Skip to main content

When is this publishing thing going to happen?

Captain's Log, Stardate 12.16.2005

A woman on the ACFW email loop posted about the road to publishing being long and discouraging. I applaud her for persevering for so long, and also for being in touch with God. She asked Him if she should continue or not, willing to give it up for Him, but He's telling her to continue.

What she said really resonated with me, because I actually gave up writing years ago when I felt God telling me my motives weren't right. That was a painful thing to do, but I knew He wanted me to do it--it was a VERY clear message from Him, nothing questionable about it.

God let me pick my writing up again (with an aim for publication, versus just writing for me) a few years ago. I'm still unpublished, but I know this is what God wants for me now. The whole thing about writing is the waiting game, and the struggle for me not to feel jealous when people who have been writing for less time than me get that elusive publishing contract.

The only thing I can do is to keep working hard to perfect my craft. I've read tons of writing books, gone to conferences and workshops. Above all, I keep writing. I don't think I could stop if I wanted to.

One thing that has helped me a lot is talking with newly contracted writers and listening to their struggles and fears. I'm very glad of the fact that I now have several completed manuscripts. I understand the struggle to push through the last half of the book, I know the feelings of insecurity before starting the next one. These life experiences happened without the pressure of a contract hanging over my head. I couldn't imagine how STRESSED I'd be if I had sold my first manuscript, and had to go through this emotional rollercoaster while under deadline! Yikes!

At RWA National conference, the biggest thing I heard is that a lot of writers just quit because it's too much work and too emotional (the waiting, the rejection, the scathing critiques, etc.). The ones who persevere are the ones who eventually perfect their craft enough and hit on that unique story idea or story angle that catches an editor's attention.

Janet Edgar passed away this year, but she was one writer who had been persevering for a long time. She finally sold to Steeple Hill last year, although she never lived to see her book published. Her story of struggle and unshakeable optimism is always inspiring to me, because through years of no nibbles, she kept on writing and cheering her friends who published.

I admit, I don't know if I could do that. I take it one day at a time. Wondering "when?" is too stressful for me, and it's hard to fight the jealousy, I'll be honest. And then ironically whenever I have some success, I feel bad because I know other writers who have been working and persevering like me who didn't receive success. Now isn't that stupid of me? Sheesh. It's like I don't know my own mind.

So I guess my point is, take it one day at a time. It's hard for me not to grit my teeth when people talk about "God's timing" even though I know I need to trust Him more. I try to be honest with myself and with God, and He helps me release the fear, impatience, and self-sufficiency I keep holding on to.

Comments

Great post, Camy. I'm right there with ya, girl. Praying and rooting for you!
Marilyn Hilton said…
Yeah, Camy. You speak for many. Thanks for your honesty. Luv ya, Marilyn
Unknown said…
I'm really grateful that we all have each other on this journey. It's a crazy ride and it helps to hear others feel just like we do!
Mirtika said…
As much as I detest ::::spit:::: communists, they had a good word: Comrades. Having comrades on this journey is definitely helpful.

I get more discouraged at my own weaknesses, though. And I figure writing and publication is tough FOR EVERYONE, believing and non-believing. It's like anything else that's time-consuming and requires skill, and it's also competitive, and most of all, its a solitary enterprise that then becomes a public object for praise or scorn.

For hermits like me, the public part is scary, even as I pursue it throught he private endeavors.

Nice to have folks like you, Camy, on to be a smiling angel of encouragement and humility.

Mir

Popular Posts

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

Excerpt - A HUNDRED YEARS OF HAPPINESS by Nicole Seitz

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.05.2009 Update: Sorry, this giveaway is closed. A Hundred Years of Happiness by Nicole Seitz A beautiful young woman. An American soldier. A war-torn country. Nearly forty years of silence. Now, two daughters search for the truth they hope will set them free and the elusive peace their parents have never found. In the South Carolina Lowcountry, a young mother named Katherine Ann is struggling to help her tempestuous father, by plunging into a world of secrets he never talks about. A fry cook named Lisa is trying desperately to reach her grieving Vietnamese mother, who has never fully adjusted to life in the States. And somewhere far away, a lost soul named Ernest is drifting, treading water, searching for what he lost on a long-ago mountain. They're all longing for connection. For the war that touched them to finally end. For their hundred years of happiness at long last to begin. From the beloved author of The Spirit of Sweetgrass...

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...