Returning to the Source: Where to Find Peace in the Midst of Writer's Block

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

Nothing was working. I’d paced, took a long walk, sat in the garden and daydreamed, even succumbed to a soothing cup of tea. Words still eluded me. Fear leaped into my heart and I wondered if this was it. Had my writing finally dried up and my years of weaving words into stories come to an end? A drab end, to be sure. Never accomplishing all I had dreamed of, hoped for, or imagined. 

Writing Characters that Matter to Our Readers

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

It isn’t often that we read a novel where the characters are so three-dimensional that while we inwardly scorn some of them for their impertinence, they have the power to turn back at us and eerily point their finger as if to say, I see in you what you see in me. For me, the late Rosamunde Pilcher’s 1987 split-time fiction, The Shell Seekers, had that affect. 

Why You and Your Writing Matter

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

One hundred years from now we will all be forgotten. No one will remember that we existed. All our thoughts and deeds will be a thing of the distant past, remembered no more. 

Writing That Inspires

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

I wonder what it would be like to escape from the daily boring routine of my life to a lovely seaside castle where one would awaken to the scent of wisteria and the soft lapping of the sea upon the rocks below? 

Why We Write

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

Tomorrow is the glorious celebration of Easter, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus. We will gather and remember Jesus’ holy act of love and sacrifice. For God so loved us that He sent His only Son to suffer and die for our sins so that we who believe can have eternal life. That life of eternal living begins when we believe. That means that even when our bodies leave this earth, the part of us that thinks and feels emotion lives on—alive with Him and all those who have gone before us.

When a Writer is Discouraged, Pause and Look to God

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

I often struggle to squeeze words from my soul when I write. I admit it. I ask God if I heard Him correctly. Am I wasting my time, Lord? If this is Your will for me, why is it sometimes so hard? Why do the words often seem frozen inside with no hope of escape? 

To Flourish as a Writer, Avoid the Trap of Pride

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

One thing that great novels consider is the search for self. Good writing brings us into story and, as we enter another’s world, we allow the protective shield around our hearts to peel back. What we see in the protagonist, we often begin to recognize in ourselves. Good storytelling does that. A prime example is Jane Austen’s delightful novel Pride and Prejudice. 

Resurrecting The Buried Life in our Writing

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

When we sit to write, we’re challenged to let our minds go to that place of wonder that lies in the deep crevices of our hearts. The “Buried Life,” (a term coined in a poem by Matthew Arnold,) is waiting to be rescued from the prison of political and social correctness. The freedom to write truth in books, articles, and speak in the public forum can lose its luster through the busyness of keeping up with social media and the constant flow of disturbing news. 

A Writer Looks at C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

While recently retreating from manufactured noise, I picked up my copy of C.S. Lewis’s book, The Abolition of Man. Aside from the Bible, Lewis is my go to when I need grounding from the often insane whirl of modern thinking. 

A Writer’s Time Out for Thanksgiving

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

In the south, we always have meat and two vegetables for supper, one green and one yellow. Potatoes don’t count. Of course, no meal would be complete without something sour. Pickled beets, peaches, or watermelon rind will do nicely. On Thanksgiving, however, our repertoire expands like our bellies. On that grand day diets are ignored along with my brother’s corny jokes and Uncle Ferd’s unpopular political views.

Should Writers Also Be Journaling?

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

It was one of those rainy days of the soul, when a cup of tea and a book seemed to be the protocol of choice. Dragging myself to my library, I scanned the shelf reserved for unread books—stories that waited to spirit me away from the present into a better place. Adventures that would take my mind off myself and maybe, just maybe, would bring light to a dark day. At once my eyes fell on two leather-bound journals that had been mistakenly placed there. 

What to Do if You're a Perfectionist Writer

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

I don’t know if there exists a Perfectionist Anonymous, but if one did exist, I would slink into one of the meetings, hide in the last row and when I couldn’t put off the inevitable, stand up and confess in a soft shy voice, “My name is Emme and I’m a perfectionist.”   

 

My computer files have more than a few works in progress as well as a completed novel and another one that is taking way too long to complete. Some agents have actually dangled the hope of publishing my novel at me, but then pulled back with the words we all hate to hear, “It’s not quite ready yet.” Instead of hope, those words to a perfectionist tell us, “Why did you ever think you could do this? Just give up and save yourself more embarrassment.” 

The Name of Your Call to Write

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

A name is a precious gift, an identifying word that should bring a symphonic sound to your ears each time it is spoken. Your name is a word filled with the essence of who you are. You are the name by which you are addressed. We often couple our name with what we do. Your name, then author, or writer. Both names need to be part of the image we have of ourselves. However, that is not always the case.

Writer’s Block—When the Words Won’t Come

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

Nothing was working. I’d paced, took a long walk, sat in the garden and daydreamed, even succumbed to a soothing cup of tea. Words still eluded me. Fear leaped into my heart and I wondered if this was it. Had my writing finally dried up and my years of weaving words into stories come to an end? A drab end, to be sure. Never accomplishing all I had dreamed of, hoped for, or imagined. 

Recharge, Replenish, Renew for a Better You

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

I’m not the same person I was a year ago. I move to a different beat. The effects of isolation and lack of human connection brought on by lockdown bit deep. I became inflicted with a self-centered concern about keeping myself safe—of preventing dark shadowy plagues from coming near. My world was now absent of hugs, obsessed with hand sanitizers, and filled with face-masked people devoid of facial expressions. As a result, a new me slowly emerged. Without even realizing the dark cloud had descended, it began to suffocate my life.

Writing Restored by the Sabbath

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

Sunday was a sacred day to my grandmother—a day where she would abstain from all manual labor. From her morning worship experience at church, she would reflect on her life and His purpose for her being. In the afternoon our family would gather at her modest home to enjoy a meal that she had laboriously prepared the day before and had only to warm in the oven for all to enjoy.

Reflection, Fellowship, Inspiration—Writer's Tools

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

The tall iron gates lay open like welcoming arms. We entered and trudged slowly along the wide pathway, the only sound the crunch of gravel beneath our feet. As we rounded the bend, the sprawling eighteenth century stone villa came into view and looked to be perched on a cloud of gentle sloping hills. 

A Writer Looks at Lent

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

As this posts we’re a little over four weeks into Lent—a penitential time in the Church year where Christians examine their lives and set aside time to reflect more fully on those sins and bad habits that often beset us. 

During Lent, believers prepare their hearts for Easter through prayer, repentance, and self-denial, so that we can more fully hear the voice of God. These acts of contrition do not and cannot earn us points with God for Jesus already paid the price for our sins when He gave His life for us on the cross and God raised Him from the dead to forever make intercession for us. The work was fully done for those of us who believe. We are His through grace, God’s unmerited favor.

How Do Writers Respond to Change?

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

In a world that is rapidly changing, we can easily lose our bearings. What grounded us may be gone. The thing that we could count on may be missing. We may feel like we’re floating with no safe place to land. We’re surrounded by loss. We thought our writing made a difference. Now we wonder. 

Writing From a Grieving Heart

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

That beautiful time of year is upon us. Christmas. The holiday we all love. For Christians, Christmas is more than presents, gathering with family, and traditions that go back many years. It’s the celebration of the greatest Gift—our Savior Christ the Lord. 

While the overwhelming sacredness of God’s act of love is ever before us, Christmas is also a time of remembrance of Christmas past. A time when we look back at tender moments we shared with those we love. It’s also a time of profound sadness when their seat at the table is empty. And that can affect our writing.