What Do You Write About When You Have Nothing Good To Say?
Hard times don’t have to turn into writer’s block.
By Grace K. Bianco
“I know that anything is possible as long as we pour out our hearts onto paper. Our life story can move mountains if we share the lessons we learned with those who need to learn them, too.” Diane Nichols
It’s an easy trap to fall under… The lack of motivation that comes with the harder moments in life. As a lifestyle blogger, I can admit that it can be very challenging to write about my life when I have drowned myself in negativity.
How can I write about my marriage if I just argued with my husband? How can I speak positively about getting through anxiety when I just cried for an hour over the “what if”? How can I speak openly about my faith when I am in the process of begging God for answers?
Those three questions are the examples I will be using to answer the more broad question : “What do you write about when you have nothing good to say?”
How I Write About my Marriage
“How can I write about my marriage if I just argued with my husband?”
The short answer is write about something else. When my husband and I are having a tougher day/week, I steer clear of writing about marriage as much as possible. Not because I will slander my husband’s name on accident, but because I know it won’t be as authentic as I would like. I don’t want even the tiniest hint of resentment to show, even if it would just be my husband noticing.
As a lifestyle blogger, who is a housewife, it can be hard to come up with topics that don’t involve in my husband some way. Or I might have already planned to write a blog on marriage for the week. In that case, I work extra hard on it, and I might take extra time to proofread to make sure it is as authentic and nice as possible.
A little rough patch with my husband doesn’t mean I love him any less, and it doesn’t mean there is nothing positive left to say. I simply avoid it when I can, because honestly, it just makes it easier on me.
I wouldn’t want my husband to search for sarcasm or hints about how he is the wrong one in an argument. My writing is supposed to encourage others, and discouraging my husband to get there is absolutely not worth it.
So, I avoid it when I can, and if that isn’t an option, I make extra sure to put any hurt feelings aside.
How I Write About my Mental Health
“How can I speak positively about getting through anxiety when I just cried for an hour over the ‘what if’?”
Unlike my marriage where it involves another person, my anxiety is usually all about me. It’s my own thoughts and feelings. Therefore, the only reputation I would be “slandering” is my own, and if you have read any of my blogs, I have no problem talking about myself.
So, how do I speak positively about anxiety when it is the reason I am struggling? I don’t. Anxiety is not a la la land experience. People who are not struggling need to learn what it is really like, and people who are struggling need to know they are not alone.
There is a quote by Brene Brown that says, “One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will be someone else’s survival guide.” If my realness towards anxiety helps just one person, that is success in my book.
I don’t only show the rough parts of my mental health for others. (Although, that is the number one reason.) I also write out my feelings to feel better. It helps me to vent, and see my own thoughts on paper. When I had to grieve my grandmother’s passing, I wrote an entire blog about her just a few days later. I cope with writing.
How I Write About my Faith
“How can I speak openly about my faith when I am in the process of begging God for answers?”
Again, just like anxiety, I speak openly about my faith. However, again I have someone else’s reputation to watch out for, God’s. If I am struggling with finding answers, I need to be open about the fact that it is not me doubting God existence, but doubting myself in how I react.
Humans are curious (also somewhat nosey) beings. It is not always a bad thing to question God. If I got in an argument with say my parents, I could question them like, “Well, why do you think that way?” I can question my parents without doubting their existence.
As a Christian, I know that God has the perfect plan for me in mind. When something happens in my life, sometimes, I want to know why or question if I am staying on God’s path for my life. As someone who believes in free will, I always want to make sure I am doing what God wants me to do and not going down my own path.
Many times in my life, I would think, “I got this”. I would follow my own heart just for everything to crash and burn. I would run back to God asking for forgiveness.
God’s plan is the best plan, and since God can see way ahead and I can’t, I have to trust Him. I will have questions and “doubts” along the way, but I will always believe that He is who He says He is.
So, What Do You Write About?
In my opinion, I say write about whatever you want, even if it’s not 100% positive. People appreciate honesty. However, if it involves another person, you should either get permission, change names, or avoid it completely. You can be as honest as you want about yourself, but you can’t make that choice for others.
You never know what story might hit home for some. You could be the next inspiration for someone or at the very least be someone’s next inspirational quote.
_______________________________
Thanks for reading!! Make sure to click that follow button for more!!
Also, check out my more personal blog newkindofliving.com ❤
My book, Party Pooper: Growing up with Anxiety, is available now on Amazon (eBook and Paperback).
