Heart of Writing S1 E7 How to Reset When You’re Blocked

Good morning and welcome back to the show. Today, we’re diving into a tender but important question. How do you write when your emotional tank is empty?

Maybe you’ve been carrying a heavy season. Maybe you feel called to write, but your heart is tired. 
You’re not uninspired. You’re not lazy. You’re just drained. 
And still, you feel the words knocking. So let’s talk about how to keep writing with honesty and gentleness when you’re running low.

1. Be honest about where you are. 
You don’t have to fake strength to write. In fact, the most powerful words often come from our weakest days. I’ve had moments where I was carrying grief and family burdens, yet still felt called to put words on a page, and I learned something. 
You don’t always write from a polished place. Sometimes you write through tears. If your emotions are wrong, acknowledge them. 
If you’re weary, name it. That honesty brings relief to you and to your realer.

2. 
Lower the bar, and that’s not a bad thing. You’re not writing to win an award today. You’re writing to stay connected to your calling. 
So lower the bar. Write a paragraph instead of a page, a line instead of a chapter, a prayer instead of a plan. The point isn’t performance, it’s presence. 
Write what’s real, write what you actually feel. That is more than enough.

3. 
Write what needs to be written. When you’re drained, forcing yourself into a topic that feels stale will only deepen the fatigue. Instead, write what your heart is holding, maybe it’s grief, maybe it’s faith, maybe it’s confusion. 
Let the page carry your truth. That’s where clarity begins to return, and your readers will feel the difference. It reminds them your human, too. 


4. Use writing as healing, not just output. Writing doesn’t have to be productive to be powerful. 
Sometimes it’s healing. Think about King David. The Psalms are more than worship. 
They’re his journal of struggle and hope. That raw writing became a lifeline for generations. You don’t need to push everything you write. 
Some writing is just between you and God, journaling a prayer, free writing, a thought that can be sacred, too.

5. Stop before you’re empty. 
You don’t need to write for hours. Touch the page, then rest. Even a few honest lines can tether you to your purpose. 
Protect your reserves. Your creative voice doesn’t need pressure. It needs gentleness. emotional exhaustion doesn’t mean you’ve failed as a writer. 
It means you’re alive. It means you’re carrying things that matter. So don’t quit. 
Don’t try to outrun your soul. Write gently, write slowly, write as an act of trust, and trust that God will meet you right there. Until next time, this is John Edward Nickerson. 
Keep writing from the heart, even when the words are heavy, because your voice still matters