Tag: waiting

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A Lighter Look at the Writer's Life

Hangin’ Tough in the Hallway

lighter look at a writer's life

“Until God opens the next door, praise Him in the hallway.”

This phrase has become quite popular over the last few years. You’ll find it on plaques, pillows, bumper stickers, and maybe even a blanket or throw. We Christians love to slap a good saying on everything, don’t we?

I have been thinking about this pearl of wisdom lately in relation to my writing. If waiting means being in the hallway, I have been living there longer than a misbehaving elementary school child being punished. I am currently in that “in-between” phase, waiting for the next project to come to fruition. Like that unruly child, I tend to get restless in the hallway. I want things to happen NOW! Even the microwave moves too slowly for me sometimes.

I have realized there are different types of hallways. Some are long and dark, like a with little visible light. I think of hospital hallways that are long but bright, with an abundance of florescent light. Other hallways are rather short, not more than a hop, skip, and a jump from one end to the other.

My office at work is located in a unique hallway. It is carpeted and forms an endless square, winding around and around. I, along with some of my co-workers, use this space as an indoor walking track, getting in our steps when the weather is extreme. A visitor to our campus stopped me in this hallway a few months ago and asked, “How do I get out of this place? I’ve been circling for an hour!” Join the club, buddy, figuratively and literally.

There have been times in my life I have been in that long, dark hallway. I waited a loooonnnnng time to be a published writer—I epitomized the term “ALMOST AN AUTHOR” for what seemed like ages. Other times, I have been in that short hallway, with only a minimal wait between projects and publications.

Now, I seem to be in that circle/square that winds around and around. Anyone else experience that? You put yourself and your work out there, and you wait and wait and wait and wait and . . .

It’s not an easy place to be, but there is one thing to do—like me and my colleagues, keep walking. When I am having a bad day at work, I take a little walk around that hallway and clear my head. When I have worked hard, writing or whatever, and need a break, I walk. When I get discouraged about the next step, I walk and, as the old song says, “have a little talk with Jesus.”

If you are currently in the hallway, anticipating the next project that seems like it is never going to come, stay close to Him. Pray and vent, but don’t forget to praise. We are all waiting on something—wanna hang out with me in the hallway? It’s not so bad . . . for now.

Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate—all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.

Categories
Kids Lit

In the Meantime…

Kids Lit

The clock begins the minute we hit “send.” 

We just launched a glorious new concept, never done before in exactly this way, and it fits the publisher’s needs, and it is a GOOD STORY!

But the acknowledgment of all this effort is…crickets. Did it go into spam? Sick? On vacation? Moved and left no forwarding address?

Hours, days, MONTHS go by. We are living “in the meantime.” 

The publishing industry has scaled back a lot and is not back to pre-COVID levels yet. And there seems to be an annual lag in editorial activity from mid-July to Labor Day. What do writers do in the meantime?

Read

Stop by the library or reserve books online for easy pickup. Stock up in your genre, being aware of publication dates. Decades have gone by since The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Check the word count and subjects of books published since 2017.

Request

While you are at the library, ask the librarian what series or subject kids like. What questions are they asked that do not have recent books to answer. Check with preschool moms or kids at church or soccer practice for book suggestions. 

Refresh 

Where do people get book ideas? Everywhere? Start a file of new ideas and topics: A single object in a museum, a quote, an intriguing picture, a personal experience. Fill a folder with possibilities.

Revise

Dig out old manuscripts. The word count may not be correct for current submissions, but the story is good. Has the time come for that topic again? How could this story be tweaked to fit a different reader? Try rewriting in rhyme, as a comic book, from another point of view, in an alternative time period?

Recreate

Volunteer with kids at summer camps or at Bible schools, in museums or parks. Even the Snack Person hears a lot about kids’ interests and questions. 

Enjoy the summer and have a lovely “Meantime!”

