tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post8462136831870499673..comments2024-03-27T03:14:07.652-04:00Comments on Seekerville: The Journey Continues: While We’re Waiting – Encouragement for the Pre-published AuthorMissy Tippenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05480008023330542958noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-26906628156737208582021-10-07T09:34:47.758-04:002021-10-07T09:34:47.758-04:00You're welcome, Lucy. And you are correct, God...You're welcome, Lucy. And you are correct, God has a plan a purpose for each of us. Different paths, but one God who promises to lead us every step of the way, no matter how difficult the journey.Mindy Obenhaushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15049730175697756032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-87187049165371798182021-10-07T09:32:03.959-04:002021-10-07T09:32:03.959-04:00Those are wise words, Jan. Just because God calls ...Those are wise words, Jan. Just because God calls us to something doesn't mean it's going to be easy. We are His workmanship. And just as our stories take time to craft, we also need time to learn, grow and strengthen as He knocks off the rough edges as polishes us until we shine.Mindy Obenhaushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15049730175697756032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-4960166118188835152021-10-07T09:10:09.906-04:002021-10-07T09:10:09.906-04:00Thanks Mindy and Debbie! Seekerville has done much...Thanks Mindy and Debbie! Seekerville has done much over the last couple of years to show me that I can (and should) be my authentic Christian self in my writing. I appreciate all that you ladies do to encourage those of us who are still trying to figure out this whole writing thing.Terri Lynn Schumphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00255690504642138018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-80560400376754539092021-10-06T20:12:23.228-04:002021-10-06T20:12:23.228-04:00Great advice that applies to many areas of our liv...Great advice that applies to many areas of our lives. Thank you for sharing.Lucy Reynolds https://www.blogger.com/profile/14634010131101221224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-45355021827664609652021-10-06T18:04:59.336-04:002021-10-06T18:04:59.336-04:00This is a great post, Mindy!
It's so easy to ...This is a great post, Mindy!<br /><br />It's so easy to think a detour or even a roadblock means that we're going in the wrong direction - but it isn't always. Sometimes it's God's way of saying that He wants us to work, not wait for the thing we want to fall in our laps.<br /><br />It reminds me of a moth or butterfly - if you try to help the poor thing along by opening the cocoon or chrysalis to early, you rob the butterfly of the struggle it needs. Without that struggle, fluid doesn't get pumped into the wings...and the butterfly dies.<br /><br />We need the work and the struggle to survive and flourish. :-) So I'm (usually) (eventually) thankful for the roadblocks God sends my way. The struggle is worth it!Jan Drexlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05609332074458434806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-34537859930357822582021-10-06T15:42:07.938-04:002021-10-06T15:42:07.938-04:00An amazing story, Terri! Very motivational. You...An amazing story, Terri! Very motivational. You'll use it when you give writing presentations around the country someday! I have faith in you!Debby Giustihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09463321611980242375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-40451138113715159842021-10-06T14:42:35.451-04:002021-10-06T14:42:35.451-04:00Wow! What a story, Terri. I think that right there...Wow! What a story, Terri. I think that right there is every writer's worst nightmare. God bless you for not giving up. Losing everything up to that point was simply a part of your journey, albeit a devastating one. But God. He doesn't promise the things He's called us to will be easy, that there won't be trials along the way, yet He does promise that He will never leave us and that His purpose will prevail. Thank you for sharing this, Terri.Mindy Obenhaushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15049730175697756032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-11944259655881173012021-10-06T13:26:26.537-04:002021-10-06T13:26:26.537-04:00Three and a half years ago, we had a house fire th...Three and a half years ago, we had a house fire that destroyed our home and everything in it, including 15 years worth of writing - shelves of notebooks full of ideas, notes, chapters, and manuscripts in various stages of development for over a dozen projects. All the computers, all the backups, all that work . . . just gone. I'd been waiting for the kids to grow up, then waiting until the grandbabies went to school and didn't need me anymore. Writing seemed a selfish indulgence, so I kept putting it on the back burner.<br /><br />After the fire, I really struggled with my desire to write. Had the fire been God's way of telling me that writing wasn't what I should be doing with my time? Or was He simply wanting me to start over? Lol! In retrospect, it seems so obvious, but it was a real struggle at the time. The night after the fire, I had a new notebook and had started a new journal. The week after we moved into the new house, I had set up a new office. Within the month I was trying to reconstruct from memory the basics of what I lost. (And realizing that it's absolutely impossible to write something twice in exactly the same way.)