What To Do When You Don't Know What To Write...

1. Take a walk. This will help clear your head and give you a chance to organize your thoughts without the pressure of getting them out in the open.

2. Think about things you've journaled and/or read lately that will spur on further thought. Think about things that you wanted to think about more when you first heard them. Think about things that inspire you. Just THINK.

3. Allow yourself to dream. For me, dreaming generally precedes writing. Of course, there are no set rules, and they may happen simultaneously, but I have often found that if I try to squeeze something out of nothing, I get frustrated with the mess that ensues. See number four regarding patience. Once I get an idea or vision for my life, whether the near or distant future, I have an urge to write it down to preserve it.

4. Don't force it. Sometimes you just need time. It's like an incubation period. Maybe I don't know what thoughts and ideas are stirring around in my head, but something is, and soon that thought or idea will be born into something beautiful. And for me, beautiful things of that sort simply must be written. As frustrating as it may be, time is an asset. Allow an appropriate amount of time (sometimes shorter, sometimes longer) for these thoughts to really dig deep and take root in your heart. That way, when you begin to write, they are no longer weak and feeble, but have already begun to mature.

5. Broaden your horizons. Everything is worth writing about. Every experience has a lesson; every person, a story. Don't limit yourself to what other people write about, what you've written about before, what you think you are supposed to write about. Drop those preconceived notions, and just write. You may be surprised at what comes out.

6. Sleep. I am a firm believer that this answer will solve more problems than we give it credit for. Feeling a little out of it? Sleep it off. Getting a cold? Better get some sleep. Just finished off a crazy-stressful semester, dove right into Christmas and everything this holiday entails -- all the good and all the ugly, then jumped into Cru Conference and soaked in all the learning and relationships, etc, etc??? Yeah, sleep is good for that, too. ;-)  

Okay. I'm going to go take my own advice now...

[So very, VERY thankful for a couple weeks in between the craziness of Christmas - see #6b - and starting up the Spring semester. I have a loooong to do list of all kinds of fun things to fill the empty space.]