Award Winning author Robin Currie learned story sharing by sitting on the floor, in library story times. She has sold 1.7 M copies of her 40 storybooks and writes stories to read and read again! How to Dress a Dinosaur came out of direct exposure to preschoolers! How to Dress a Dinosaur – Familius.com Shop

Categories
Book Proposals

When You Hear Little (or Nothing) from Submissions

We live in a “hurry up” culture. If someone doesn’t answer their email or text you back right away, you figure something went wrong. From my years in the book business, I understand traditional publishing always moves to a slower pace. No matter what time of year you submit your proposal, it can take weeks and months to receive any response.

This year has been unusual with a world-wide pandemic. Editors and agents have moved out of their offices and are working from home. Depending on whether they have school age children at home, their work environment has grown even more complicated and makes getting a decision or any communication even slower than in the past.

I almost hate to tell you this pattern within publishing but need to prepare you for the final months of the year. During November and December, the response time changes to mostly silence or hearing crickets.

What significant actions can you take when your proposal submissions receive no response?

1. Discover new places to send your proposal Leading up to and during the holidays, some editors and literary agents turn to the unsolicited submissions and process them. The market is always changing. Find these places at your local bookstore or use a market guide from your library. Send your well-crafted proposal to different publishers and literary agents. Make sure in your cover letter or toward the first page of your proposal, you inform them it is a simultaneous submission. It is acceptable to submit to multiple places at the same time but if you use this approach, it is expected you will explicitly tell the agent or editor within the submission.

2. Review then rewrite your book proposal and sample chapter. If it has been some time since you’ve reviewed your work, fresh eyes can give you new insights and improvements.

3. Read in your subject area or a how-to book and take action to increase your connection to your audience. Get my free Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. Use several ideas to increase your audience.

4. Plan to attend a spring writers’ conference. Begin to study the editors and agents attending to prepare your pitch. Read their online guidelines and look at their recent publications to assure your book fits their editorial needs.

5. Purchase a resource like Book Proposals That Sell (http://BookProposalsThatSell.com) or take an online course like Write A Book Proposal then apply the new insights to your submission. When you learn more about how editors and agents operate and their needs, your submission will be more desirable.

If you make productive use of these quiet months, you can propel your publishing dreams to new levels of success in the months ahead.

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s newest book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200.. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. He answers to your proposal questions at: www.AskAboutProposals.com. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Categories
Becoming an Author

Wishing for Publication Part 2: 5 Ways to Embrace the Waiting

It seems as though every season in the publishing industry invites a new waiting game: Writing the book. Editing. Sending it out on submission. And then even the contract process and book release itself. So why should aspiring authors wait when they can easily choose the fast track instead? We discussed the answer to this question in the last post, so you can check that out here.

In today’s post, we will answer the question, how can aspiring authors make the most of these dreadful waiting season?

Here’s the easy answer: avoid focusing on the end result, and instead reframe your mindset and choose to actually embrace these in-between stages. This is a journey, after all, and one that isn’t entirely about the destination. Besides, the majority of our writing career will be spent in these seasons—so we might as well get used to them!

To offer a more practical answer, however, here are five ways aspiring authors can grow in the in-between stages of the publication journey:

1. Keep writing.

Unfortunately, many writers assume waiting equals twiddling their fingers, waiting for the agent/editor to respond to their submission. Sure, it’s healthy to take a break from writing. But when that break is over, why allow this lack of response to keep you from moving forward?

Aspiring authors will never know if the first book they send out will gain interest or not. That’s just the cold truth of the publishing industry. Those who truly want to see their dreams come to pass will get back to work, writing a new book, because they know that publication on that first one is never guaranteed.

2. Keep reading craft books.

Writing is an art form and is more instinctive than logical, so what good is it to read books on how to write? Even though that is true, there’s no denying that storytelling, as well as the act of putting words and sentences together to spark imagination, is a craft. Those who sharpen their craft are the ones who will excel in this skill—just like musicians and actors and dancers develop their craft as they learn from instructors. And since it can take a while to read these craft books, what better time to read them than during a waiting season?

