When I became a mother nearly eleven years ago, I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information the Internet supplied on parenting. Sleeping, feeding, discipline, diapering—for every website, there are as many opinions on each subject. As a young mom, I began to feel a heavy burden about whether I was following the right advice, especially since most opinions seemed to conflict.

When I began to research what it took to become a published author, I felt much the same way. There are so many wonderful resources for aspiring authors and many that supplied invaluable information that aided me on the journey to publication. I am so grateful to all the authors, editors, and agents who freely share their knowledge and experience.

However, there are times when too much advice is bad advice.

When we are working so hard to mold ourselves into the “perfect writer” we can lose sight of why we put pen to paper in the first place. We cannot please every agent, every editor, every judge, every critique group, and we should not try to do so.

The beauty of creating art is that it comes from the deep well of our own soul. If we are shackled by the overabundance of rules and restrictions, those uninhibited, raw, messy emotions cannot surface like they should. There have been times over the last few years that I found myself in just such a place, so bound up in following “the rules” that it hindered my creativity and squelched my voice.

Now, I am not advocating tossing all the rules out the window or ignoring the sage advice of those who have gone before us. But rather just as I did as a young mom: read a few books, check out some blogs, chat with knowledgeable friends and then, after internalizing and applying some great pearls of wisdom, continue to trust your instincts.

Our WIPs are like children. They each have their own personality, their own unique foibles, and challenges and because they are born of our hearts, we know and love them best.

So keep learning, keep searching out new techniques that will enhance your God-given artistry. But don’t let anything hinder the exhilaration of writing what inspires you, what scares you, and what makes you laugh and what makes you cry—because that is what causes those connections between writer and reader to become truly magical.

 ~*~

Bio: Connilyn Cossette has a passion for writing stories of timeless grace that draw readers into a personal encounter with the rich ancient world of the Bible, and its Author. Her debut novel, Counted with the Stars, will be released with Bethany House Publishers in April of 2016. Connect with her at www.connilyncossette.com.