The Winds of Change...

I'm feeling a refreshing breeze coming our way.
For those of us writing for the Christian publishing industry, I've been greatly encouraged over the past few days by what I'm hearing. Not that anything is written in stone, or that we know for sure a change is going to happen, but based on the writers God is putting in place in His publishing industry, I'd say things are looking up.
I shared a while back about being conflicted with a story I'm working on. I almost gave up on it because I didn't feel it would stand a chance of being published. Actually I was told it wouldn't based on feedback from a couple of editors.
So I began to work on another book - something that fits the mold.
Sigh.
What am I doing?! Well, I'll tell you. Here's what I shared with the great group of writers over at ACFW about this subject. If you've already taken the class, you may be excused.

Following God's Call -
This recent discussion has prompted me to make a decision.
I know I've been called to do this thing, to write books. I do feel it's a call on my life. God has blessed me with the ability to do so, and a ridiculous amount of time to spend doing it, sometimes to my family's detriment, as laundry piles up and dinners become take-out too often...
But am I writing simply to reach the goal of becoming a published author?
I have to admit, whoever asked the question in recent days, it smacked me in the face.
Hard.
Easy answer? Of course I am. Who doesn't want their book to reach publication some day? Nothing wrong with having a dream, right?
Okay, but what if I don't get there? What then?
I think that thought scared me enough to make me want to follow every rule in the book and then some - fine, as long as you remain true to who you are and what kind of writer God has called you to be. I was on the brink of losing that I think.
I wanted my dream to come true so badly, I almost forgot Who gave it to me in the first place.
I'm a hundred odd pages in to a manuscript that's definitely of God. I don't say that to sound sanctimonious or crazy, whichever way you take it, but the way it came together, and the way it's going...sometimes you just know it's right. I was on the verge of changing my whole plot because a few people said it wouldn't fly. Since deciding to change it, I haven't been able to write much more. Funny how that works, isn't it? Oh watch out, I see an eye rolling across the floor...
Well, today I realized what I was doing. I was bowing down to the powers that be in the publishing industry, none of whom even know my name, just to have a better 'chance' of getting this manuscript looked at. Interesting. While I've been doing Beth Moore's studying on Daniel, I've found myself wondering if I'm bowing down to any idols.
Guess I was.
All that to say, I'm not changing my original plot. I'm not contracted, I don't have an agent, but I do have a calling. And I need to be true to that calling, and trust the One who gave it to me for the rest.
Not an easy lesson, but for me at least, it's one I'm determined to learn.
Maybe my book will be published after a hundred rejections. Maybe it will never be published. But it will be written. And I won't have any second thoughts about it.

Wow

Okay, so some crazy person found my blog...
And here I thought nobody was reading it anymore anyway. Unfortunately now I have to moderate everything
that gets posted. I am not sure I will keep this up for long. I may just hold on to my Shoutlife page and
delete this one.
Not much is new. The house building has come to a complete standstill, which is very depressing.
I'm beginning to wish we'd never bought the land. If I'd known we'd go through all this trouble because of
it, I would never have considered it. What can I say, people are just evil. Unfortunately we had to hook up
with two of them. And now the builder wants to sue US. Yeah right. Like he even has a leg to stand on.
It's very frustrating to say the least.

The weather has improved and I hope it continues. The family will be visiting in a couple of weeks.
Writing - not much. Well, I'm trying, but again, you wait and wait and wait, only to hear a no...it can
get discouraging. I thought my skin was tough enough to get back into this, but I'm not so sure.
Anyway, if you want to catch up with me, you'll have to do so on Shoutlife.