Milestones ~ My Journey So Far

Sometimes milestones are big and obvious and you know they're coming. Like birthdays, anniversaries (whether marital or work related), and Christmas. They're on the calendar, other people are talking about them and they are easy to spot and catalog.

Other milestones catch you by surprise. Something significant happens and it makes you turn around and realize just how far you've come.

That happened to me this week.

Two years ago, I suffered from insomnia while I was pregnant with my third child. This isn't a good thing when you have two other small children to care for. It makes you really tired.

Playing computer games got old and I had too much restlessness to sit and read a book. TV was too loud and could wake up someone else in the house. So I started writing. This isn't new. I've started books before on numerous occasions. I came across a notebook with the beginning of a book I wrote in 3rd grade. It has a lot of company.

This time, it was different. This time I finished it and I looked at it and realized I actually liked it. It was good (or so I thought at the time). I showed it to my husband and a good friend of mine.

About a year ago they convinced me to get serious about it. To really go for it and figure out what it took to get it published. I looked into writing groups because it seemed like that would be a good source of help and encouragement. (It totally is, by the way. If you are seriously wanting to write, I highly suggest joining one or two.)

The first GRW (Georgia Romance Writers) meeting I went to, they were announcing the finalists for that years Maggies - a writing award with categories for published and unpublished writers.  Soon after this I got serious about my writing, started a blog, took some online classes, and attended GRW's annual conference.

GRW announced this year's Maggie finalists at Saturday's meeting.

I am one.

It made me realize just how far I've come in a year. And that is a good feeling.

What moments have made you look back and realize just how far you've come?

I'm Ba-ack!

Image: Master isolated images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

See, I told you my hiatus would be temporary!

So, God and I have been having some pretty serious chats over the last couple of weeks. Lots of personal revelations that I will probably one day write a book about (that's what authors do, you know) but the end result was that I am having to take everything in my life, item by item, and hold them up and ask God about it. Does He want me to keep it in my life? If so, what does he want me to do with it?

I am ecstatic to say that I get to keep pursuing my writing career. That was a really difficult one to offer up, I must say. I will be making a few changes, however.

Going Away

1. I will no longer be using a pseudonym. Some of you didn't know I had one in the first place. It's not a significant shift by any means - just add an -er to the end of my name. All of my reasons for selecting a pen name still exist, but God apparently has other plans for addressing those issues.

2. Sadly, Olivia and John are going to have to hang out in cyberspace limbo for a while. While I loved the idea of the series, it took a lot of time that I really couldn't afford to spend on it. For now, I have to put them on the shelf.

Coming Soon

So the question is, if those things are going away, what new things are coming? I'm so glad you asked.

3. Regency Reflections is a new blog I am participating in. It is a group of inspirational authors that write books set during the Regency time period. I am really excited about this blog and the ladies that are participating in it with me. We will be at www.ChristianRegency.com/blog starting TOMORROW! I'll post a reminder here in the Drawing Room whenever I'm posting over at Regency Reflections.

Image: Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

4. I will still be posting here on Tuesdays and Fridays. I want to have some loose themes for the different days, but God and I are still discussing that. Until He shows me a direction, my weekly posts could be on anything under the sun. Doesn't that put you on the edge of your seat? ;)

I am also taking some positive steps in my pursuit of publication, but I've always heard it's bad form to broadcast what your' doing on that front just in case it doesn't pan out. So, I'll just tell you I'm "doing things" and ask you to pray for me and my stories as we seek to take the next steps.

I'm excited for the future! I hope you are, too.

Have you ever had God change something on you after you'd started down a certain path? I'd love to hear your story in the comments!

The Importance of Community

Never underestimate the importance of having people around that will uplift, encourage, and help you. Last night I had the privilege of dining with a couple of new author friends. When I got there I was scared about going to my first conference, worried the pitch I had written was too cheesy, and generally feeling unsure about every step I had taken so far on my writer's journey.

Oh the difference when I left. These two wonderful women gave me a few pointers and few sentences of encouragement and a few moments of camaraderie. What they really and truly gave me though was a renewed sense of purpose and confidence.

It is so important to have people we can turn to that will help, guide, and support. Whenever possible, find someone who's been there and acquired some credibility in your eyes, because then the smallest word of encouragement carries such tremendous weight.

Never, ever underestimate to power of choosing not to go it alone.

GO!

I sent out my first query this week. In actuality I sent out more than one, but that first one felt momentous. I reached the top of a high mountain and surveyed the valley on the other side. The valley that for most aspiring authors is littered with rejections, edits, and endless wondering. On the other side of that valley is another difficult mountain, the top of which is reached when they actually hold their book in their hand and send that first autographed copy off to the friend that told them they could actually do it. (One day you'll get that copy, Amanda!)

What do I feel like I have accomplished? Aside from actually completing a novel, of course, I have slogged through an ENORMOUS amount of research about agents, query letters, etiquette, formatting, publishers, blogs, and anything else I could think of that would help me in the publishing process. I felt like I made some significant breakthrough when I finally said, "Enough!" and hit send on my first query. Did I research enough? Polish enough? We'll find out. I did learn a lot that will make my future writing better, though.

Whether it's writing or anything else in life, at some point you just have to say, "Go!" You can research, plot, and plan forever but if you never actually move forward, you'll never actually get anywhere.

More Than Just a Book

I am an author. At this point I am not a published author, but one day that will change. Before I can be a published author, I must be an author - not just a writer, but an author. You may be reading this (Praise God if you are, because that means someone is reading my blog!) and wondering what the difference is. Brace yourself, because here it is:

I've actually written something.

That's right. Atop the heap of failed plot outlines, story beginnings that went nowhere, and character creations that never got their story I finally have a completed book. I started this project just like every other book I had attempted over the past twenty years, and then, almost before I realized it was actually going to go somewhere, I finished. I told my character's story and it was good! That's not to say it didn't need work; I've hacked and sliced and rewritten it until my screen looks like a kaleidoscope (I have track changes on). But the story itself is good. I liked it.

Which then brought up the question of, "What do I do now?" The easy answer was to publish it, but as anyone who has done anything in publishing has written all over their blogs - publishing isn't easy. I have three children under the age of five and my husband is a minister. This made the idea of embarking on the publishing journey seem impossible. So I sat before God and asked Him why I should even try. The answer is this: People learn through stories.

Jesus constantly used parables and stories in order to help people understand spiritual truths. People haven't changed that much since God created them. We still identify with stories and learn things God wants to reveal to us through watching other people, be they real or fictional. So I am beginning this potentially arduous journey into the world of publishing because God has given me a gift - the ability to tell a story. It's more than just a book; it's a parable. And God can only use it if people read it.