I wrote this post two years ago. It ran shortly after Covid shut the world down, and after the headlines of this week, I knew I needed to read these words again. I hope it encourages your heart. – SD

There’s an old poem with no title and an unknown author, and it opens like this:

From an old English parsonage down by the sea

There came in the twilight a message to me;

Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,

Hath, it seems to me, teaching from Heaven.

And on through the doors the quiet words ring

Like a low inspiration: “DO THE NEXT THING.”

And while this sounds an awful lot like the lyrics from a song in Frozen II, and while it’s a lovely song and perhaps a nod to this poem, I can assure you, it was missionary Elisabeth Elliot who popularized this poem and the phrase: Do the next thing.

You may have heard her story; she tells it in her book THROUGH GATES OF SPLENDOR. It’s a powerful story and I highly recommend it, but I won’t recount it here in full.

I will tell you that after Elisabeth’s husband was killed, she credits this poem with helping her move forward. And just now, as we’re facing some horrific realities across the globe, I find myself coming back to this poem and the strength it gave her.

We could talk about all the inspiration and spiritual direction these words can bring us, but because this is a writing blog, let’s focus our conversation there. How in the world are we supposed to sit down and write while all around us the whole world goes up in flames?

I think this poem (which you can read in full) gives us the answer.

When we’re bombarded by tragedy and noise and doubt and fear, it can be easy to to shut down and and freeze up. Maybe we get lost in the news stories and the frustrations of our current isolated reality. Maybe we’re dealing with sickness in our own families and are overwhelmed with concern for those around us.

And while it is perfectly okay to step away from creative endeavors whenever you feel the need, what can we do if we want to write, if we feel the need to write, or if we have a contractual and financial obligation to continue writing?

Like Elisabeth, we do the next thing.

We cannot do it all today. We cannot flesh out an entire world or draft an entire book. Most of us can’t plot a novel or even an entire chapter in one day. But every single one of us can do the next thing.

When we’re standing at the bottom of a great mountain, there is a tendency to see the project as insurmountable. We feel the magnitude of the task: Just now, we do not have the tools nor the time to reach the top of this thing.

But today we can do something. We can begin by outfitting ourselves for the journey; we can survey the map. Once that’s done, we can pull on our hiking books and lace them tight. And when that’s done, we can do the next thing.

And the next thing isn’t climbing the mountain, friends. The next thing is stepping onto the trail. It’s taking your first stride. And if you can view your writing day as simply this–doing the next thing–you’ll find that, step by step, day by day, you will move closer to the top.

I’m finding this true in my own writing. I had set a huge goal for myself, but sickness and life circumstance has pulled me off track. And while it would be very easy to throw my hands in the air and sigh, “That’s it. I may as well give up,” the better response is to re-evaluate my journey and take it one day, one step at a time.

Just because I won’t make it to the top when I’d hoped, doesn’t mean I can’t get there. And truly, the process doesn’t change. Each day, I get up and instead of craning my neck to take in the peak of the mountain looming over me, I look dead ahead and I take the next step.

For me, that’s meant approaching my book one scene at a time. Some days it’s meant researching one element of medieval life, and other days it’s meant rereading what I wrote the day prior so I can clearly understand what my next thing needs to be.

The truth is, I won’t summit the mountain today or tomorrow. But even in the midst of a frantic world, I can take a step closer. Eventually, the mountain will be mine, but today my job is simple:

I can do the next thing.

How about you? What is your next thing? Break it down. Don’t give me the entire mountain. Give me just one simple task that awaits you. And then, go do it!

Shannon Dittemore is an author and speaker. Her books include the Angel Eyes trilogy, a supernatural foray into the realm of angels and demons, as well as the fantastical adventure novel Winter, White and Wicked. Its sequel, Rebel, Brave and Brutal is due out January 10, 2023.

Shannon’s stories feature strong female leads grappling with fear and faith as they venture into the wilds of the unknown. She’s often wondered if she’s writing her own quest for bravery again and again.

It’s a choice she values highly. Bravery. And she’s never more inspired than when young people ball up their fist and punch fear in the face.

To that end, Shannon takes great joy in working with young writers, both in person and online at Go Teen Writers, an instructional blog recognized by Writer’s Digest four years running as a “101 Best Websites for Writers” selection.

For more about Shannon and her books, please visit her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.