The Write Strength: Weathering Storms

Hello #JustWrite!! It has been a long time since I've posted and I'm glad to be back. I spent the last month regrouping after an intense 2-month summer STEM program with training in Philadelphia to working my assignments in NC (Wake Forest University) and ATL(Emory). I was definitely on vacation because when I came back, the desire to write was gone. It was as if my spirit went to those places and never came back. I literally had to be mentally, spiritually, and physically back in those familiar places that reminded me of writing. Slowly, but surely I'm back. So as you all know Hurricane Irma hit FL and GA this week and I saw the effects of it in other states and Mexico. As a native Georgian with family ties in FL and other parts of the US., I had never experienced a storm like that before. As always with many natural occurrences and disasters, my mind and thoughts are always brought back to the scripture of being prepared and staying ready(Matt. 24:24),not just when storms(physically and spiritually)occur, but in and out of season. Two things I learned from this week's storm: the reminder of God's strength and how to rest. With me slowly gaining my desire to write back, I realized that I couldn't force it to come back, like how we as believers sometimes try to do everything in our own strength. A few days ago, a dear friend reminded me of the creation story and the importance of the Sabbath. God, the Creator rested after his magnificent tapestry of the earth. We should do the same in resting and allowing God to do the work so we can be more effective. Speaking of being effective, it's funny and interesting how the same night the storm hit, everything was shut down for me from electricity to laptop. Yep, my fully charged laptop went out completely a few hours after the power did. Luckily this blog was started on my phone (thanks to the Blogger app) before everything happened. For a moment I thought I lost all my docs but thanks to Google Drive I didn't. Unfortunately, my writing will be limited only to my phone or my ancient desktop (lol) until I can get a replacement. Anyways, back to what I was saying earlier, this storm reminded me that although we try to avoid being caught in certain storms, we have to be wise, prepare, and endure those storms as a test of our character. Notice I said character, instead of strength. Remember it is in His strength, that we are no longer weak. The older I get, the more I appreciate the rain because it brings a calmness to my organized chaos. I truly appreciate the storms that come every once in awhile because they allow me to rest and be thankful for the stillness. Also I can't forget the opportunity to create content(this blog and so much more). As I close, I pray that you all received a little rest this week and new revelations about your writings! See you in the next blog!

In His service,

~Lequvia Ousley~

The Write Mentality: Overcoming Writer's Block

Hello #JustWrite!! It's another month and another week and the one topic I wanted to discuss this month is writer's block and how to overcome it. Yes, I said, writer's block. As a matter of fact, I have writer's block now and couldn't decide what topic to write about this month. The irony, right? What better way to deal with an issue is to discuss it. Well, in order to discuss writer's block, let's discuss what it means to experience it. First and foremost, we've all had writer's block. Those moments where deadlines are fastly approaching and we're staring at our piece of paper or computer screen in a daze. We try our best to bring forth content, but nothing seems to come to mind and then the frustration sets in. Sound familiar? Let's look at the textbook definition of writer's block and the possible causes. According to Mental Health Daily, writer's block is a "condition in which writers are unable to think of what to write next. The first case of writer's block was documented in 1947, by Edmund Bergler, a psychoanalyst." Mental Health Daily also lists the following as a few possible causes of writer's block: "Some believe that an author may lack creativity or knowledge surrounding a particular topic – and this may contribute to the block. In other cases, a writer may have no emotional inspiration in regards to the topic they are writing about. Running out of inspiration makes it very difficult to focus and become distracted. Other causes for the condition include environmental changes, mental illness, relationship troubles, increased stress, or perfectionism. Often times authors experience writer’s block when they are pressured into writing a piece of content with specific deadlines. Feeling a sense of intimidation, being unable to work at your own pace, or constantly trying to out-do yourself may also contribute to the block. The symptoms of writer's block vary from the inability to focus to drawing a complete blank.

