write. Return to the joy of storytelling. Return to the purpose behind your words. If you’re a person of faith, that means looking to the One who called you to be an author. Return to the faithfulness of God, who sees the entire journey while we see only today’s blank page.
The most important part of any writing career isn’t how many times we face rejection. Every author does. The defining moment is choosing to begin again. Sign up for the class or conference. Hire an editor and a mentor. Open the laptop. Revise the chapter. Submit the proposal. Write the next sentence. Tread steadily to shore.
For me resilience isn’t measured by how often my dreams get knocked down. It’s measured by how many times I trust God enough to keep writing.
Like the shoreline that’s survived every storm, our writing lives may bear the marks of difficult seasons. But those very experiences are shaping depth, wisdom, and authenticity that cannot be manufactured. Our setbacks aren’t the end of our stories. They’re part of what makes it worth telling.
TWEETABLE
AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association), and AASA (American Association of School Administrators). She serves on the nonprofit organization Submersion 14 board and the 540 Writer’s Community board and is an art instructor for the nonprofit organization Light for the Future. Katherine hosts the podcast Murder, Mystery & Mayhem Laced with Morality. She has authored a Christian Bible study for women and is currently working on the sequel to her first general market thriller novel. Her thriller A Fifth of the Story will debut in February 2024 through Endgame Press.
Katherine flourishes in developmental editing and coaching writers. She has a twenty-year career in education, leadership, and journalism. Katherine freelances as an educational consultant for charter schools, home school programs, and churches. In this role, she has written and edited curriculum, led program development, and helped manage growth facilitating and public relations. She also works as an editor and book coach through her consulting business. Katherine provides skill, accountability, and professionalism so clients can begin, develop, and finish their writing projects for publication.
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