A Prayer for Freelance Writers

From Cheryl's Writing Crate

Last night I attended our first PTO meeting of the year and was thrilled to see such a large turnout--15 people.  That may seem like a lame turnout to most, but for those of us in the world of PTO, any number above the board members that shows up is a plus!

Once we got down to business, we were excited about all the plans for the upcoming school year, but we also realized we have our work cut out for us.  Funding is difficult, parent involvement is usually a challenge, and even rallying teachers to get involved can add to the mix.  An optimist at heart, I refuse to let these types of things get in the way of the spirit that we have amongst even our small group, so at the end of the meeting I suggested we take a deep breath, and visualize a positive school year experience for our kids, the teachers and the parents in our community.  Then I took it one step further and got a little cheesy by asking all in attendance to share one thought they could offer that we could turn into a PTO Prayer (not in the religious sense) to reflect on throughout the year.

The ladies (and one dad!) that were at the meeting really liked this idea and within 15 minutes we had a witty, inspiring, thought-provoking sentiment down on paper that we are going to print and distribute to our school community.  It felt great to walk away from the meeting with such a creative twist on how we as involved parents want to contribute to our school this year.

When I got home, I began thinking about this post.  As much as I'd love to admit I plan these posts in advance, it's just not possible with my full-time work schedule and busy life as a mom of 8.  Still, I look forward to it all week long and can't wait to sit down and write it.   As I reflected on our awesome PTO meeting, I began to think about prayer in general.  I'm not trying to make today's post about anything religious, I promise, but what I am trying to share is that sometimes we can take the wording of a prayer and use it as a tool for inspiration and even as a calming mechanism when we're feeling overwhelmed or frustrated that we can't write as often as we'd like.

As luck would have it (or more like it was meant to be!) I received the following e-mail entitled "A Short Prayer for Freelance Writers written by Carol Tice.   I'm sharing it below as "food for thought" in hopes that maybe you can glean a few of it's points to help inspire your writing in the days and weeks to come.

Just for today, let me be compassionate with myself.

I forgive myself for not writing enough, or well enough, or fast enough.

I am thankful today for my unique creative gifts. Instead of dwelling on regrets about what I haven’t accomplished yet, I will focus on what I can do now to develop my craft.

Let me take at least one, small step today to put my writing out there.

When my query letters go unanswered, I will remain serene and remember that it’s often not about me or my writing.

I will listen and learn from people whose feedback I value, but trust that my most important guiding voice and source of confidence as a writer lies within.

When opportunities arise, let me evaluate them with clear eyes and have the wisdom to pass if the gig isn’t right for me. I will not let feelings of panic or desperation lead me to make bad choices, but trust that if I do my marketing, the right gigs will come to me.

Because the people who matter to me are important, I will strive to set aside device-free time today in which I am fully present for them.

I will make time to move my body, stay healthy, and take in the beauty that surrounds me. I know it will fuel more creativity.

Grant that I lie down in peace tonight, grateful for the chance I’ve had today to write, to grow, and to send my message out into the world.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about how a prayer like this could influence your writing going forward.