3. Keep filling your creative tank.

Only you know what activities help you spark new story and character ideas. Maybe it’s taking a walk around an art museum, watching an old film, snapping photos, or reading books in the genre you write. Whatever it is, don’t be afraid to partake in these creative outlets that are outside of writing, because doing so will likely replenish your creative tank (and trust me, this writing journey will demand this tank to be replenished frequently!).

4. Get involved in the writing community.

Writing can be a solitary journey, and it can be even more difficult to endure these waiting seasons and face rejections without other writers by our side. This is why we need to engage with other writers. They can offer us encouragement when we feel discouraged and remind us of why we chose to take this journey in the first place. So how can you find these friends? I advise taking writing classes, signing up for a writing/critique group, attending writing conferences, or even reaching out to likeminded writers within the online writing community.

5. Keep growing your platform.

I know—platform isn’t the most exciting word for an aspiring author to hear. I do advise focusing on your craft first before platform; however, there is no escaping the truth that establishing a platform is becoming more and more important in today’s publishing age. As an agent, I will occasionally receive rejections from publishers simply because a client needs to work on his/her platform. So while you wait, why not do what you can to grow this platform? Consider writing articles for publication, launching a newsletter list, and engaging on social media. Don’t worry: These platform-building efforts will not be wasted time (as long as you keep writing your first priority, of course).

As you can see, there are plenty of ways aspiring authors can be an active waiter rather than a passive waiter. Are there any other tips you can add to this list? Let me know in the comments!

Tessa Emily Hall is an award-winning author who writes inspirational yet authentic books for teens to remind them they’re not alone. She writes both fiction and devotionals for teens, including her upcoming release, LOVE YOUR SELFIE (October 2020, Ellie Claire). Her latest devotional, COFFEE SHOP DEVOS, encourages teens to pursue a personal relationship with Christ. Tessa’s passion for shedding light on clean entertainment and media for teens led her to a career as a Literary Agent at Cyle Young Literary Elite, YA Acquisitions Editor for Illuminate YA (LPC Imprint), and Founder/Editor of PursueMagazine.net. She’s guilty of making way too many lattes and never finishing her to-read list. When her fingers aren’t flying 128 WPM across the keyboard, she can be found speaking to teens, decorating art journals, and acting in Christian films. Her favorite way to procrastinate is through connecting with readers on her blog, mailing list, social media (@tessaemilyhall), and website: tessaemilyhall.com.

Categories
Writer Encouragement

King Saul, Impatience, and Pride

A recent sermon at my church could have been written for writers. It revolved around impatience and pride.

The subject of this lesson was King Saul, who seemed to have everything going for him: talent, good looks, and the anointing of a prophet.

There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. (1 Samuel 10:2 ESV )

Despite his physical attributes, Saul did not consider himself anything special. So when the prophet Samuel spoke to him in a mysterious, anointing way, Saul was shocked: “Am I not a Benjamite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?” (1 Samuel 9:21 ESV)

It was not long after that, Samuel took Saul aside, poured oil on his head, and prophesied that he was to be king. “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over His people? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies.” (1 Samuel 10:1 ESV)

Yet despite this promise, Saul continued to doubt his abilities. When it was time for Samuel to declare him king before all the tribes of Israel, the shy Saul hid rather than be presented to the masses.

Probably many writers can relate to this fear of being in front of others. The fear of being inadequate. The fear of speaking because we are not good enough. We feel so humble.

Yet that same Saul, after being a king who successfully defeated enemy nations to protect Israel, developed another quality as well. He became impatient.

He had tasted success. And in that spirit of accomplishment, pride crept in. Was there nothing he couldn’t do?

