Spring is well under way. There’s something about the change of season that inspires the need to start afresh and get life back in order. Maybe that comes with digging up an old flowerbed and planting an herb garden, or cleaning out the garage to have that rummage sale you’ve been thinking about. Or maybe it’s pulling out all the throw rugs and giving them a couple of good whacks to remove the dust and dirt. With all this spring vigor, have you thought about spring cleaning your writing? Here are some tips to reenergize your writing this season.

Air It Out

Growing up, I remember a few occasions where my mother would open up all the windows and let the fresh air in. There’s nothing like a gentle breeze wafting through the house, bringing in the fresh scents of spring. We can do that when we let the Lord renew and re-energize our minds.

Romans 12:2 says, “…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Our writing is reflective of our mindset. And let’s be honest—the world is a bit crazy right now. It’s time to air out all that “foulness” and let the Holy Spirit breathe some new life back into our hearts so we can be effective for His kingdom.

Dust It Off

Do you love to dust? Do you enjoy grabbing that dust rag sprayed with your favorite lemon-scented cleaner and wiping away the built-up layer of particles clinging to your furniture? Dusting was one of my summer chores growing up. And though I didn’t particularly enjoy it, I did like the results—a clean, reflective surface.

Sometimes we allow negative things to accumulate in our writing. We can lapse into lazy habits like not giving our work to the Lord, or not being consistent in developing our skills. We need to wipe away the things that hold us back—even if it means using a little elbow grease to buff out a dull spot—and remember that our writing is a gift from God that needs to reflect His grace and goodness.

Minimize and Reorganize

Is there too much clutter about that is keeping you disorganized? It might be time to minimize, and that includes our writing projects. If we have too many projects we want to tackle, we can’t focus, which makes our writing suffer. Ask the Lord to show you what’s important. Ask Him to help you prioritize your work. Then allow Him to help you organize—which could include your workspace. Starting out with a clean work area keeps our distractions to a minimum so we can give Him our best work.

Restock for Tomorrow

Once we’ve aired out, dusted off, reduced, and reorganized, it’s time to restock. This may be taking a writing class to improve a skill, or setting up a time with a writing friend to pray about a new writing direction if you find your work lacking. As Christians we need to be looking ahead. So that means preparing now for whatever the Lord may bring us.

Spring cleaning your writing is a must if we want to be a usable tool for the Lord. Make this a tradition—not just for spring, but for those times in your life when your writing needs refreshing.

How can you spring clean your writing this year?

Catherine L. Osornio has written inspirational articles for a women’s ministry newsletter, over 200 leveled reader stories for a school’s reading program, fiction and nonfiction articles for Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. magazines, The Declaration of Independence from A to Z, Thunder Comes a Rumblin’, Mosquitoes Infect!, Danger on Martin Mountain, plus various work-for-hire projects.A former elementary school librarian, Catherine is passionate about sharing the love of reading. She enjoys cartooning, illustration, and reading kids’ books. Email her at CLOsornio@verizon.net or visit her at www.catherineosornio.com.

Unsplash photo credits: Kate Laine, Peter Herrmann, Paulina Herpel, and Sam Harrons.