Almost a month ago, when Emily Rodmell announced she was leaving Love Inspired, 40 of us became her publishing orphans.
Okay, that sounds a bit dramatic, but it got me to thinking, so expect this post to be a bit of a philosophical ramble. 😉 I hope you'll stay with me and share your own thoughts.
Change is a reality of the publishing industry (not that we have a monopoly on that - change is a reality of life). And as the Bible tells us,
I'm showing my age here, but when I started to think about this blog, this song came to mind. (The Byrds - "Turn, Turn, Turn."
But reality or not, change can be hard. It's a time full of uncertainty, challenge, and often waiting.
It's the waiting that's often hardest, isn't it? Whether it be a medical diagnosis, an exam result, or a new editor. In the words of Tom Petty:
The waiting is the hardest partEveryday you see one more cardYou take it on faith, you take it to the heartThe waiting is the hardest part
So what do we do in that waiting season? As I contemplated this post, that's what I zeroed in on.
What matters is not the waiting itself, but what we do in the waiting time.
A friend recently gave me advice: Don't stop writing! (That came from her personal experience. Last year, she'd stopped writing during the five month wait to hear from a new editor, so it was a case of Do as I say, not as I did).
Don't stop writing.
That's one of the keys to success in this industry, isn't it? Don't. Stop. Writing.
Because the waiting time isn't going away.
Hurry up and get that contest entry done - and then wait months for the results.
Hurry up and get that proposal done - and then wait to get approval.
Hurry up and get that book submitted - and then wait months or even years to see it published.
So what is a writer to do in the waiting time?
A. She could languish - waste precious time wallowing in the wait.
B. She could refill her creative well - read and experience life so there is freshness to write about.
C. She could continue to write.
If this was a multiple choice test, the only wrong answer would be A. The best is probably a combination of B and C.
If we are in agreement that not writing is wrong, then the question that follows is how do you keep motivated to do that?
When the road ahead is murky, when you can't see where it leads (and pray it's not off a cliff!), how do you make yourself keep going? How do you keep those fingers on the keyboard?
We often talk about how lucky we are to live in a publishing era where we have options. And I think maybe that's the answer. That's what makes the waiting easier. We have options.
Not sure whether you'll win that contest or get a contract?
Not sure if your editor (old or new) will like your voice, your plot, anything about the book at all?
The important thing to remember is, even if those come to pass, you're not out of options. There are other publishing houses or you can Indie publish it.
In other words, there is only one way to guarantee your book will not be published - stop writing it.
I promise to listen to my own advice. Will you?
When I went to Bible Gateway to copy the verse from Ecclesiastes, I came upon this verse of the day:
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (New International Version
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
