Tag: Overcoming doubt

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Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Fear Factor

As I write this month’s post, I am waiting to hear back from agents and publishers to whom I sent book proposals. While I am playing the waiting game, I cannot help but notice how my writer friends post about how busy they are.

  ”A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” 

Thomas Mann

It seems there are three seasons in a writer’s life: writing, waiting, and all hands on deck busy. While waiting, we can write, build our platform, and follow up on proposals sent out. To be honest, I’ve procrastinated on writing and sending my follow-ups. In a way I felt safe not knowing, I didn’t want to have to face my writing fears.

  • Fear of rejection
  • Fear of being too overbearing and unprofessional
  • Fear of waiting

Living with a brain injury, I already have enough things I need to focus on daily. I pay close attention to my health for changes in my mental and physical health. Depression isn’t the only side effect of brain injuries.

Survivors also deal with an inability to focus or OCD tendencies, and physical limitations.  We also have irrational and uncontrollable emotions that can come from nowhere. To be transparent, I have to work on these things daily.

In addition to not being able to control my thoughts and emotions, my biggest fear is having a seizure and losing control of my body. Fortunately, I have learned what can trigger seizures for me and can avoid them to lower my seizure threshold. It has been over a decade since I had my last seizure, but the fear is still very real today as it was then. Fear can help us or hinder us.

Fear Factor

Fear is a common reality everyone must deal with at some point in life. But instead of avoiding fear, we can learn from it. Fear is an emotional or mental response to anything that may harm us.

Fear begins in the amygdala; this small organ in the center of your brain goes to work warning your nervous system.

“This leads to bodily changes that prepare us to be more efficient in dangerous situations: The brain becomes hyper-alert, pupils dilate, the bronchi dilate and breathing accelerates. Heart rate and blood pressure rise. Blood flow and stream of glucose to the skeletal muscles increase. Organs not vital in survival such as the gastrointestinal system slow down.”

Arash Javanbakht and Linda Saab, Smithsonian Magazine

So fear is our mind and body’s attempt to protect us, don’t be ashamed of having fears. We each have different triggers and must learn from them.

In school I had a friend who had a seizure while she was in the shower; I remember listening to her about how scared she was. She learned that she’d developed type I diabetes which caused her seizure.  She learned about managing her diabetes and hasn’t had any more seizures.

When we learn about what scares us, our fear can prepare us to take precautions to keep us safe. Life can be scary for us all at times regardless of being disabled or not. Writers also have fears since the writing life isn’t an easy career path. Below are some of the most common fears writers have:

  1. Fear of rejection
  2. Fear of not being good enough
  3. Fear of criticism
  4. Fear of Success
  5. Fear of inadequacy

What we can control is how we are going to deal with our fears. I could let my fear of seizures scare me to the point where I remain stationary and never drive or do anything productive.

Instead, I chose to learn more about brain injuries and seizures and then make the necessary changes in my life. I chose to be proactive, instead of reactive, to deal with my fears.

Deal with It

Fear can be dealt with in one of two ways, by avoiding it or attacking it. At the beginning of the pandemic, the popular cliché was, “Faith over fear,” the whole concept was confusing for me, why is faith necessary, if we don’t have any fears? Instead of dealing with fear many used faith as a means to avoid it. The absence of fear isn’t faith, it’s denial!

I learned from my neuropsychologist that it is better to deal with my fears than to deny them. Again, fear begins in the brain and it can raise our stress levels, neither of which is good for a person with a brain injury.

Instead, I learned to study and pay attention to the things that scare me, in the process making them less frightening, and learned how to appreciate the small victories. I can use my faith to help me handle and live with my fears, but not avoid them. That is not beneficial for me. Writers too can learn how to deal with the fears of the writing life. Below are a few tips from The Write Practice on how writers can overcome their fears of writing.

  • Do what scares you
  • Stop procrastinating
  • Learn from criticism
  • Embrace the fear of writing

I highly encourage you to go to The Write Practice and read the full list to help you deal with your writing fears. Remember it is healthy to have fears, as long as we learn how to deal with them productively.

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

Ernest Hemmingway

 I have learned to deal with many fears by living with a disability for over 25 years. Every writer will have to face their unique fears at some point. I want to close by encouraging you to leave a comment for this post about some of your writing fears and how you have overcome them in your life. Hopefully, this will help others deal with their fear factors!

