Using the Right Tools Matters
Maybe you wonder how a tub relates to using the right tools to enhance your writing. Stick with me. Blue hair isn’t the easiest to maintain. You might have heard the phrase, “I bleed blue.” My hair certainly does.
Through experience, I’ve learned several tools will remove blue stain from porcelain and (fake?) granite in bathrooms. Bleach. Bath & Body Works perfume. And, the only option viable for air travel: whitening toothpaste. Whitening toothpaste removes a multitude of stains.
At home, I wash my hair in a stainless steel sink. When traveling, I lean over the side of the tub and put my head under the faucet to reduce splatter.
Did you know it’s possible to resurface porcelain? During a recent hotel stay, I noticed paint flaking off the tub. I had no idea this would make a difference in my usual routine.
I laid out my whitening toothpaste and blue travel towel. I knelt by the tub, turned on the faucet, washed my hair—managing to keep my t-shirt mostly dry—wrapped my head, and stared at the disaster in front of me.
Deep blue stains marked the bottom of the tub. Normally, the blue bleed leaves light blue marks, easily removed with toothpaste. In this case, the resurfacing paint latched onto the pigment and soaked it in.
I grabbed my toothpaste and scrubbed at the color. It faded, but only a little. I tried to fight rising panic. They-are-going-to-charge-me-sooooo-much-money-at-checkout. What could I use?
Using the WRITE tools matters
In the writing journey, we sometimes forget to use the right “write” tools.
Or maybe we just aren’t sure which step to take next. Should we read a book? Take a class? Join another writing group?
Using the Wrong Tools Causes Frustration
I dug through my bags to find my stain-removing pen and swiped it over the stains. No change. Bar soap, body wash, shampoo, and even conditioner: nothing made a difference. Lotion. Face cream. Eyeglass cleaner. The stains faded slightly but were still much too obvious.
Maybe abrasion? I ripped open the coffee service packets. Dumped sugar, sweetener, and powdered creamer into the tub, and added what my grandfather used to call “elbow grease.” No dice. After working on the tub for almost an hour, I mopped my sweaty face with a towel.
Class started soon. I’d have to come back later. I fretted through class, trying to think of anything else I might try. Would coffee grounds create worse stains? Maybe I could ask the server for extra lemons at lunch.
Using the Wrong Writing Tools Causes Frustration
We isolate ourselves, spend time down rabbit holes, procrastinate, and immerse ourselves in social media. Sure, some of it is research or platform building, but more often we’re stuck in time wasting or “I don’t know what to do next.”
Or we’re distracted for longer than we’d like to admit thanks to the algorithm’s “you just researched the current value of thirty pieces of silver, so we think you’ll like this video of cat shenanigans.”
Locate the Right Tools
After lunch, armed with lemon slices and salt, I went back to my room. Just down the hall stood a housekeeping cart.
I poked my head through an open door. “Excuse me, may I borrow a bottle of bathroom cleaner?”
The young lady grabbed her bottle. “Yes, which room?”
“Oh, I don’t mean to interrupt. I can clean it myself and bring this back. Is that okay?” Please, please just give me the cleaner.
No way did I want to show her the mess I’d made.
She shrugged, smiled, and handed me the bottle.
Locate the WRITE Tools
Christian Writers Institute has educated writers since 1945. The legacy—from Robert Walker, whose name you may not recognize, to Steve Laube, whose name you probably know—is astounding. We build on a strong foundation.
540 Writers Community, founded in 2020, partners with Christian Writers Institute to provide free, accessible resources for writers who experience barriers to learning.
The Right Tools Can Bring Success
Back in the bathroom, I prayed and squeezed the trigger. A light spray misted the tub. That was it? I’d hoped for something more heavy-duty. And then it happened. Thirty seconds after I sprayed down the tub, the blue faded, faded, disappear.
Half a minute.
Why did I spend an hour using the wrong tools without success and wasted another couple of hours worrying and trying to figure out a solution, instead of going straight for the obvious choice?
The WRITE Tools Can Bring Success
If you feel alone,
if you’re spinning your proverbial wheels,
if you’re distracted,
if you’re not sure where to start,
if you hope to connect with other writers,
if you need focus or accountability,
if you want to learn what you don’t know,
if you’re trying to nail down your “why,”
you’re in the right place.
And now, as promised:
Four Tools to Enhance Your Writing Journey
- Community/Connection: writing can be isolating, but you’re not alone. As in any job, relationships are the key to survival. A connection might introduce you to a new opportunity. A friend can keep you from giving up during difficulty (the writing life is not for pansies). We need each other.
- Concentration/Focus: without direction, we’re likely to wander. Structure and accountability help keep us on track.
- Cultivation/Education: we don’t know what we don’t know. Conferences, craft books, blogs, podcasts, and classes all offer great ways to grow and hone the skills we acquire.
- Carrot/Encouragement: whether you’re writing a book, an article, a blog, or a poem, it’s easy to give up if we don’t have goals or a definite “why.” Clarity and a defined reason for writing are important.
Christian Writers Institute offers the four tools listed above AND has already made minor changes to programming with your writing journey in mind, like
- offering a free or low-cost class to take as a group
- creating free discussion time to enhance group learning
- hosting free monthly connection calls and networking sessions open to all
- connecting you with the 540 Writers Community for even more resource options
Exciting developments to come include
- clear learning paths
- collaboration with partners
- additional resources
- more ways to support you
One of my favorite upcoming projects (which should be available in 2025 through a collaboration with 540 Writers Community) is a program to provide scholarships for classes and for the Write to Publish conference for those who experience barriers to learning—particularly missionaries and indigenous ministry workers in other countries, but anyone who lacks access will qualify to apply.
Sometimes I (maybe) read too much into what happens in my life, but the tub incident seemed to be a direct personal message. “Great tools are already in your hands. You know what to do. Now make those tools available to others.”
I’m excited about our future together as writers.
Let’s quit using sugar on the tub when what we really need is bleach.
Ready to move forward with your
writing education? Christian Writers Institute can help.
Looking for free resources to support your writing journey? Check out 540 Writers Community.
PS—Have ideas about future resources and opportunities with CWI or 540? Comment below or drop your thoughts in this Google form.
