Where do words come from?

Today’s blog post comes from Book Proposal Boot Camp member and writer Kelly Tuten. 

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“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:45 (NIV)

I’m astonished how many times I sit to write at the computer and nothing happens. I stare at the blank page. Wait. Type. Backspace, backspace, backspace. Type. Erase. The Google Doc mocks my incompetence, kindly suggesting sentence finishers. I’ve hit rock bottom. Admitting defeat, open up my Bible. 

I wish I could tell you my magic formula  to find inspiration. I wish I could tell you my life changed forever by a startling new approach I invented to write a New York Times bestseller overnight. But, alas, my light bulb moment happens where all good ideas come from: the shower. 

I examine my heart. I reflect on my soul. I have a one-on-one with God. 

Sometimes, I get it backwards. I try to think of the catchiest phrases, the most developed paragraph or search synonyms on thesaurus.com until my hands fall off. The truth is, great writing — writing that compels us to read more and share with others — comes from the heart. 

And there you have it. Words come from the heart. 

Out of the heart the hands type, the pen writes and the words have life. 

Whatever is in your heart will give life to the pages of your blog or your book. 

I ask myself, What is my heart full of? 

Great writing is made up of words that come from the quiet moments no one sees. Great writing is born in the still places of our souls. The fresh morning when the house is peaceful, the kids are still asleep and I meet with the Lord alone. Uninterrupted. Listening. Waiting. Expectant. 

Words come from the overflow of our hearts. Luke 6:45 reads: “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

The more I fill my heart with the promises of God, the more words I write. It is often said we operate from the overflow of what we are filled with. 

What am I filled with? 

The words that fill the pages of my book are birthed in my heart. 

 

So, I ask you, Dear Reader, what is in your heart?