When the words don’t come, there may be a reason.
by Andy Scheer
With the deadline approaching, I drew a blank.
For the past year as a magazine columnist, I’d been able to find topics. But Monday, three days before deadline, my mental cupboard remained bare. And other commitments the next few days would keep me from the keyboard. So I threw myself on the editor’s mercy and asked for a week’s extension.
Even with the deadline pressure relieved, no ideas came. I told myself I’d write the column Saturday and turned to other projects.
Thursday two news items arrived in my in-box, converging to illustrate a significant trend for the column’s readers. I knew what I’d write come Saturday.
But I forgot to tell my subconscious. About 2 a.m. Friday I awoke, my brain racing with how to develop the article. To get back to sleep, I had to jot down those thoughts. Fortunately, Saturday morning the notes still made sense, and the column fell into place.
When the pieces don’t fit, my only choice is to wait. The ideas will come. I just wish they’d arrive before bedtime.
Freelance editor Andy Scheer recently served as editor-in-chief for the Christian Writers Guild and editorial director for Believers Press.
