For Writers

“In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory.”  Ephesians 1:11-12.

Welcome, and thanks for stopping by.  If you’re here because you’re hoping to find the secret formula required for literary success, the elusive hidden map that directs you on your path to publication, or the sure-fire way to an agent’s heart, then I’m sorry to disappoint you, but you’d best keep searching.  You won’t find it here.  I don’t purport to have all, or even many, of the answers.

What I can tell you, though, is that if you’re here, reading this today, that chances are good that you love the Lord, and love a good story.  Perhaps you were one of those kids who read like it was going out of style and never grew out of it.  Maybe you’re one of those people who can be reading three different books at one time and able to appreciate each one for what they are.  Let’s see a show of hands, shall we?  Thank you!  Somehow I just knew there were others out there.  I’m not alone after all! 

When I look back upon my particular journey, I can share the fact that while I’ve written “seriously” for close to seven years now, it’s only been a bit more than a year that I’ve dedicated my work solely to the Lord’s service.  I’ve written for the secular women’s fiction market, had two complete book manuscripts under my belt, even had an agent for two years.  I beat my head against the same wall time and again and couldn’t understand why I wasn’t “breaking through”, when my work consistently received positive feedback from the publishing houses to which it had been submitted and rejected.  It just wasn’t happening. 

I’ve come to believe that I needed to go through all of the fruitless efforts I’d put forth in order to be able to surrender both the gifts He’s given me and the success or failure of my work to the Lord and trust Him to open the right doors at the right times.  And that’s what I can share with you.  I can’t illuminate for you an inside track to success, but I can tell you that when I surrendered my writing career completely and let my heavenly Father take control, it suddenly became less “consuming” of my energy and focus and I was able to see the big picture, that it really wasn’t about my efforts at all.  My job is to “hear” the stories He’s sharing with me, get them down in writing and then surrender, once more, to His direction.  Of course, the “getting them down in writing” part takes years of practice, the careful honing of the craft of writing, and then interminable polishing and revision, but that’s what writers do, or we wouldn’t be writers.  I’ve attended writers’ groups with gals so terrified of rejection that they’d never submitted anything.  That’s about the only way to guarantee you’ll never “break through the wall”, by the way. 

In a nutshell, I’m trying to share what I’ve come to believe.  Read through the Scripture at the top of the page, and then apply it to your life, in every area, not just your dreams of being a published author.  There are many, many excellent writers who are still trying to break through the wall, trusting that the Lord is actively working in their lives while they wait.  If this is you, this is for you. 

 In the end, it really isn’t about me, or you, or even whether we’ll ever sell a single book.  It’s about seeking the path the Lord has prepared for us and then walking it in faith, knowing that He is consistently working behind the scenes, in His time and for His purposes.  Of course, there’s the issue of our timing versus His timing, but I’m not even going to go there right now.  Suffice it to say that learning to be at peace while we wait for His timing is part of the work He’s doing in our hearts as we hone our literary skills and prepare for the day the door is swung wide open.  Believe that if it truly is His will that the words you commit to page come to print, then He will open the door, or the window, at just the right time. 

 Let us never forget to Whose service we are called, and never forget that He has everything well under control.  May the Lord bless and keep you safely in His care. 

Julie