Martin Johnson

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com  and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Setbacks

As I write this month’s post from my home office, the world around me is shut down as caution to the coronavirus. The writing conference season has come to a screeching halt before it ever got started. Because most conferences have either been postponed or canceled.

As social-distancing has become the norm, I have had more time to think about a lot of things. I know a lot of writers, both established and aspiring are disappointed by lost opportunities to pursue their passions or missed chances to reunite with other writing friends.

But, I can’t help but shake the memories and feelings I had over two decades ago when my life literally came to a screeching halt. It seemed like everything had been taken away from me: dreams, finances, relationships and even some physical abilities.

You could say, my life was over with as I knew it. But, it wasn’t over—it was just a turning point in my life that would put me on a new course. I’ve shared how difficult it can be to live with a brain injury.

But since, this month is brain injury awareness month I want to share with you some insights I have learned from navigating the hurdles life has thrown at me. Because as the world is learning now, you don’t have to have a disability to experience the trials in life.

Below are a few truths about life we can bet on.

  • Everyone struggles at times in life.
  • Just because you get knocked down in life, doesn’t mean it’s over with.
  • Slow down and learn to listen when life pauses.

Setbacks in life prepare us for what may lie ahead on our journey. By now we all know that writing isn’t an easy career. There are hurdles to jump. How we handle the setbacks will determine how our careers go.

Setbacks?

I googled the definition for setback and found a couple of interesting definitions: “1) A checking of progress 2) A space between buildings. 3) Automatic scheduled adjustment to a lower temperature setting of a thermostat.”

It’s interesting because these characteristics of setbacks apply to all facets of life, especially the writing life. Setbacks help us gauge the progress of our writing, they give us space and time to think, and they help us make adjustments to our writing.

Setbacks should help us focus, not make us fearful. I think our country and world have been humbled by the coronavirus. Hopefully we can learn from this setback.

About eight months after I had my accident, I suffered my first seizure and was scared to death. It took me two days after going to the emergency room to regain the movement in my left arm. For two days I cried because I thought all the progress I’d made over the previous eight months was lost. I was sure I would never walk again or be able to use my left arm. It wasn’t until eight years later when I had my second seizure that I began to connect the dots.

My seizures were triggered by becoming dehydrated. Once I made the correct adjustments to my life to avoid those situations, I have become seizure-free for over a decade, without any medication or doctor visits. Setbacks can teach us something if we pay attention.

I recently reached out to one of my writing mentors for some advice about navigating the hurdles of a writing career. She agreed that there are many. She was the one who first who noticed and helped me hone my writing voice. The following list is a compilation of hurdles that I have experienced along with some from my closest writing friends.

  1. Finding your “writing” voice.
  2. Finding your target market.
  3. Building your platform.
  4. Finding an editor that fits.
  5. Landing representation for your writing projects.
  6. Securing a publishing contract.
  7. Book marketing.

These are only a few hurdles I’ve heard about within the writing community. There will always be unplanned hiccups in the writing life, in life and definitely living with a disability.

These are times when patience and persistence are vital to a writer. After I had that first seizure I wanted to just give up completely, but then I learned to use it as a tool on my road to recovery. Write on!

Hang On?

Whether I’m at a writer’s conference or listening to online teleseminar, I always hear the same thing.

  • Don’t give up.
  • Keep learning.
  • Listen.
  • It’s okay to ask for help/advice.

Although I had therapists twenty years ago, there was no one I could turn to who could explain to me what my life would be like after losing 30% of my brain.

Now I have the opportunity to encourage other brain injury/stroke survivors about what to expect. I am also fortunate enough to have established writers in my life to help me navigate the writing hurdles.

As the world pauses to deal with the coronavirus, it is a great time to ask for help, listen and continue to learn our craft. That is the best way to make the most out of this setback.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Mastering Middle Grade

Perseverance

In the interest of keeping things real here, I need to tell you how much I have been struggling with my identity as a writer. I have been wrestling with time management, facing off with my fear of social media (yes, that’s a thing), and having blunt discussions with myself about my skillset. It has been humbling. But it’s also been, for the most part, a private conversation.

