by Larry Leech @LarryJLeechII

Disappointment and Discouragement.

Oh, how they love to bother and belittle us. Batter and bruise us. 

The “D” brothers are henchmen of the enemy. If we are not careful, they can overwhelm us with invasive thoughts.

“That’s a stupid idea.”

“No one will read this.

“Ha, you couldn’t have come up with a better verb than that.”

“You’re a horrible writer.”

“If readers knew what a terrible person you have been, they’d want nothing to do with you.”

Surely, we have heard those sweet lovelies, or something similar? Maybe for weeks on end, day after day after day after day. Because they can be relentless. Much like the passenger on an American Airlines flight back in January when he continually poked the back of the passenger’s seat in front of him because he was upset that she reclined her seat. She took video of part of the incident. In it, you can see him tapping or pushing on her seat every two to three seconds. The video of what she recorded can be found here, if you are interested: https://twitter.com/steelersfanOG/status/1227981350688428038/video/1

That kind of continuous action is meant to annoy us, get us off our game. Frustrate us. Disappoint us. Discourage us. Maybe to the point that we throw in the towel.

But we can’t. No matter what the “D” brothers throw at us, whisper at us, we shouldn’t quit. We can’t quit.

We can’t be like Eyeore (no offense to Disney fans) and walk around with our head down and mumbling. Yes, in this writing gig, no matter how difficult it may be, we will experience disappointment and discouragement. We do in life, right? So why should we be exempt in our writing? Especially when we write to glorify God.

Putting the “D” brothers in their place can be exhausting because they can be relentless. When we dwell on their words, we push what we should be doing out of the forefront of our mind. We focus on them and if we do that long enough, we will ultimately push God out of being part of our writing process. 

Remember, we have a big God. Take the club away from the enemy and give it to God. Give Him the attention. When we bring Him back to the forefront on our mind, the “D” will slide off our shoulder and leave us alone. At least for a little while. 

Of course, they will be back. So be ready. But don’t give in and don’t believe a word the “D” brothers say. They are spirits of the ultimate liar. Keep that in mind the next time they show up.

Writing coach of award-winning novelists, Larry J. Leech II has spent nearly 40 years working with words. After a 23-year journalism career that began in 1981, Larry moved into freelance writing and editing in 2004. He has ghostwritten nearly 30 books and edited more than 250 manuscripts. Larry teaches at numerous conferences nationwide and can be found online on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and his website, www.larryleech.com.