In order to overcome, determine the cause(s) and utilize a few coping strategies to help ease the writer's block. Here is a list of coping strategies from Mental Health Daily: 

• Avoid perfectionism: If you have writer’s block, your initial rough draft may suck – which is fine because it’s a draft. The goal is to get something written even if it is complete puke in terms of your standards. Many writers overthink and over-analyze what they write, critiquing everything along the way. Stop nit-picking every detail and just write… even if it’s bad, you can always edit it later.
• Brainstorming: If you have hit a block, one way to get around it is to brainstorm. Think of ideas for your writing and write them all down. Even if you think they are “bad” ideas, just write them down anyway. The idea behind brainstorming is to change your perception and let the creative juices flow.
• Change environment: Your environment can have a big influence on how easy or difficult it is to write. If you are attempting to write in a noisy environment with people talking, music playing, or the hustle and bustle of the outside world – this could be interfering with your concentration. Anything in your environment that is detrimental to your concentration has potential to cause writer’s block.
• Cut distractions: Many people, especially students work on writing with their headphones playing music, their social media accounts open (i.e. Facebook), and their cell phone alerts turned on. All distractions not only make the process of writing less efficient, but they can cause us to lose the flow of our work. If you got a good start on the beginning of your paper, but all of a sudden got caught up texting your friend, you may now have writer’s block. Cut back on all distractions and focus on the topic at hand.
• Find inspiration: If you are lacking inspiration, do your best to find a little bit. This may mean reading some inspirational quotes, reading new material, or thinking about people that inspire you. It may be something as simple as having a conversation with a friend that gives you your next idea.
• Forced writing: Sometimes even when thinking of new words for sentences is as difficult as pulling teeth, you need to keep going. Even if you can’t think of anything to say, force yourself to write something. If you stop writing, you may constantly think yourself in circles about what to write next instead of getting something on paper. Forced writing is like forcing people that are out of shape to go to the gym; they may not like it, but at least they’re getting something done.
• Read something: Reading primes your brain with new ideas and perspectives on various topics. If you are caught up in a mental “block” take the time to just read something, even if it’s completely random. Chances are good that when you’re done reading, you’ll be able to think of something to write.
• Research: Perhaps you have writer’s block because you aren’t very familiar with the topic you’re writing about. You can’t expect to pull material out of your brain that was never there in the first place. Take the time to do a bit of research and take some notes – this will give you a better understanding of the topic and some general ideas.
• Stream-of-consciousness: This involves opening up a new document or getting a fresh sheet of paper, and writing whatever is on your mind and/or comes to your mind. This may have nothing to do with a paper that you’re writing about. However, most people are usually able to write about their own thoughts with relative ease. This technique will prove that you still have a writing voice, can still write effortlessly, and don’t have any “block.”
• Use your own voice: If you cannot think of what to write, just go with what you’d normally say to someone if you had a conversation. Most people try to sound technical and smarter than they are by throwing around synonyms and jargon that they wouldn’t normally use during a conversation. Trying to use a different persona and synonym finder while writing isn’t really going to help a block.

These are just a few suggestions listed.  Check out more suggestions here. Try to also use other healthy ways to cope with writer's block such as exercise, contacting your accountability partner, or prayer (clarity and casting cares). The important thing to remember is to not get discouraged on your journey of writing. Writer's block is part of the journey, but it is not the final destination. May we all be encouraged.