Each night before bed, I ask my son if there’s anything he wants to talk about. The other night he seemed troubled, and this is what he professed.

“Mom, I have all these ideas in my head. Whole worlds of just…stuff. I get ideas at school and I just can’t stop to write them down and then later when I do go to write them down, they’re like, changed already and I can’t keep up. But mostly I never have enough time to write them,” he says. Then he looks at me with trusting, eager eyes and asks, “How do you do it?”

Thoughts flurried and my eyes blurred. I don’t. My staggering lack of increased page count over the past year is a glaring testimony to that fact. All my failed attempts at query letters, proposals, twitter pitch parties bear witness. 

One thought jarred me out of my pity storm: Regardless of how I feel, my son sees me as a writer. My son is beginning his own writing journey and he is looking for guidance. He’s looking to me.

Somehow I managed to check my insecurity and said, “I understand how hard it is. I don’t know that I have the best answer. I just keep trying.”

His face relaxed and he kept talking. He pulled out his phone and showed me his notes – they were only a couple of pages long but they prompted him to offer lengthy descriptions about characters, backstories, settings, plots. He told me about his worlds and where they came from. As a mom, and a writer, I couldn’t have been more proud to listen.

However clumsy I may have been, I would like to think listening to him and encouraging him helped him grow as a young writer. How can I help you? What kind of topics do you want to see in this column? What do you most want to learn about as you write for the middle grade reader?

Kell McKinney earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and an M.S. in documentary studies from the University of North Texas. She’s a part-time copywriter, double-time mom and wife, and spends every free minute writing and/or hunting for her car keys. Connect with her on Twitter @Kell_McK or kellmckinney.com.

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

I’m a Superstar!

Living with a disability is never an easy thing, but there are times when it is more difficult than other times. I’m wired to be an outdoors person and try not to let my disability keep me from being active.

I learned years ago that I can’t live a life based on my feelings or limitations. To be honest, if I lived that way I would never accomplish anything. Especially this time a year, the shorter days and cooler temperatures sometimes suck the energy out of me.

The last few months have been particularly difficult this year. I’ve had a lot of writing projects I’ve been working on. Then the weather in the South decided to skip fall and go straight to winter in a matter a few days.

I’m not sure if it was shellshock or winter shock, but one morning I woke up to a cold winter rain pounding against my roof and windows. As I lay in bed, the thought of tackling my projects almost sent me into hibernation.

When I finally pulled myself from the black hole of my bed, I was sucked into the currents of a hurricane as I sat at my desk and tried to write. For almost an hour I sat there motionless as I stared at the blank monitor and I wondered if I actually had what it takes to make it as a writer. The endless fears and thoughts paralyzed me more than my brain injury.

  • What if I never get an agent and I’ve wasted all these years chasing a selfish dream?
  • What if I lose my passion for writing?
  • What if I am too old or too young to write what I write?
  • What if I’m pursuing the wrong kind of writing and I never sell anything?
  • What if I run out of ideas to write about?

I know we all have doubts at some point and many give up on pursuing a writing career. However, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and work with a number of outstanding writers who managed to break free from the black holes and hurricanes to become not only professionals but superstars in their own right.

Superstars

In 2013 the Huffington Post noted 145,900 American “writers and authors” counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.[i] That’s almost a quarter of 1 million Americans who make a living as a writer. But what does it take to be a writing superstar?  I spent some time talking to some of my writing friends to get an idea of what disciplines they practice.

  1. Keep writing.
  2. Keep learning the craft.
  3. Network (writers conferences, social media)
  4. Be consistent and meet deadlines.
  5. Be a fierce self-editor or get a professional one.
  6. Manage your time wisely.

One of the luxuries of being a writer is making your own schedules for the most part. We still have deadlines to meet. A schedule is still a schedule. Get things done when they need to be done.

Get it done!

As 2018 comes to an end have you accomplished everything you set out to? I know I haven’t, I’ve spent this last few weeks focusing on other projects when I really wanted to be working on rewriting my screenplay.

Perhaps it is just my brain injury that gives me tunnel vision, but here are six mindsets I’m learning to help keep me focused and encouraged for the new year.

  • Expect rejection.
  • Write, even if you don’t feel like it.
  • Timing is everything.
  • Our timing isn’t God’s.
  • A roadblock isn’t the end of the road, just a detour.
  • All writers have to start somewhere.

