by Alycia W. Morales @AlyciaMorales

This week I have found it difficult to shut off all of the voices on social media and in the news. I’ve seriously considered taking a break from social media until all of the chaos settles, because my spirit is so unsettled. The controversy is overwhelming.

But I’m a writer, and I have work to do. A voice to be heard. Stories to tell. Encouragement and inspiration to share.

So how do I get work done while feeling so unsettled? How do I get past the distractions and make my daily word counts and write my blog posts and communicate with my followers and fans when my spirit is so unsettled? When I find myself pacing the floor and staring at a screen, my brain numbed from the storms of this world?

1. Take a day to step away from it all.

We can continue to stare at the screen and will the words to surface. Or we can take a day to get away from the noise and the numbness and refresh our spirit man. The words are more likely to flow in the morning than they are if they’re still blocked at noon today.

2. Get in God’s Word.

Rather than try to push my words to the page, I’m going to God’s Word. To truth. To hope. To faith. To love. To peace. Read the Psalms. Let God’s peace enter past all your understanding. Let His words wash over you and bring you back to life.

3. Pray.

Ask God what He wants you to write about. Then be obedient. Maybe He’ll tell you to be a trumpet. Maybe He’ll tell you to be still. Whatever it is, do that. Because when we are obedient to God’s will, the blessing follows.

4. Do a brain dump.

There are a couple of ways I do this. One is to take a piece of paper and just write down everything that comes to mind, whether it’s as simple as an item I need to add to my grocery list or as complicated as how I feel about what’s happening today. The second is to get out my journal and pour it out on the page. I write in full sentences, usually in prayer, as I tell God everything that is in my heart and on my mind, good or bad. By the time I’m finished, I’ve usually heard from Him and have peace. The point is to just get it out.

5. Write something you’re never going to publish.

At least not right now. Maybe later. With a bit of polishing. And some afterthoughts. Don’t let the thoughts and feelings you’re experiencing get in the way of your writing. Write that blog post or article or short story you’re thinking of that deals with the issues we face in 2020. You don’t have to publish it. Just set it aside in a file and go back to it six months from now. See how you feel then. Then decide to publish it or not. For now, move on to what you need to be writing today. Since you’ve gotten that other piece out of the way.

6. Get together with a writing buddy.

Yes, social distancing, I know. But there are ways to get around that. Grab some drive through and park next to each other. Roll your windows down and have a conversation. Then use the site’s wi-fi and get to work. Or meet at your home. Or Zoom. Just get together. God didn’t create us to isolate (unless we’re on deadline, right?). He made us for fellowship with one another. Don’t ignore that need.

7. Send a newsletter and post something uncontroversial.

The key here is to avoid reading. When you go into social media, go directly to your own feed, and post something uplifting, entertaining, encouraging, or inspirational. When you open your email, skip reading the incoming messages and go straight to creating and sending your newsletter (unless, of course, you do this in an email program like MailChimp or ConvertKit). Send your followers and readers and fans some love and joy. Give them a break from the chaos too.

We all know that “this too shall pass.” The problem is, it usually passes then comes around again. We live in a fallen world full of people who don’t believe or don’t want to follow the Lord and Savior we know. Until Jesus comes back, evil will persist.

And we still have voices. And we still have stories to tell. And we still have encouragement and inspiration to share with others.

We can’t let the evil stop us from doing good. Find a way. Write the words. And continue to pursue God’s truth above all else. We’ve got this!

Alycia Morales is a freelance editor and writer. Her writing has been in Thriving Family magazine, Splickety Love, and several compilation books. Her editing clients have won several awards for their manuscripts, including finalist in the Selah Award. Alycia has ghostwritten The Spirit of Hospitality by Larry Stuart and continues to ghostwrite for others. She is currently working on two novels, a YA and a romantic suspense.

She is the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference assistant to Directors Edie Melson and DiAnn Mills.

Follow Alycia at her blogs, Life.Inspired. and The Write Editing. She can also be found on Instagram and Pinterest.

Alycia’s Twitter: @AlyciaMorales

When she isn’t busy writing, editing, and reading, Alycia enjoys spending time with her husband and four children taking hikes in Upstate SC and NC, creating various crafts, coloring in adult coloring books, and watching crime shows.