One day, while awaiting the arrival of the prebattle heavenly blessing, the prophet Samuel was running late. Samuel was supposed to offer the sacrifice to the Lord before the Israelites faced the enemy Philistines. The people waited and waited, then grew scared. They began to scatter out of fear.

Rather than rallying the Israelites as their leader, he succumbed to impatience. Saul knew the sacrifice was only to be offered by the prophet, Samuel, yet he ordered the people to “bring the burnt offering here to me.” They did so and Saul took it upon himself to offer the sacrifice.

“As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came.” (1 Samuel 13:10 ESV) As soon as he had finished. Had Saul waited just a few moments, everything would have been different. And the kingdom would not have been taken away from him. The kingdom went to David, and Saul went insane.

I don’t know about you, but I can relate to Saul with his insecurities and doubts. I can also relate to his impatience. Haven’t I waited long enough to get a contract? Why is this writing journey taking so long?

And sometimes, after having a measure of success in the publishing world with contracts and/or awards, we might pop a few buttons on our shirts and strut around a bit. Sometimes, a measure of success can be our downfall if we grow too big for our britches, as my mom used to say. The britches of pride.

Remember Saul. He had experienced the empowerment of the Spirit of God to bring him success as he listened to the voice of that Spirit. Yet ignoring that inner utterance from the Lord as Saul did, caused his downfall. It could destroy us as well.

I encourage you to beware, because humility can turn into pride in a mere moment.

Carry on.

Elaine Marie Cooper has two historical fiction books that recently released: War’s Respite (Prequel novella) and Love’s Kindling. Love’s Kindling is available in both e-book and paperback. They are the first two books in the Dawn of America Series set in Revolutionary War Connecticut. Cooper is the award-winning author of Fields of the Fatherless and Bethany’s Calendar. Her 2016 release (Saratoga Letters) was finalist in Historical Romance in both the Selah Awards and Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She penned the three-book Deer Run Saga and has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. Scarred Vessels, a novel about black soldiers in the American Revolution, will release in 2020. You can visit her website/ blog at www.elainemariecooper.com

Categories
Kids Lit

While You Wait…

Kids Lit

We’ve all said it before. You know, the old, “I’m just waiting on God to make this publishing thing happen.” The truth is, most of the time, God is waiting on us!

You see, waiting on God isn’t like waiting in a long line at an amusement park. We’re not supposed to wait around doing nothing until our desires are finally met. Rather, we should be like the high-class waiter who watches for the needs of the people at the table she serves. We must actively serve God and attune ourselves to Him while we patiently wait for Him to accomplish His plans. We do all that we can. In other words, we do the natural stuff and he adds the “super” to our natural.

Here are a few “natural” things you can do to be more productive while waiting upon the Lord for your publishing dreams to come true.

Split your Time 50/50

Spend 50 percent of your time writing and the other 50 percent marketing for future work. This may sound extreme, but it keeps assignments coming in and your writing going out to magazines, newspapers, websites, and book publishers. Try to contact five to 10 editors/publishers/publications each week. That may seem like a lofty goal, but it is not that difficult if you have already crafted a standard pitch letter to use when applying for freelance gigs or a generic query letter that you can hone for each different publication or children’s book publisher.

Then, spend a couple of hours each week doing “follow-up” work. Maybe it’s sending a thank-you note to an editor who took time to write you a personal note on a rejection letter. Or maybe it’s reaching out to editors you’ve already established a relationship with to ask if they’re in need of a writer to tackle any work-for-hire projects in the near future.  Or it might be pitching another story to a publication that recently purchased one of your articles—why not strike while the iron is hot?

Apply the “Ten-In” Rule

This rule means you should have at least 10 query letters/pitch letters/proposals (or a combination of the three) circulating at all times. So, if you get a rejection letter back from Clubhouse Magazine on Monday, sit down right then, grab your Writer’s Market guides and find another magazine to query. Write a query to that publication and send it out on Tuesday! I’ve found that if I don’t do it right away, I won’t do it. So, like the classic Nike ad says, “JUST DO IT!”  