As the holidays interrupt our writing schedules and plans, disappointments will come and I hope you return to this post to find some encouragement on your path to becoming a superstar.

[i] https://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-dietrich/the-writers-odds-of-succe_b_2806611.html

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Truamatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Guest Posts

The Biggest Writer’s Block?

I was recently asked in an author interview what was the one bit of advice I think is most important that I would give other potential authors? I said without hesitating, “keep believing in yourself.”

I know from teaching college students how to write their first book that the number one roadblock that stands in their way is the doubt that they can actually write a book that’s worthy of people reading it. They start and don’t finish. Or they finish and never publish it. Or worse yet, they never get started at all, even though they have lots of great stories to tell.

I am editing two books now as part of my book coaching business. For both writers, it is their very first manuscript. The first (let’s call him Joe) is writing a book about his wife who has Alzheimer’s and his journey as her caregiver. It started out more as a non-fiction “how to” book giving advice to people suffering the early stages of the disease and to their family members who care for them, interspersed with anecdotes and stories about his and his wife’s experiences. I read a first draft and told Joe he really should re-write it as a memoir…he had so many moving experiences to share to which I am sure many people can relate—and it is a moving story that even those with no experience with Alzheimer’s would love to read for its messages of hope, faith and love.

Hesitantly he is heeding my advice but feels unsure whether he is a “good enough writer” to actually pull it off. “I know I’m not a good writer for this sort of material,” he said. “Writing it like a memoir or a novel puts me at a great disadvantage with good writers, and also with readers who are used to reading what good writers write.” But the thing is (and I told him this), he IS a good writer, he just needs guidance. He needs to quit comparing himself to others (a lesson I’ve had to learn over and over.) He just needs to cast doubt aside and believe.

The second writer (let’s call him Dave) has had doubts about whether his book is “worthy” of getting published from the start. I have tried to assure him along the way that it definitely is. I read an initial draft, gave him an editor’s report to guide him to re-write it (like I did with Joe) and now he has sent a finished manuscript for editing and proofing. It is a book about how to practice biblical principles in business matters… a very practical guide from which everyone can benefit in my opinion. And yet, Dave is still unsure whether he really should be publishing it, even while it’s in the editing stages.

In one of my college courses a writer (ironically name Faith) broke down crying at one point. I had been encouraging the class to come up with a writing “plan” (ie., a place and time or schedule to write) but told them it was completely up to them, there were no rules. Faith said she was crying with relief…that she always thought she wasn’t a “real” writer if she didn’t write every day but couldn’t because (like many) she has a day job. She was literally crying with relief!

I have known, and you probably have too, how these writers feel when facing the blank page (or computer screen). But if your dream, desire and motivation are all in line with God’s, I believe you can’t fail. Sure, you will probably need help and you will face obstacles along the way…but half the battle is believing in yourself, and the other half is relying on God, knowing since He put the dream on your heart in the first place, He will help you fulfill it, putting the right people and opportunities in your path.

Yes, only you can do the work…but only you can be the one to give up! So, don’t give into fear (False Evidence Appearing Real). Just do it…or in this case, write it!

Michele Chynoweth is the award-winning author of The Faithful One, The Peace Maker and The Runaway Prophet, contemporary suspense/romance novels based on Old Testament stories in the Bible that get across God’s messages to today’s readers through edgy, fast-paced fiction. Michele is also an inspirational speaker, college instructor on book writing, publishing and marketing, and book coach/editor who helps writers become successful authors. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, she and her husband have a blended family of five children.

Social Media/Website Links:
Website: michelechynoweth.com
Blog: michelechynoweth1.wordpress.com
Facebook Author Page: ModernDayBibleStories
Twitter: AuthorMichele
You Tube: MicheleChynoweth

Categories
A Lighter Look at the Writer's Life

Love Your Writing, But . . .

lighter look at a writer's life

The other day I got a rejection letter for a writing submission. Oh, and, by the way, the sky is blue.

Thought I would continue the thread of stating the obvious.

I have been “hacking away” at this writing thing for several years, and I have learned rejection letters are a part of the process. I do not like that part of the process, but it is there. Like a pimple or an extra pound on the scale.

