Finding Joy in Writing Again

Once upon a time, writing filled your soul with delight. Maybe as a child you poured out stories in colorful notebooks, or as a teenager you scribbled poems in the margins of textbooks. Maybe you journaled your prayers in college dorm rooms, your thoughts stretching across empty pages like bridges of hope.

But somewhere along the way, the joy began to fade. Essays, deadlines, or discouragement crept in. You started writing for grades, or for productivity, or not at all. That old passion feels more like a memory than a present reality.

Yet deep down, you still long to say, “God made me to write and when I write, I feel His pleasure.” So how can you get back there? How can you rediscover the joy of writing?

Here are six gentle, God-centered reminders to help you fall in love with writing again.

1. Recognize Writing’s Seasons

“For everything there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). That includes your writing life.

Some seasons are vibrant words flow, ideas abound, and the process is fun. Others feel barren and blank. Don’t panic. Even the most faithful writers face dry spells. The key is knowing they don’t last forever.

Writing, like the spiritual life, has rhythms. Even when winter comes, trust that spring will follow. And remember, seasons don’t change by merely waiting; they change through quiet faithfulness. Keep writing, even when it’s hard. Even when it feels pointless. Persevere with hope.

2. Create a Simple Routine

When writing joy seems absent, structure can be your anchor. Discipline, surprisingly, often creates the space for creativity to thrive.

Flannery O’Connor once said, “I write only about two hours every day... Sometimes I work for months and have to throw everything away, but... if you don’t sit there every day, the day it would come well, you won’t be sitting there.”

Make time. Whether it's ten minutes before bed or thirty before breakfast, find a sacred rhythm. You’re not forcing inspiration; you’re digging channels, waiting for God to send the rain.

3. Banish Ungodly Comparison

Nothing kills joy faster than constant comparison. It’s tempting to look at others authors, bloggers, peers and feel “less than.” But your voice doesn’t need to be the best; it needs to be yours.

God has given you a unique territory to cultivate your experiences, voice, passions, and story. You are not in competition. You are part of the body. Let the hand be a hand. Let the eye be an eye. And write with the confidence that your words matter not because they win awards, but because they’re faithful to your calling.

4. Infuse Beauty Wherever You Can

Maybe your work involves technical reports, academic essays, or emails. But who says even those have to be dull? Treat every writing assignment no matter how small as a chance to practice wordcraft.

Use vivid verbs. Trade lifeless phrases for fresh imagery. Slip in metaphors. Find creative joy even in expected places. Colossians 3:23 reminds us: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord.” That includes every email, caption, or comment section. Writing beautifully even when unnoticed is an act of worship.

5. Begin Where You Are

C.S. Lewis once advised starting prayer not with lofty theology, but with where your heart truly is your surroundings, your aches, your small joys. Writing is the same.

If you're feeling stuck, write about what moves you right now. Jot down a memory. Describe a cloud. Reflect on a Scripture. Write a thank-you note, a short poem, or a page from your day. Don’t wait for the “perfect” idea just begin.

Even better, revisit the kind of writing that first sparked your joy. Reclaim the genre that lit the fire whether it’s fiction, prayer journaling, or personal essays. Go back to the garden where your love for writing first bloomed.

6. Write in God’s Presence

This may be the most transformative shift: write not merely about God, but with God. Let your words be prayerful. Let them breathe in the atmosphere of the second person not “He” but “You.”

When writing is done in communion with God whether creative, academic, or professional it becomes an act of devotion. John Piper once said, “I write not only to say beauty, but to see beauty.” Writing can open your eyes to God’s glory in ways you didn’t expect.

The psalmist knew this: “My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king” (Psalm 45:1). When your words flow from an overflowing heart, writing becomes more than communication it becomes worship.

Start Again

So, dear writer take courage. The joy you once knew in writing isn’t lost forever. Begin again. Set the timer. Pick up the pen. Open your heart. Whether your words find an audience of one or many, may your writing draw you closer to the One who formed your mind, fashioned your voice, and calls you to speak beauty into the world.

And as you write, remember: you are not alone. God still speaks and He delights in speaking through you.

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