by Glynn Young
Since the time I was a reporter for my college newspaper, longer ago than I care to admit, writing has been an integral part of my life. I’ve been a reporter, editor, newsletter editor, speechwriter, public relations manager, novelist, short story writer, non-fiction book author, blogger, book reviewer, essayist, poet, and more. Writing has been central in every job I held and every employer I worked for.
I never had time for writer’s block. A speech had to be written. News releases had deadlines. Contracts had to be met. Employers had expectations (or demands, often unreasonable). I might have a project where I had to pause to understand the challenge fully, but I’d figure out a way through it.
What I’ve had for the last year isn’t writer’s block. I still blog, write book reviews, and even write a few short stories. But the flood of writing that’s carried me for 50-plus years has slowed considerably. It’s less of a block and more of a “moderate drought.”
Something similar happened in 2012 and 2013. In addition to working a full-time job, I published both a novel and a non-fiction book (two different publishers and two different contracts), and I did it while my mother’s health was rapidly declining due to age. By the time those two books were published, I was exhausted. I waited a full year before starting on another novel.
This current moderate drought started some months after the publication of my last novel in late 2024. I’d worked on writing that book for two years; the research had taken even longer. I wasn’t exhausted when the book emerged into the published light of day, but I knew I needed a break. I was still writing short stories, blog posts, and book reviews, but I knew I wasn’t ready to start another novel project.
I’m still not. I have ideas, at least three or four a day. Some I start mapping out in my mind. But I haven’t typed the first word on the keyboard about any of them.
In this time of waiting, waiting to see if I’ll write another novel, I’ve been doing other things.
I spend time in the garden. We have a number of flower beds around our house, and there’s always maintenance, planning, experimenting, and cleaning up.
I go to the art museum.
I volunteer to be a judge in book contests. I think I’ve had five stints as a judge in the last two years. something I’d recommend that any writer do. You see what your peers are doing. You find something new to learn. You can often help a writer with a constructive comment or bit of encouragement.
I read and write a considerable number of poems, many of which have started out as sermon notes. Poetry makes you think, and write, in an entirely different way.
I’ve started exploring other fiction forms, like novellas, short novels, and especially short stories. Short stories are harder to write than they might appear; you don’t have the luxury of novel length to tell your story.
I don’t know if my moderate drought will continue or disappear. But I feel a contentment. This is where God has me as a writer at the moment, and I’m content to be there and to listen.
Glynn Young
is a national award-winning speechwriter, communications practitioner, and novelist. He’s the author of five published novels, Dancing Priest, A Light Shining, Dancing King, Dancing Prophet; and Dancing Prince; the non-fiction book Poetry at Work; and the recently published historical novel Brookhaven. Visit Glynn on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, his blog, the Dancing Priest book page.