Sure, I have had my share of acceptances, and I am grateful for those times when someone “got me” and my style of writing. You would think I would be used to the rejection by now and brush it off, but it still gets to me from time to time. Even Paul had a thorn but had to learn to live with it. If I were a contestant on What’s Your Thorn?, mine would be rejection letters.

Most editors/publishers try their best to be nice, interjecting something positive to lessen the blow. After all, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. So I hear.

In this spirit, I thought I would share the Top Ten Nice Phrases for Rejection Letters. Editors, publishers, and agents–take notes:

  1. Your typing is consistent.
  2. Your writing resembles Max Lucado’s, in that you both use actual words and punctuation marks.
  3. Lovely story—if only your characters were Amish . . .
  4. What a creative email tag!
  5. The Oxford Comma and the ellipsis are alive and well with you.
  6. You have clearly mastered the art of the Microsoft Word header.
  7. Lovin’ that title font!
  8. It’s a wonderful concept, but we don’t publish __________  (Fill in the blank: zombie redemption stories, Amish speculative novels, soap opera devotionals, HUMOR, etc.).
  9. It is great that you have a day job.
  10. While you have a nice platform, it needs to be larger than a two-by-four.

The medicine is going down, but it is not easy. Maybe I should get my tongue out of my cheek . . .

Carlton Hughes wears many hats. By day, he’s a professor of communication at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he does object lessons and songs with motions as Children’s Pastor of Lynch Church of God. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including Chicken Soup for the Soul and several devotional books from Worthy Publishing—Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and the recently released Everyday Grace for Men. Carlton and his wife Kathy have two college-age sons, Noah and Ethan. He is on the planning committee for Kentucky Christian Writers Conference and is a year-round volunteer for Operation Christmas child.

Categories
Guest Posts

Word Play: Life Lessons from One Tough Cookie by Diana Derringer

“Will you please teach me a new slang expression and what it means every day?” Little did I know where that simple request would lead.

As a friendship family to international university students, I became the unofficial interpreter for my husband’s frequent use of slang, idioms, and other unusual expressions. When students asked “How are you,” he responded, “Hunky dory” or “Fit as a fiddle.” When they said, “Goodbye,” he replied, “Toodle-oo.” For them, he often spoke his own foreign language.

A student from Taiwan made her request for slang lessons during one of our daily walks. As we began exploring those often-confusing expressions, an idea slowly formed. Why not combine my writing and international outreach with a hearty dose of fun?

Thus began Words, Wit, and Wisdom: Life Lessons from English Expressions. Once a week I explain a new expression, frequently suggested by a reader. I keep blog posts short, simple, and easy to read.

My primary audience remains people with English as a second language. However, many followers, who speak English as their primary language, enjoy the word play and devotional respite.

The wisdom I find in many expressions applies to the writing life as well. For example, my husband taught me the importance of becoming a tough cookie. The way he handles hard times amazes me.

A tough cookie has often experienced a hard life.

My husband has suffered:

  • A malignant brain tumor (In 2004, he was expected to live three to five years.)
  • A heart attack, stroke, and fall that resulted in a severe brain injury (In 2009, all three happened the same day. He was not expected to live 24 hours.)

As a writer, I dread rejections (or worse, no response at all). However, in the grander scheme of things, those are not a problem. I can revise and submit elsewhere.

A tough cookie is a strong person. 

My husband refuses to give up in spite of health problems. He:

  • Almost never complains
  • Rarely gets discouraged
  • Fears little
  • Refuses to accept defeat

When I grow weary, ready to throw in the towel, I remember God called me to write. I can do this, not in my own strength but in God’s.

A tough cookie decides to make the most of life.

My husband would prefer to be healthy and able to work. However, he chooses not to be a worry wart. Instead, he enjoys what he can.

I also choose whether to make the most of each day, in spite of less-than-ideal circumstances. God can take my life and my circumstances to create opportunities I could never imagine.

A tough cookie is not perfect.

No one is. Life’s not perfect. However, like all of us, my husband has a choice: complain or do the best he can. He says what happened to him is just the way the cookie crumbles. Therefore, he makes the best of life.

Although I organize, set goals, and take notes, life seldom follows my well-laid plans. Like my husband, I learn to cross each day’s bridge as I get to it.

