Inspiration for Writers

Caleb tried to encourage the people as they stood before Moses:  “Let’s go at once to take the land. We can certainly conquer it.”  But the other men who had explored the land with him answered: “The land we explored will swallow up any who go to live there, for all the people are giants.”  Numbers 13: 30-32, NLT

The time had arrived. I had studied my craft, attended numerous writing conferences to learn how to write and publish professionally, and I had self-published three books. I felt I was ready to take the next step – to pitch my next book idea to a Christian agent to see if he or she would be interested in marketing my manuscript to a traditional Christian publisher.

But knowing the difficulty that lied ahead securing an agent, I wondered: Was I being realistic? Would I find an agent who would be interested in representing me as a Christian author, or should I just continue the route of self-publishing my next manuscript?

Before the people of Israel entered their Promised land, twelve spies were sent to explore it. Although all of the spies saw the same land, only two of them returned with a positive report.

What made the difference? It was about how they saw the land. For while ten of them saw a land filled with giants they did not believe they could conquer,  two of them saw giants they believed they could conquer.

When you enter the land of writing for publication, expect to see some giants there. You may find a giant of doubt that will cause you to question your writing skills and whether they are good enough to submit your work for publication. You may find a giant of fear waiting to scare the confidence right out of you to publish your book. You may find the giant of rejection waiting to stamp out every effort you make when you submit your work for publication, and you may encounter the giant of discouragement waiting to invade your psyche when it takes longer than expected to find a publisher. These “giants”, are not to be discounted, for they are very real challenges you will face daily as you seek to write for publication. How can you conquer the giants you may encounter? By viewing them the same way the two spies did – able to conquer with the help of the Lord.

Sharing the journey,

Jeaninne

Responding to God’s call to write:  What giants do you expect to see when you enter the land of writing for publication? How are you planning right now to conquer your giants?

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening-it is painful! But afterward, there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. Hebrews 12:1, NLT

I was so excited.  After spending hours combing through pictures for my cover, choosing the right devotions for my manuscript and uploading my content to my self-publisher,  I was finally ready to publish another manuscript to sell the general public.

Until I showed it my writing mentor.  After she shared her feedback and offered a list of recommendations for improvement, all the joy I felt inside about my new manuscript quickly turned into pain.

Like the painful feedback I received about my new manuscript, receiving negative feedback about your manuscript can also be painful, especially when you’ve spent hours writing what you thought was a great one.  Although painful, remember the intent of the feedback is never to hurt you but to help you improve your writings. Go ahead and cry if you need to, but after you’ve dried your eyes, get to work incorporating the changes recommended to improve your manuscript, then submit it again until you finally hear your editor say:  “____, your manuscript is ready for publication!”

Sharing the journey,

Jeaninne

Responding to God’s call to write:  If you haven’t already done so, locate and join a writing critique group in your local area, based on your genre, to help you hone your writing craft and get you ready to submit your work for Christian publication.

PHOTO BY JULIAN FINNEY/GETTY IMAGES

The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. Proverbs 24:15

I am a huge admirer of tennis star Venus Williams. For in spite of the many times she falls short in her quest to win a major tennis championship, she always finds a way to get back up again.

In 1994, after bursting on the professional tennis scene, she became the world’s No. 1 tennis player, the first African American woman to do so, after winning seven Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal in singles play.

But in 1998, an expected foe arrived for Venus on the tennis circuit in the form of her sister, Serena Williams. Initially winning most of the Grand Slam tournaments during the early years when they played against each other, Serena began to overpower and outplay her older sister, causing Venus to lose every Grand Slam final she played against Serena between the years of 2002-2009.

To add insult to injury, in 2011, Venus was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that left her fatigued and experiencing joint and muscle pain, and she made the difficult decision to stop playing professional tennis. But two years later, after a change in diet and her training schedule,she returned to the tennis circuit and won another woman’s singles title.

Venus continued to play professionally until she powered her way back to Wimbledon’s Center Court this past July, and then advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Open in early September. Falling short again of winning the coveted Grand Slam title at both events, when asked if she would retire after her losses, Venus graciously replied: ” It’s nothing complicated. I will continue to play tennis.”

Sometimes you’ll find yourself knocked down by the sting of rejection when submitting your work as an aspiring writer. But no matter how many times your work is rejected, like the tenacious Venus Williams, get back up again.

Sharing the journey,

Jeaninne