My brothers, and sisters,
Have you experienced sleep deprivation? Your mind just wont shut off from the world you were just in, the one you are writing about? You keep coming up with ways to make your book more colorful, wanting to make it addictive to read. I have this problem. I have jumped back into writing my Christian Fantasy Piece head on, since taking a break from it. My motivation? I felt the Lord was calling me back to it, AND a writing contest is coming up that I would like to enter it in. It is the NCWC contest (National Christian Writers Conference) Westbow Press is the one who will choose the top 3 winners. First place? A full publishing of your novel, and having it on the shelf at the end of the year. I have been praying for a solution for my financial need of a publisher (they can be expensive for my taste). So, when I ran across this, I saw it as an opportunity the Lord has given me. Whether this is his will for me to win and get it out there, is entirely up to him. I just have to remember that if it doesn't win that it will just give me the opportunity to polish it up and critique it even more. The deadline March 14! I am 3/4 done with the first draft, nearing the end. I think 5 more chapters and the rough draft will be completed. My goal is for it the rough draft to be completed by the end of January giving me all of February and the first 10 days in March to edit, critique, and polish. (I realize that novels take a long, long, time to do, some even years.) It is wise to not rush them. I have been working on this novel for a year or two now. It doesn't seem like that I have a lot accomplished on it, but I really have. (The Lord was only giving me small bits at a time to write). But now he has revealed to me the final pieces and get it written. I admit when he gave me the challenge to write a Christian Fantasy I was nervous about it. I know some about this genre, and the realms in it. But do I know enough? I asked myself. Being a part of Holy worlds has helped tremendously, and watching fantasy, and medieval films, researching etc.... has also helped. (I've also had to do my homework). Through this the Lord is teaching me to get out of my comfort zone, and in that he is broadening my horizons. Increasing my skills. Mainly the stories I write are short stories, mainly for children. I write some poetry too. So this Christian Fantasy Novel is very different and very, very, challenging. AND it is my first. It's fun but also scary at times too. As it grows bigger and bigger, (I'm up to almost 30,000 words and 69 computer pages) I've never wrote anything this big before. But despite my fears I had to trust God, trust him with my skill, and my pen.
Yes I had fear, fear of failing, fear of what could happen. I wanted to hold on to what I know and stay in my comfort zone. But this is a fun adventure for me. A quest full of obstacles. And like my heroin in my story, she too is learning to let go. And trust God even more.
Forgive me for having fear, encourage me to trust God even more.
Some of you may experience this as well, especially those of you haven't published yet. You are not alone. One of the enemy's secret weapons is deception. He can trick you into thinking and even believing that you have failed (even before your first attempt). You have to put him under your feet, by being still in the Lord, in that brings peace, and stability.
Learn to do what the Lord wants you to do and DO IT! DON'T WRESTLE YOURSELF OVER IT. If you do this you will experience blessings if you don't you just might miss out on something important, blessings that he has for you through your writing, etc....
Writing is hard work, and so is life. If you persevere and don't give up, you will broaden your horizons, learn to walk in faith even more, and enjoy the rewards and blessings YOUR book, YOUR story, will bring.
So don't give up, keep going! Be that energizer bunny!
Be that knight doing anything to fulfill his quest! Be the hero/heroin who never gives up. And watch out for that Dragon that wants to destroy you!