Recycle, Rework and Reap!

If you’ve been writing for a while, you probably have lots of published articles under your belt. If that’s true, then you have a gold mine of untapped resources. I have sold one of my articles 13 times in the past twelve years! (“Every Dog Has its Day”) The key is this: never sell all rights to your article. If you only sell first rights, then you can sell second serial rights/reprint rights after that. Then, you can resell the exact same article numerous times as long as the magazines you’re querying accept reprints. The various writers market guides will have that information for you.   

You can also rework a piece enough that it will be sellable in different markets than the one you originally intended it for. (To sell first rights again, the piece must be reworked 50 percent or more.) For example, I once wrote a hair-care article for a wedding e-zine, telling brides different ways to achieve great hair on their wedding day. Well, with a few tweaks and a funny poem about bad hair days, I sold that same “tweaked” article to Brio.  And that’s not all. Part of that Brio version is now a sidebar in my devotional book for tweens.

With these three tips, you can increase your productivity and build your platform while waiting on those other publishing doors to open. Now, go forth and be productive!

Michelle Medlock Adams is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author of over 90 books with close to 4 million sold. Her many journalism and book awards include top honors from the Associated Press, AWSA’s Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book, and the Selah Award for Best Children’s Book. Michelle currently serves as President of Platinum Literary Services, a premier full-service literary firm; Chairman of the Board of Advisors for Serious Writer, Inc.; and a much sought-after speaker at writers conferences and women’s retreats all over the United States.  

When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team, the Chicago Cubbies, and the LA Kings.

 Michelle is celebrating the recent release of her books, Get Your Spirit On!, Fabulous & Focused, Dinosaur Devotions, and C Is for Christmas, and she’s anticipating the upcoming release of What Is America? (Worthy Kids) and They Call Me Mom (Kregel), a devotional book she co-authored with Bethany Jett.

Categories
Writer Encouragement

Work While Waiting

The waiting game for writers can seem endless.

You edit then edit some more, then recheck submission requirements. You push the send button. And wait.

The days and weeks go by and you hear nothing. You check your inbox religiously. Still nothing.

What do you do?

Keep writing. Seek out other projects and ideas. Then write some more.

I had an interesting experience this week with a short story I’d submitted over a year ago. I’d long since given up on hearing back from this publication. All of a sudden, the editor is desperately trying to get ahold of me and even calls me on my cell phone. No one was more surprised, especially because so much “life” and writing had occurred since I’d submitted it. In fact, I was in the midst of moving to another state when the email first was sent to me—and I missed it. EyeRoll

What if I’d just sat and waited and grew discouraged, assuming no one would want my story? I’d have missed out on signing a contract for another book I’d written over a year ago. I’d have missed out on many other opportunities to guest blog and hone my craft.

I could have given up on writing altogether. Perhaps writer’s self-absorption tends to overwhelm us with discouragement at times. It happens to all of us.

A quick fix for that is to offer to help another writer. Be a beta reader for a new manuscript. Help promote a new release for someone else. Go take a walk in fresh air.

Then go back to your cubby hole and write some more.

You never know when that email or phone call may come—out-of-the-blue.

Carry on.

Elaine Marie Cooper has two historical fiction books that recently released: War’s Respite (Prequel novella) and Love’s Kindling. Love’s Kindling is available in both e-book and paperback. They are the first two books in the Dawn of America Series set in Revolutionary War Connecticut. Cooper is the award-winning author of Fields of the Fatherless and Bethany’s Calendar. Her 2016 release (Saratoga Letters) was finalist in Historical Romance in both the Selah Awards and Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She penned the three-book Deer Run Saga and has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. You can visit her website/ blog at www.elainemariecooper.com

Categories
Embrace the Wait

Survival Tips for the Waiting Part of Writing

Tip #1 – Keep your eye on the goal

With three seconds left on the clock all Tim could think about was advancing to the state championship finals. He’d spent his whole high school career in anticipation of this one moment in time. How many parties had he missed because of practice and workout schedules? How many hours had he spent muddling through math homework to make a passing grade? How many opportunities had he passed up for this chance? Too many. But it would be worth the sacrifice in just a few short moments.

