Patty Wysong: Remembering Why I Write

Everyone's Story warmly welcomes the phenomenal Patty Wysong. Patty is a multi-talented woman and it shows in her writing, website design, her love for family, friends, and animals, and her patience in and desire to help others. I've gotten to know first-hand about this extraordinary woman by working with her on the Amazon best-selling CHRISTMAS TREASURES: A COLLECTION OF CHRISTMAS STORIES, as well as when she helped me with frantic questions about my blog. I'm thankful Patty accepted my invitation to guest this week. She shares her heart, and I hope you will share a fond hello and perhaps a few other thoughts about traveling through different seasons of life, being true to yourself, being true to God.


***I'll love for you to take a moment and take the short poll on the right-hand sidebar of how far you're willing to read before deciding a book isn't for you. Thanks so much.

BookGiveaway:

Patti is offering 1 e-copy of Jeff Goins' spiritual memoir THE IN-BETWEEN, a book that Patty says was a big help during her time of silence. The winner will be announced here on Friday, March 20th between 5-6 PM EST. To be entered in the Giveaway, please leave your contact information within your comment. 

Traveling Through Seasons by Patty Wysong

A while back I sensed that God was leading me into a season of silence, and I was right. I was okay with the thought of silence, but I had no idea it would last as long as it has. Like grieving, I think I’ve gone through every stage: sad, depressed, angry, dejected, acceptance, comfort within the silence, longing for the words to restart… I’ve been through all those and more a few times now.

God has been faithful throughout it all… The need to set aside my writing for my family. The transition to life on the road and being gone half-the-time. The sudden and at-that-time unwelcome marriage of a daughter. The birth and death of a huge family business venture. The change from being a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom to a working mom.

God is always faithful. In the midst of each season He whispered things to my heart that were for me alone, things that kept me going when stopping wasn’t an option.

Now the words are coming again. Slowly. Painstakingly. It’s like water coming out of a rusty pipe that hasn’t been used in a long, long time. With starts and stops, wheezing, gasping, gurgling, sputtering. Words that landed on the page but then I hesitated, hearing all the voices around me. And discouragement set in.

After years of silence, the words had returned, but as I listened to those good voices around me I pulled those first words on paper back to myself. Were they good enough? I’d been silent so long maybe I forgot all I had learned. Maybe I was too rusty. Maybe those words were only for me… All those good voices, crowded out why I wrote.

So I withdrew back into my silence. I had become comfortable there. I became convinced that those written words were just for me.

But like Jeremiah said, there was a burning in my bones. Deep inside I knew the words needed freeing. That in freeing them I would be free again. The problem was, I had lost my voice. I had lost my nerve.

Then my sister started reading a book I’d recommended. As we chatted about it she pointed me to the questions in a simple exercise. Why do you write? What drives your desire to write? What is its central purpose? She encouraged me to pull out my journal and work through those questions. Smart lady. Two nights later, pen in hand, the words slowly began. Then it came pouring out and I wrote as fast as I could. As I wrote joy returned.

I remembered why I wrote.

I saw and recognized what drives me to write and its purpose on several levels.

It’s true. Obedience leads to joy.

Sure, the words still feel rusty to me. They still come in gurgles and sputterings. But that’s okay. I’ve remembered why I write and I’ve retuned my ears to the Voice. Once again I’m writing out of obedience and that obedience is bringing me abounding joy, regardless of the outcome.

So tell me, have you become discouraged with your writing? Maybe it’s time to go back and rediscover why you write. What is it that drives you to write?

Patty's Ah-hahs To Tweet:

Everyone’s Story: Why does @PattyWysong say obedience leads to joy? (Tweet This)

Meet lovable @PattyWysong: author, talented blogger, and mom to Capuchin monkeys. #BookGiveaway (Tweet This)

Check out @PattyWysong’s #BookGiveaway of Jeff Goin’s book THE IN-BETWEEN (Tweet This)

Author's Bio:

Since Patty quit running from God's call on her life and surrendered her pen to Him, she's been happy. Life is never dull as she juggles being a wife, mom to a handful of kids and a couple of Capuchin monkeys, life on the road, a warehouse manager, and being a writer. As long as she's obeying God's leading, she figures that sanity is a novelty and not a necessity in the zoo she lives in. Patty clings to the promise that God will enable her to do what He asks of her, otherwise she would be living with the scaredy cats at the Funny Farm and not just occasionally visiting. Her book, Waging War on Worry and Winning Peace will be available on Kindle soon.

You can find her on her blog, Patterings, as well as on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, too.