Finding the Way

 "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11(NKJV)

As my journey unfolds I tend to get overwhelmed or even distracted. I see friends that write that just in the last year wrote a novel and have begun the query process while I am in school and juggling motherhood. Then I see friends that have been writing for years and have yet to submit a single query. It can get very disheartening.

For me though, I know that my path involves getting my B.A. in writing. I have my suspicions as to why. God has this funny way of planning things out for us so that if we are in His will things work out pretty good. And I am not sharing this to be all righteous and holier than thou, its just that so many times things look hopeless and just as many times God has pulled me and my family through.

It is my belief that the Lord has me on this path that I am currently on to teach me the diligence and discipline that is needed to be a consistent writer. Does this mean I will be a best seller? Maybe. Does this mean I will get rich? I do not know. I do know is that the Lord will provide my needs.

See, ever since I was a child it has been my desire to be a writer. A published writer that is successful. God is providing me a way for that to happen and I am following that path. I believe this because the Lord gives us the desires of our heart.

"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psalm 37:4 (KJV)

For me I have to not focus on what others are doing in relation to myself. I need to focus on what God is doing in me. I know it will take time. And that is okay. The first step is to start.

Waiting to Get There

For the last several months I have been telling myself to just wait until May, wait until May. Once we get to May the busy-ness of school will be behind us and then the focus of writing will be ahead.

Ya, right.

May has brought field trips, migraines, forgotten appointments and pure chaos. So I find myself waiting...

But in that wait I realize, there is nothing stopping me from writing. So what if it's not at a cute little coffee shop with my laptop with me looking important? There is nothing wrong with having my tablet (or paper and pencil) in the car with sweats on at whatever sport practice the kids have going on. (And that allows a free edit when I type it up!)

It doesn't have to be perfect when I write and I can get there now. Like right now while I'm waiting for the dog to get done at the vet.

The lesson learned? Don't wait.

How many opportunities pass us by because we are waiting for the "perfect" moment? There is no perfect moment. There will always be something than can get in the way if you let it.

Meeting Frank...

I had the pleasure of meeting an author I have respected for the vast majority of my life and dare I say most of his career. I am trying not to get all fangirl like about it, but I really do look up to this author. His books opened a genre of fiction to me that as a Christian, I did not know was possible to be a part of.

The author that I admire so much is Frank Peretti.

I met Frank at the book signing he did in Nashville for the recent release of his new book Illusion. Before the signing, there was a question and answer session that I found very candid and rich in information. He gave tips on writing and expressed what he felt made a good book/story. While several things he stated I had heard before, there were a few things that were new and freshly stated.

The most important thing I took away is, when writing you have to get to the plot quickly then develop the characters while getting to the climax. Other than that, the hero always has to solve his/her own problem it can not solve it self and it can not be fixed by others.