He swiped the beaded sweat from his brow, took a deep breath, and sized up his opponent. Tim had no doubt he could tip the ball when the whistle blew. But regaining the ball and making the winning basket would take focus, skill, and more than a little luck. The shrill scream of the whistle ignited the passion burning in his muscles and fired Tim into action. He tipped. He grabbed. He dribbled. And … he scored, right as the buzzer sounded! An eerie silence filled the packed gymnasium. Then—an explosion of garbled outcries erupted from the crowd. Tim had made the winning shot …  all net, right into the other team’s hoop.

Had Tim invested the hard work required to excel at the game? Yes. Had he made the right sacrifices and set the right priorities to develop his skill? Yes. Had he given his all at crunch time to ensure a win? Yes. The problem? He had lost sight of the correct goal.

Although specifics vary, I think it’s safe to say that most Christian writers share one common overarching goal; we all want our writing to reflect our faith. We want the best of us—which is Christ in us—to shine brightly from the page no matter the genre. So we literally write our hearts out for Him. In the beginning that’s so easy. He is our muse, our driving force, the narrator of all our penned words. But when the work is done and we descend from our writing high there’s often a valley at the bottom of that hill.

It’s called waiting.

In the wilderness of waiting there are plenty of distractions that can lure our attention away from the goal. During that seemingly long stretch of time between a finished piece of work and the payoff most of us will encounter pitfalls like rejection, discouragement, comparison, self-doubt, and worse. We’ll talk more about each of those things in future posts. But above all else if we can learn how to focus on the right goal, no pitfall will ever entrap us.

So let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith … and our writing. He’s busy at work during that waiting wilderness—molding and making us into who He has called us to be. The wait may seem like a monotonous and irritating waste of time, but I love how Pastor John Piper describes the silent work of God’s sovereign hand; “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.”

Scripture—to help keep your eye on the goal:

Hebrews 12:1-2, Psalm 121:1, Psalm 123:1, 2 Corinthians 4:18, Isaiah 26:3, Proverbs 3:5-6

Fun Fact—to help keep your eye on the goal:

The famous and inspirational book Chicken Soup For The Soul ONLY became a became a best-seller and award winning series AFTER a whopping 144 rejections! Chicken Soup’s author, Jack Canfield wrote, “If we had given up after 100 publishers, I likely would not be where I am now.” He went on to say, “If you have a vision and a life purpose, and you believe in it, then you do not let external events tell you what is so.”

 

Annette Marie Griffin is a award-winning writer who speaks at local women’s group meetings and women’s retreats on the topic of biblical womanhood and finding our identity in Christ. She is the Operations and Events Coordinator at a private school for special needs students and is the editor of their quarterly newsletter. She has written custom curriculum for women’s retreats and children’s church curriculum for Gateway Church in San Antonio, Texas where she served as Children’s Ministry Director and Family Program Director for over twenty years. She and her husband John have five amazing children and two adorable grands. She’s a member of Word Weavers International, ACFW, SCBWI, and serves on the Board of Directors for The Creative Writing Institute.

Categories
Embrace the Wait

Learning to Embrace the Wait

You wrote your heart out.

Wait. No. Not poignant enough. Let’s try this: from the depths of your soul, words—like drops of blood, trickled onto a thousand hungry pages. Eh … that’s cheesy, wordy, and a little weird—not what I’m going for. Better stick with the original.