In His service,

~Lequvia Ousley~ 

The Write Inspiration: A Recap of the Just Write 2nd Writer's Workshop

Hello, #JustWrite and Happy Resurrection weekend!! After attending our 2nd Writer's workshop last month, I just wanted to highlight a few points that resonated with me. Before I get into those points, I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of the speakers, EICC, and the Just Write Team for another successful writer's workshop. Your dedication, diligence, and service are greatly appreciated. Now let's get into those highlights from the workshop. On that Friday, I had an opportunity to briefly sit in on Paris Love's Vision Board presentation. She shared her tips on how to "Create the Life You Crave.", a pamphlet that was provided during her segment. Through her company, Paris Love Productivity Institute, LLC, Paris touched on the following topics, Having Less Stress, More Freedom, and Abundance, Silencing the Mind, Mind Chatter, Forgiveness, Values, Banish Self-Limiting Beliefs, Living With Excitement and Determination, Gratitude  Writing Your Vision, Writing Your Goals (short-term and long-term), and the finale of creating a vision board and treasure maps. Paris even shared one of her personal vision books with the attendees. The take away from her session was that your vision boards/maps assist you with clarity on YOUR vision, not your family or friends' visions. Saturday's sessions kicked off with Tia McCollors, who was very transparent about her journey and a dear friend who inspired her to write. She shared the following points, "Writing is the best way to talk without being interrupted." "Write because your Father told you too." "We are the light; people have questions and we have the answers." "We are leaders and others are drawn to our stories." Next, we had Tanya Bryant to present, "The Write Brand." Tanya shared her testimony about rediscovering herself while peeling back the layers she hid during her time in the military. She referenced the scripture, Matt. 5:14-15, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." In terms of branding, I learned these strategies: "live streaming is the fastest way to reach your tribe (target audience). You increase your brand presence with drip marketing, which is a concept of showcasing your book a little at a time, social media, and also by being a guest on other writers' platforms." Tanya also shared a quote from Jeff Bezos, the founder of amazon.com, "Your personal brand is what people say about you when you leave the room." Tonia East Phanor discussed "The Write Plan" and how to A.M.P. it up!, an acronym broken down as the following: A-The Write Audience, your writing is not about you, but your audience. M- The Write Message; how is your message the solution for your audience? How is it different? What is the best way to showcase your message? P-Are you the right person? How are you uniquely qualified to write this book for this audience? What are the areas where you will need to learn new skills? Are there habits or hindrances that keep you from writing? Are their people that are able to help you become the right person? And remember, "Keep Calm and Write On!" Marlean and Murlean Tucker gave us the breakdown on the different ways to use social media platforms and programs to create shareable content with graphics, such as the Big 3: FaceBook, Twitter, and Instagram and Twitter industry experts. One website I was excited to hear about as a great graphic recommendation was Canva. I've been using Canva for a few months now and it is a great way to create professional-looking graphics with free template and pictures. Our final session was with Sharon Frame who shared different ways to be a speaker. One thing I noticed about the session was the overlapping of each speaker's message. The content of one speaker was a predecessor to the next speaker's message. It reminds me of reading a book. Each speaker represented a unique chapter with the focus of all us writing our stories and sharing them with the world. That reminds me that during the workshop, we all had an opportunity to meet the faces behind Kingdomwood, a faith-based film production company. We all know that one way to share our stories with the world is via films. Kingdomwood Films shared a great opportunity for all us to support for more faith-based films to be presented on screen. It's the Kingdomwood Flapjack Fundraiser being held on April 22, 2017, at AppleBee's from 8am-10am.

For a donation of $7, supporters will be able to partake in a pancake breakfast and join in on a discussion on faith-based films in support of the Kingdomwood Christian film festival. For more details, check out https://www.facebook.com/kingdomwood/

In closing, I hope these nuggets that I shared with you all will inspire you to continue on with cultivating your vision from planning to provision to production. Write On!!

The Write Team

In His service,

~Lequvia Ousley~

2nd Writer's Workshop: From Vision To Victory

Hey #JustWrite!! We are getting closer to the end of the 1st quarter of 2017 and are going into a new season. What better way to prepare for such a time as this then our upcoming 2nd writer's workshop.  As Kim stated this week, the event is write around the corner for all of our aspiring authors who are ready to birth their projects and veteran authors who will be offering their expertise and insight from their respective platforms. This year the event will be expanded to 3 days from March 24-26. You may be asking, "what do those 3 days entail?"  

Well, for the first day of the workshop, our Insight segment will feature Paris Love who will be facilitating "The Write Vision", where participants will create vision boards pertaining to their books/businesses. 

The second day of the workshop will begin with the Ignite segments with an introduction session from Tia McCollors (Just Write) who will encourage writers to put their thoughts to a pen on paper.

There will also be 3 break out sessions featuring speakers, Tanya Bryant (The Write Brand), Tonia Phanor (The Write Plan), and Marlean Tucker (The Write Connections). Tanya will be teaching on branding: understanding who you are and how to inform the world. Tonia will lead her session on setting clear goals, being intentional about your schedule, meeting the write people, and knowing how to market yourself. For the third session, Marlean will be teaching on social media and website content with the focus on learning to express yourself and being authentic. Attendees will have the opportunity to choose the early afternoon session or the late afternoon session. The concluding breakout session will be led by Sharon Frame (The Write View) who will show writers how to present themselves to the world by turning their books into speaking engagements. 

