I CURRENTLY WRITE FOR . . .
Inspire A Fire
Pastors Wives Thriving
Christian Devotions
The Well -- Sanctuary Women's Ministry
BOOKS I HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED IN . . .
WHEN YOU FINALLY ADMIT . . .
"I am a writer."
Inspire A Fire
Pastors Wives Thriving
Christian Devotions
The Well -- Sanctuary Women's Ministry
BOOKS I HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED IN . . .
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| www.lpcbooks.com |
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| www.lpcbooks.com |
WHEN YOU FINALLY ADMIT . . .
"I am a writer."
I'm not one of those writers who dreamily admits, "I've always wanted to be a writer" or sings, "I've been writing all my life." I didn't realize I was a writer until I was 49 years old. It happened by accident while reading the contents of a speaker's website. She was scheduled to speak in my area and I wanted to learn more about her. As I scanned her website I saw the page posted for writers and I cautiously peeked into this new world. As the door opened, I stumbled in head first.
And stumble I did, for
when I began reading the contents on her website, I could feel something inside
of me leap to the point that I thought I would fall out of my chair. Sounds
ridiculous, but if you too have stumbled upon something you were meant to do
after many years of not realizing it, you know exactly what I mean. Like
Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz” when seeing a new world in color instead of black
and white, I too saw a new world just as vivid.
Time to take action. “I
just found your website and wanted to know, am I too old to start writing?”
were the words I typed as I sent an email from my new Land of Oz.
“Why no! I didn’t publish
my first book until I was 50 years old – and that was after 63 rejections. You’re
never to old to begin writing,” was the immediate reply received. I froze. My
one excuse was now null, void, nada, and of no importance.
The excitement moved to
determination as I accepted an invitation to visit the writer’s group, co-led by
my new friend who overcame 63 rejections to become an author, speaker, and
conference teacher. I joined the writer’s critique group, attended writer
retreats and writer conferences, read books about writing, wrote, was
critiqued, re-wrote, submitted, waited. I quickly discovered there were no easy
or quick roads to being published, however, hard work, and especially
persistence, did pay off.
“I am a writer.” A bold
statement coming from someone who’s been published and won awards at a writer’s
conference but no longer has the energy to write. Due to my husband’s
unemployment I found myself in a financial crisis of monumental proportion. One
thing I didn’t count on while learning my craft and submitting, was that life
can get in the way and attempt to squeeze the creativity right out of you. What
seemed like a fun time on a magic carpet quickly turned into a wild roller
coaster ride, full of uncertainties, stresses, and disappointments as I topped
one hill only to see another hard fall before me that couldn’t be avoided.
Time to take action. “I
think I need to quit writing. I just can’t seem to find my way in this world of
writing when the rest of my world is upside down” was the jest of the email
sent to a close friend in my writer’s group.
“You can’t give up. You need
to press forward. What you’re going through now could very well be the one
thing that will encourage and help others get through.” I knew she was right,
but just the thought of having to come up with the right words to encourage
another was more than I could handle – but press forward I did.
Again, time to take
action. No matter what I was dealing with – the struggles, the disappointments,
the financial burdens, and the difficult waves of extreme emotions – I knew I
indeed had to press forward. It wasn’t easy but I convinced myself not to quit
and to get back on track. I made an effort to attend my writer’s group every
month even though I didn’t have anything to share. I shuffled to breakfast
meetings with other writers even though I wasn’t as driven or excited about a
work in progress or a challenging new idea. I made sure I surrounded myself
with a community of writer friends who could encourage me, support me, and
allow me to ride out my storm even though all I wanted to do was be alone in my
misery.
Through the wind and the
waves of my circumstances, I realized I needed to go back to the beginning of
my journey. I once again remembered the excitement of reading my friend’s page
for authors. I remembered the hard work that was rewarded by being published. I
drew strength from those experienced writers around me as I dusted myself off
because I knew in my heart I didn’t want the color of my world to fade back to
black and white.
I had to take action. As
difficult as it seemed, the action I needed to take was virtually the easiest
to do. I needed to write. I can’t quit.
“I am a writer.”
(June 2012)
photos courtesy of mircrosoft office images
WRITING QUOTES . . .
Sharing some of my favorite perseverance quotes.
Why perseverance?
Because when it comes to writing, perseverance is of the utmost importance.
When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."
~Author Unknown
Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves. ~Dale Carnegie
Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius. ~Georges-Louis Leclerc
I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday.
~Author Unknown
“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
~ Apostle Paul
