by Alena Tauriainen, writing as Alena Wendall @alenawendall
Discouragement creeps up on all of us. Who knows why some people get an agent or multi-book contract with a big publishing house on the first try?Especially when you’ve been writing for ten years or more and feel like you’ve made no headway.
After I received that rejection letter, I went to a place where I could be alone to process. During that drive, I heard the song, “Trust In You,” by Lauren Daigle.
Due to copyright laws, I can’t share the lyrics, but I encourage you to look them up. Her words about trusting in God during all the times in her life, especially those dark moments, spoke to my soul and still do.
Those words work for every situation in our lives. Writing. Work. Health, Family. Just life. We have to trust God will open up the door at the right time. Ugh…that was so hard for me to type and even harder to live. Instead of wallowing in discouragement, I had to find a way to fight my way through it.
Here are five simple steps to fight discouragement. Did I say simple? Big joke. It’s HARD. But you can do it!
• Friends of Faith. I want you to seek out friends of faith. Friends who speak truth to you, not platitudes. Truth. Here’s my conversation with one of my friends:
Me: “I’m not getting anywhere, I’ve started 10 years ago. What have I accomplished?”
Friend: “Oh, I see. God called you to do something and he’s left you high and dry?”
Me: “No, that’s now what I said.”
Friend: “Good. For a minute there I thought you were calling God a liar. Last I read, scripture says He equips the saints to do the work.” (2nd Timothy 3:17).
See, at that moment, I didn’t need someone to listen to me whine but to speak truth into my life.
• The Word. Store up the promises of God in your heart and in your mouth. When discouragement slips through the cracks, be ready. You’ll know what I mean when you see the third Facebook post about a new book contract, a new agent signing, and other writers hitting those bestsellers lists. Have those scriptures ready.
• Write. Goodness, gracious. If I heard it once, I’ve heard it five billion times…and it’s true…you can’t submit a blank page. Write. Write at the doctor’s office, volleyball practice, football practice, lunch breaks etc.
• Be Thankful. When you get that critique back from your craft partner and it’s bleeding red, keep going. You are improving. Keep learning your craft.
• Do Something. Read a craft book. Listen to a podcast. Read a good book and highlight what you liked. This, too, is forward motion.
Don’t let discouragement pull you down. Use it as a stepping stool to reach your dreams.
~*~
Writing as Alena Wendall, Alena Tauriainen pens contemporary Christian romance novels that always end with a happily ever after. By day, she partners with her lifelong mate Clyde, to run the family HVAC business. She manages both business and family life with four lovable but crazy kids. She is the Retreats Coordinator for My Book Therapy. She is represented by Rachelle Gardner with Books & Such Literary Management. Visit her at alenawendall.com.