On the third day of the workshop, we will have the Just Write segment which includes a Literary Exposure event which will allow authors and service providers to showcase their books and businesses to attendees. This event will take place immediately after Sunday service. Like Jesus, by the third day of the workshop, our prayer is that your flesh has died to those old habits and you have risen to your assignments as writers. (Resurrection joke, lol). On a serious note, we are excited for this workshop and the plethora of information that will overflow from the speakers to the attendees. Who knows, maybe you will be a featured speaker for next year's event. With God, all things are possible. As always, our main focus is to encourage everyone to utilize their scribal gifts. Remember, we are going from vision to victory. Let us not lose sight of that and like the scripture says, grow weary in well doing. We only have 9 more days until the event so be sure to join us next week by registering at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/just-write-writers-workshop-tickets-32263061686. We look forward to seeing you!





In His service,


~Lequvia Ousley~

The Write Truths: Loving Our Story

Hello #JustWrite!! Can you believe it's February again!! 2017 is moving along quite nicely. Summer will be here before we know it. Don't let time pass you by before you are able to tell those stories. Speaking of telling stories, on February 2nd, I finally had the opportunity to check out a matinee of  the movie, "Hidden Figures". I know I'm late seeing the movie, but since the year has rolled in, I've been busy. So, once I saw that I finally had a free moment, I checked the movie out and it was everything I expected it to be and more. First and foremost, most of you know that I am a math geek, so anything about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), I'm intrigued. When I saw the previews, I knew I had to go out and support this movie, mainly because I had never known of the three women's roles in STEM during the civil rights era. It was an emotionally, riveting movie. I was brought to tears during specific scenes. What really made me sad was the fact that the women had to wait until they were older to have their story told. Not once during my years as a student in public school and college did I hear about these women.  Watching the movie reminded me of how my ancestors and those before me endured so much so that I could be able to do so much more than they could do. We are so privileged to do so many things and as our sis Kim would say, be intentional about them, but we don't do them. More importantly, when it comes to telling our stories, we either shrink in fear and don't tell our story and in many ways compromise our stories to gain more popularity and materialism.


For example, this past Sunday, the Grammy's aired and the following day, as expected, there were so many social media posts about the awards show, ranging from performances, attire, and award speeches. Many of the posts I saw, I found to be written in a negative light. It's amazing how we're so quick to write and showcase such negativity online, but when it comes to sharing something that is positive and can bring forth change, we as a people are silent. Why is that the case? Are we ashamed of our stories? Do we feel like we're the only ones that take a stand for something that we care about so no one else would possibly care? Or is that we don't want to step on anyone's toes when speaking truth? We as people and as writers have to get back to being authentic and true to our stories. We have to start loving our stories enough to be shared and told in the way they deserved to be told.  I've noticed lately that many books are becoming movies and many singers are producing biopics that are allowing creative freedom to share their stories. It seems that when one artist shares their stories, it frees others to share theirs. That direct support from one artist to another is an example that we as writers should follow as well. That brings me back to the movie, "Hidden Figures." One moment that stuck out to me in the movie was the way the women stuck together. So much power happens when we as writers stick together. We do more together than we do would do solo. Now, there are some cases where we have to be solo (quiet time, prayer, etc.), but, you understand what I'm saying.  The same thing goes for us as Christians. There's so much division in the body of Christ because of titles and so much attention on what we do that sometimes we miss the big picture: working collectively to grow in the Word together so we can make disciples and bring them into the Kingdom. I truly believe that when we as people, writers, and Christians get back to the place of understanding our 'why' (purpose, vision, history) and our truths, then so much strength and boldness would be manifested and so many beautiful stories will be told. We have so much power in us. Remember, it's all about making HIStory known. So continue to write your truths with authenticity and honesty.