Why not join me? Enjoy and allow God to direct your word play. Remain a tough cookie. Who knows where that may lead or what you may discover?

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances (Philippians 4:11 NIV)

Diana Derringer is an award-winning writer and author of Beyond Bethlehem and Calvary: 12 Dramas for Christmas, Easter, and More! Hundreds of her articles, devotions, dramas, planning guides, Bible studies, and poems appear in 40-plus publications, including The Upper Room, The Christian Communicator, Clubhouse, Kentucky Monthly, Seek, and Missions Mosaic, plus several anthologies. She also writes radio drama for Christ to the World Ministries. Her adventures as a social worker, adjunct professor, youth Sunday school teacher, and friendship family for international university students supply a constant flow of writing ideas. Visit her at dianaderringer.com.

Categories
Create. Motivate. Inspire. Support

On Writing: Breaking Through Doubt and Fear

Please Lord, please…could I possibly get an honorable mention? Just one of those beautiful folders with a certificate inside. Please, Lord? My mom liked my story. She said it made her cry. That counts for something, doesn’t it?

The urgent prayer pounded in my heart and mind as I strained to hear the voice of the contest coordinator during the writers conference awards dinner. A hundred conversations swirled around the banquet room but my attention was riveted on center stage.

Please, Lord…

For this girl, 2014 was not just another conference. After running from God’s purposes for close to a decade, I stepped onto the conference campus with a heart of fear and trembling and a suitcase packed with dreams.

Alone and not knowing anyone in attendance, I gripped the Lord’s hand so tightly I half-expected to hear a Holy Ghost ouch!

But with great compassion and long-suffering, God carried me as I clung and held me as I wept.

First, I cried through my critique session. Then I cried from the embarrassment of crying. I sobbed after workshops from hearing God’s call in the encouragement and teaching of the faculty. The tears flowed each evening as I praised God for new friendships with other writerly souls.

My time of wandering in the desert, fighting the call to write, was ending—and it wasn’t comfortable. Thrilling, maybe. Terrifying, without a doubt. But comfortable? Not even a little bit. (I guess the Lord thought my desert needed watering because I think of that week as the Great Flood.)

By Wednesday evening and the awards banquet, I was a sopping mess. I had the “gall” to enter two contests. The short story category passed me by and now I was pleading my case for flash fiction.

Please, Lord…I need something tangible to affirm your voice.

The announcer stepped to the podium. “Flash fiction, honorable mention…”

The name called wasn’t mine.

Third place, Lord? Would that be possible?

As the third and second place winners were called and applause filled the room for other writers, the strangest thing happened. I took a deep breath and realized that my soul was infused with joy—and peace and hope and excitement for the future. Whatever happened, God brought me to this place.

The moment was the culmination of a heart’s surrender and a life’s redirection. No matter what, I was a writer.

And yes, I wanted to cry.

I glanced up, surprised that the announcer was still talking. “Flash fiction, first place…”

In the most surreal of moments, my name floated from the stage.

I’m sure I gave those around me a good chuckle. My hands flew to my mouth, I gasped, and my thoughts were screaming, I want to thank my mama, my papa, and the good Lord above (the CMA awards would have been proud).

The award was more than “winning.” A gracious God affirmed His call and design. He brought life back to my barrenness.

A year later, the 2015 conference was amazing. More affirmation. New doors of opportunity. But do you know what hangs front and center on my office bulletin board?

The award for my little piece of flash fiction. The one that I hoped to reach an honorable mention.

For a loving Father gave me more than I dreamed or imagined.

We serve a God who restores and turns ashes into beauty. He reaches through fear and tugs—fearfully and gently—come, child…trust Me.

If fear is preventing you from attending a conference or entering a contest, remember this:

There is joy, peace, and passion in doing what you were created to do.

The time is now.

Reach. Write. Live.

 

As you seek to put pen to paper, how do you battle the voices of doubt and insecurity? What will you do this year to break through any fear or hesitation in your writing?

 

[bctt tweet=”There is joy, peace, and passion in doing what you were created to do. @A3forMe @lthomaswrites #amwriting #ampublishing” via=”no”]

[bctt tweet=”We serve a God who restores and turns ashes into beauty. @A3forM3 @lthomaswrites #amwriting #write #restore” via=”no”]