You wrote your heart out. You spent hundreds of hours polishing, correcting, improving, and editting. Wait. Editting? That doesn’t look right. Duh, there’s only one t in editing. Why in the world would I type it that way? Oh yeah, because the original rule maker of English grammar adored rule exceptions and undoubtedly harbored a secret disdain for teachers and writers.

You wrote your heart out. You spent hundreds of hours editing your work. You then crafted a separate saga, called a proposal, and cradled your baby inside. Why is there a need to wrap a novel inside a novel? Simple. The document is a weed-out device. In case you somehow survive the all-consuming process of birthing a literary masterpiece from the loins of your gut, the proposal is intended to finish you off with one swift kick to your fortitude. But you’re a fighter. So, you rise from the ashes of platform fluff, shake off the lunacy of comparison titles, and plaster your best pageant smile across your pale, screen-bathed, face.

As you take your final lap around the ring and parade-wave to the crowd of agents and editors who are shocked at your survival, your confident stature assures them that you haven’t been knocked loopy by the ninety-thousand-word manuscript you just crammed into a two-paragraph synopsis. Then, with one click you hurl the fruit of your labor into a virtual abyss of hope and shed a tear for the memory of its tender upbringing.

Now, good and faithful writer, after months—perhaps years of toil and type you may finally enter into a rest-filled season of bliss and enjoy the reward of your hard work. Yeah, right.

In a fantasy land there would be no pause between the click of a proposal submission and the dings of your inbox flooding with offers. But this is reality. Not only is there no guarantee any agent, editor or publisher will find interest in your work, there’s no assurance you’ll ever receive a response to indicate they’ve considered it. Nope. You’re now stuck in the scary limbo that separates two parts of the traditional publishing process. And you dangle there like a comma between two independent clauses—confused and unsure of your relevance.

That comma may seem a harsh divider of time, but what if there is more to it than meets the eye? What if we could slice open the jot and use a microscope to examine its insides? And what if we could find an entire chapter of revelation hidden within the confines of that drippy period? I believe we can … well, as far as the comma relates to the wait period between writing and traditional publishing is concerned.

Throughout scripture we see examples of God’s children experiencing ups and downs and the pauses in between. Some of the most powerful lessons Christians can learn are hidden within those waits. Imagine if there had been no pause between Joseph’s adolescent dreams and the fulfillment of the promises? What if Jonah hadn’t experienced his hiatus in the belly of the fish? What if Moses and the Israelites had been teleported to the Promised Land? What if the Messiah had appeared on the scene before Adam and Eve could stitch their fig leaves together? The implications of such omissions are so far and reaching there’s no way to fully fathom the impact. But at the very least, it would have reduced our magnificent, living text into a very dull read.

The waits we experience in life carry the same significance as those we see in scripture. God is at work in us molding us into the image of His son. And, as all writers know, it takes time, patience, and many strategic pauses to create a work of art.

Still, the balance between waiting on the Lord and running our race can be tricky, especially when we’re tempted to check email a hundred times a day for a response to a submission, or we’re bombarded with other writers’ success stories on social media, or rejection letters seem more plentiful than spam mail. During those times it helps to have some practical tips to redirect our steps and keep our focus steady. That’s what I hope to accomplish in this blog series. I can’t wait to share with you what God has been teaching me and hope you’ll share with me some things you’re learning along the way too. Together, we will embrace the wait … with grace and excellence—for His glory.

 

Annette Marie Griffin is a award-winning writer who speaks at local women’s group meetings and women’s retreats on the topic of biblical womanhood and finding our identity in Christ. She is the Operations and Events Coordinator at a private school for special needs students and is the editor of their quarterly newsletter. She has written custom curriculum for women’s retreats and children’s church curriculum for Gateway Church in San Antonio, Texas where she served as Children’s Ministry Director and Family Program Director for over twenty years. She and her husband John have five amazing children and two adorable grands. She’s a member of Word Weavers International, ACFW, SCBWI, and serves on the Board of Directors for The Creative Writing Institute.