Let me first say, I’m excited to be here, sharing what the Lord has laid on my heart over the years as I’ve pursued publication. The road to publication has been paved with lots of twists and turns. Some days, I wanted to give up! I poured my heart into learning the mechanics of a good novel, joined an on-line group, attended multiple conferences, even submitted my manuscript multiple times.
With no result.
But that still small voice whispered in my ear, “don’t give up!”
After every submission, I’ll read the comments and apply the suggestions that work for my story. As I continued to write, I found that my writing improved dramatically from when I first started writing. My first book, a Christmas short novel, was published six years after I started the journey to publication. Six. Long. Years. Those years saw a lot of queries to acquisition editors, tweaks to my manuscript and editing and rewriting my story to present the best story possible.
The one thing I’ve learned through this journey is, you must be persistent. And not only persistent but in-tune with the story God has laid upon your heart. Some readers will love your work and others won’t.
But I must remember one thing: Who am I writing for? Man’s accolades? Or am I fulfilling God’s call on my life?
Once I was able to grab ahold of that, the rest is inconsequential. God has called me to write and I rest in the assurance that being an author is my calling.
I’m not a fan of Stephen King, but do you know how many times his first manuscript, Carrie, was rejected? Thirty times.
So, dear friend, keep writing, keep moving forward. “Let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1 (NASB).