By Tammy Karasek @tickledpinktam

The time to sit and write has arrived. You’d planned for it. You perched yourself in front of the computer screen or notebook with a pen and have written your fingers numb. As you wrote the piece, whether a blog post, article, devotion or part of your book, did you give it your best effort?

Think before you answer that question. Be honest.

Asking you to be honest, I’ll do the same. I have to confess, there’ve been times I would wait until the last minute or unfortunately my mood was not conducive for productivity, but I knocked at the door of a due date. I needed to finish the piece for submission and I hurried through it to catch that deadline. I threw some words down on the paper, rearranged the order to make it somewhat flow and pressed the submit button.

Then I agonized later for the error of my ways.

I decided a couple of years ago I would commit to pray over any writing I would do. I prayed that God would show me when my best wasn’t in a piece I felt entitled to type The End on. I asked Him to give me an unsettled feeling about it. And let me make it clear, I prayed, I’m your stubborn one, Lord, unsettle me in a big way.

Man did He show up! It’s said, be careful what you ask for, and this applied here. There’ve been times where I was about to hit the submit button and my computer froze or the piece wouldn’t transfer. I was living in answered prayer.

In order to get a handle on my writing and make sure my best work is what I published, I have come up with three checkpoints that I’ve used since. Maybe they’ll give you some help so you, too, can do the same. Here they are:

Plan your writing schedule better.

What I’ve been doing is writing my deadline for a date one week earlier than when it is due. I admit, I’m playing a little mind game with myself, but it’s worked. By building margins in the deadline dates, it allows time for the words to roll around in my mind. Have a piece due on the fourth Tuesday of the month? Put it on the third Tuesday in red bold and then a different color on the true due date. This will allow time to write the piece, do whatever extra is needed—photos, references, etc.—and then read it again a day or two later. Does it feel right? Do I have that peace this was my best effort I’d applied? Perfect, hit that submit button.

Make an attitude adjustment.

Are you rehashing a snarky comment made directed at you? Family member say something hurtful? Bitter about something you don’t want to admit? This could block your entire thought process, which could cause you to write with a sour attitude and you didn’t realize it. Time to get up and walk away. Take a breath. Say a prayer. Maybe even make a needed phone call.

File it for later.

When you complete a writing piece, sit back and ask God to show you if you really applied yourself to it. If you get the feeling it might not have been your best, do not hit delete. Make yourself a file that says, Needs Work. File the piece there. Pull it out on another day. Let it brew until the words start pouring into it again.

            “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,” Colossians 3:23 ESV

As we finish up our year and look into a brand new year of great projects, my prayer for each of us is that we always present or post our best work wherever we have placed our words. Because remember—we want all things to be pleasing to God.

What about you? Do you have a tip to add to those above?

Tammy Karasek uses humor and wit to bring joy and hope to every aspect in life. Her past, filled with bullying and criticism from family, drives her passion to encourage and inspire others and show them The Reason to smile. She’s gone from down and defeated to living a “Tickled Pink” life as she believes there’s always a giggle wanting to come out!

She’s a writer of Romantic Suspense—with a splash of sass. Her debut book, Launch That Book, released in November 2023. She’s published in a Divine Moments Compilation Book—Cool-inary Moments. Also, she’s a writing team member for The Write Conversation, The Write Editing, Blue Ridge Conference Blog, and more.

Known as The Launch Team Geek, she helps authors launch their books. You’ll also find her as a Virtual Assistant for several best-selling authors, the Social Media Manager for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, Founding President of ACFW Upstate SC, and Founding President of Word Weavers Upstate SC. Connect with Tammy at https://www.tammykarasek.com.