In His Service,


~Lequvia Ousley~

2017: The Write Year For Scribes

Welcome to 2017, #JustWrite family!! We are 15 days into the new year and I have already witnessed several of you finish projects and start new projects. I've also witnessed many of you embrace your calling as a scribal prophet. As we learned on Tuesday night, during the Talk the Talk call (Do You Think Writing Is a Calling?), a scribal prophet is a "messenger used by God." That's the short version. Here is a quote from master scribe, Theresa Harvard Johnson shared by John Eckhardt previously on his Facebook page (December 2014): "SCRIBAL PROPHETS are NOT simply prophets who write and record personal prophecy, or the occasional prophetic word. They are actually vessels that God uses fully as HIS PROPHETS (in every sense of the word); but who also have a burning passion rooted inside them to record, watch over, release and teach the messages of HEAVEN entrusted to them under a specific directive. (Read Ezekiel 9 & Ezekiel 10 in full)." This quote solidifies the conversation of Talk the Talk. We were presented with the definition of a scribal prophet and we began to think about and discuss our own journeys as scribes from knowing when we were scribes to breaking down the characteristics of a scribe. For me, I shared that I recognized I was a scribe when I recounted a memory I had where I was thinking about the job I was doing at the time and all of a sudden I was able to take that and create a way to correlate that to our walk as Christians. You can read it here. I also explained that when I would be in conversation and I was described by others as being very detailed and vivid, or as some would say, "long-winded." I admit, I use to downplay that about myself but as time went on I embraced it and an ongoing joke with a former co-worker would be that when I write my first book, I'm going to dedicate it to her for all the details. During the conference call, one statement that Kim made was about scribes having an apostolic calling. Scribes tend to operate with a spirit of excellence and humility. They are behind the scenes. My spirit leaped at the last statement because the majority of the jobs I've had and the demeanor I've always had was behind the scenes (administrative and support staff). As I began writing this blog, I began thinking to myself that my calling is be a support to other's ventures and a voice for those unheard. 

In my research of scribal prophet Theresa Harvard Johnson, I came across her website (http://chamberofthescribe.com) and I read her prophecy for 2017:

I heard this: "This is the greatest season of the artisan and the scribe. THIS IS YOUR TIME!" Just as I called forth a distinctive and forceful revival and revolution of scribal activity and artistry at the hands of Bezalel (Exodus 31 ), David & Solomon (1 Chronicles 15 & 2 Chronicles 2-4 ), Ezra (Ezra 7 ), so am I doing with my sons in this season. This revival among artisans is unlike any I have released in the earth since ancient times. I am using the creativity of my Spirit to revive their souls, nourish their hearts and create a place for me to dwell and tarry. Look at this new thing I am doing in the midst of this generation! I am pouring out my spirit upon the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers who have labored in this call, and I am reviving their land! I am placing my scepter in their hands and causing them to use it to awaken the sleepers to my call. I am placing my scepter in their hands to awaken them to the beauty of my creativity, and the call to and for revival. No longer will the artist and the scribe be called forsaken... for my glory upon their administration and release will have greater impact than in previous seasons. I am causing those blind to this area of ministry to open their eyes and SEE YOU.... to see the potential of the creative calling.... to see the revival happening in the midst! I am causing them to see!



Beloved, this is the DAY of the scribe and artisan - the pure of heart, the faithful. This is the day of the loyal scribe and artisan dedicated unto me. This is the time of the scribe - administratively, instructionally, and creatively. It is the TIME of the artisan and the time of the scribe apostolically, prophetically, technologically, socially, culturally, historically, entrepreneurially and economically. For those who hear, understand and implement, their impact will be exponential in my Kindgom. Yes, you create with me; but some are allowing me to create through them. Both are good and necessary in this time.



I heard Father say to the generals: Look to see what I will say to you concerning your company, and then act quickly. Grab hold of the transition and watch as we move into this wave of revival. Remain steadfast, attentive and you will see my glory. You are entering your greatest time and season in the earth as a prophetic artist and scribe - especially among the body. Impact will be visible, tangible. Amen.

Fellow scribes, there it is, the message loud and clear. 2017 is the "write year" for scribes. As the prophecy came forth, we must remain steadfast and attentive and allow God to manifest in his glory. We must allow Him to use us. To dive more into what a scribal prophet is, pick up Theresa's book, "The 40 Signs of a Prophetic Scribe here. Also for those who are serious in exploring the mantle of scribal prophets, you can connect with fellow scribes by joining the Scribal Prophets group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/scribalprophets/




As I close, in honor of Dr. King's birthday today, I leave you with this quote.

In His Service,

Lequvia Ousley