<br /><br />It's like kicking an anthill. What will the ants do? Build another, of course, because that's the way God made them. God showed me He wasn't objecting. He's the One who made me a writer. He was just pruning so that it would bear more fruit when it grew back. <br /><br />My writing is now on the front burner, and giving up is not an option.Terri Lynn Schumphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00255690504642138018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-40853742678563165372021-10-06T12:50:44.213-04:002021-10-06T12:50:44.213-04:00Oh, Debby. How sad. I'm so glad you didn't...Oh, Debby. How sad. I'm so glad you didn't give up.Mindy Obenhaushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15049730175697756032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-65211814011086300422021-10-06T12:50:05.340-04:002021-10-06T12:50:05.340-04:00Wouldn't that be nice, Tonya. ;)Wouldn't that be nice, Tonya. ;)Mindy Obenhaushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15049730175697756032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-78694973342536404182021-10-06T11:58:05.914-04:002021-10-06T11:58:05.914-04:00An agent rejected me in my pre-pubbed days and I d...An agent rejected me in my pre-pubbed days and I didn't write for six months. What was wrong with me? I soon learned that any rejection was a rejection of my work because it wasn't right for that particular editor or agent. It wasn't a rejection of me. It didn't mean that I couldn't write or wouldn't sell. Yes, it meant I needed to work hard and pay attention to details, and as Mindy mentioned, I needed to keep studying the craft. Rejection should never stop a writer from writing! Don't make the mistake I made! :)Debby Giustihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09463321611980242375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-25726957312507658122021-10-06T11:56:40.303-04:002021-10-06T11:56:40.303-04:00I thought I would learn, get comfortable, and feel...I thought I would learn, get comfortable, and feel confident a lot faster.Tonyanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-80456211398000506452021-10-06T10:57:14.724-04:002021-10-06T10:57:14.724-04:00You're welcome, Karen. And yes, there is that ...You're welcome, Karen. And yes, there is that thing called life. Just as God can call us to something, He can also tell us to wait and trust. Keep that fire burning, Karen. God has a plan for you.Mindy Obenhaushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15049730175697756032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-69436045104494523252021-10-06T10:53:32.176-04:002021-10-06T10:53:32.176-04:00Amen, Edwina. If God calls us to write, then He ha...Amen, Edwina. If God calls us to write, then He has a plan. One that will unfold in His timing, not ours. Our job is to cling and to trust.Mindy Obenhaushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15049730175697756032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-72444281545435677352021-10-06T10:48:55.823-04:002021-10-06T10:48:55.823-04:00Ruthy, you have always been a great example to me....Ruthy, you have always been a great example to me. You don't give up. You keep pushing forward no matter what obstacles might threaten your way. Thank you.Mindy Obenhaushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15049730175697756032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-84809632937061345572021-10-06T09:05:59.663-04:002021-10-06T09:05:59.663-04:00Hi Mindy! I always enjoy reading your posts and yo...Hi Mindy! I always enjoy reading your posts and your books. You are so gracious to share what you've learned. I am both reader/author, I completed 3 manuscripts a long time ago. Life got in the way of writing with a teaching job and deaths, but I've kept up with learning the how-to. I'm now retired and I am writing again. Its the "the fire of God" for writing that keeps me going and it's all in God's timing and His plan. Best wishes to you always!Karen Jenningshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05711803445934476038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-767679165750322272021-10-06T08:56:02.751-04:002021-10-06T08:56:02.751-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Karen Jenningshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05711803445934476038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-53546049838177591982021-10-06T08:29:26.705-04:002021-10-06T08:29:26.705-04:00Excellent Post, Mindy! Although I'm not writin...Excellent Post, Mindy! Although I'm not writing fiction at the present, your post still applies! Never ever give up. I submitted a devotion for publication in a compilation that will be published next year. I've been writing devotions for years. I am humbled to say that my devotion was accepted. All glory and honor belongs to God!Edwinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06764445303008090045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649424089750316818.post-76303706071883583922021-10-06T05:09:20.005-04:002021-10-06T05:09:20.005-04:00This is all so true... it's the "Don'...This is all so true... it's the "Don't quit" mentality that sends us forward, keeps us in the game. Staying the course is clutch.<br /><br />I think there is a generous portion of "how bad do you want it?" in each of us and to stay in the game, unpublished (if you're looking for a traditional publisher) for years and sometimes decades, that's gutsy. <br /><br />Go get 'em, all!Ruth Logan Hernehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11550734775151341968noreply@blogger.com