By Elizabeth Goddard, @bethgoddard
This weekend I spent time cleaning out my desk and going through old files. I found a check from one of my publishers that was two years old. A check I never cashed! That’s money left on the table. I’ve contacted the publisher to see about getting that money. But I also found an old spiral notebook containing a list of writing goals that I created about eighteen years ago.
Eighteen years!
That seems like a lifetime ago and for some people, it is. Ha!
For many years before I even created the list shown here, I had wanted to write a novel. I started a romance novel when I was fourteen but I never finished that. In my early thirties, I revisited the idea of writing a novel. I had a five-year-old daughter then. I feared taking the time to write a novel because what if that took me years to write and it never got published. That meant I would have wasted years of my life on that project.
As it turned out I did waste years. I wasted those years because I wasn’t writing.
Like the money I left on the table with the uncashed check, I left my writing career on the table, so to speak.
I started working toward writing for publication in 2001 and that year I joined American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).
One of the best nuggets of encouragement I received early on in pursuit of a writing career was to think of it as my writing journey. Sure, we’ve all heard that old adage that life is about the journey, not the destination. But applying that thinking to your writing life, well, is life-changing.
As soon as you start thinking of your writing dream as a writing journey, you’re going to be much better off, I promise. In fact, for another cliché, think of it as a marathon instead of a sprint.
But if you’re like me, when I first decided I wanted to write novels I was impatient to garner the attention of an editor or an agent. I wanted to feel like I’d arrived. I was pursuing traditional publication because, back then, self-publishing wasn’t so easily achieved. Even if it had been, my journey would still be the same. If you aren’t seeking a traditional publisher and plan to self-publish instead, let me assure this advice still applies to you.
You must still work hard to develop your craft or readers won’t buy your books. No matter what venue—traditional or self-publishing—every writer who wants to publish a good book is on a similar path. Short-cuts will lead you places you don’t want to go.
As mentioned earlier I joined ACFW. I attended conferences for the three C’s. Craft, content, and contacts. Year after year I attended the conference and pitched to editors and agents.
Let me say that again. Year. After. Grueling year.
After the conference, I’d go home and follow the most prevalent advice. Write, write, write, and read, read, read. I longed to be published! Only one question burned inside–When would it ever happen for me?
At one of the conferences, I made a mentor appointment with a big name multi-published author. She listened to my displeasure with how long it was taking for me to reach my publishing dreams, then she encouraged me from her experience and wisdom.
“This is your writing journey, Beth.” She went on to explain that I should learn to enjoy each step of the journey. In this phase of my writing journey, I wasn’t overburdened with the stress of a looming deadline.
Still, a different kind of stress comes with wondering if you’ll ever write well enough to catch an editor’s eye. Writing is hard work. There will be times in your publishing future when you’ll wonder what you were thinking to pursue a writing career. Life gets in the way, responsibilities and illness wreak havoc on a writer’s schedule, putting more stress on you.
I recently commented to a close writing friend who has been on this writing journey with me for fifteen plus years—“Remember when we dreamed of the day when we were both writing novels for publishers? What were we thinking?” Both of us are drowning in real life issues and still have multiple deadlines to meet.
Some days I question why I wanted to become a writer. The hours are brutally long, and with all the sitting, let’s face it, my health could be better. But I’m a writer and that’s what I do, and I can’t see myself doing anything else. I’m so grateful to God for opening the doors for me. I’m grateful that I stayed the course and continued on the writing journey no matter how long it took me to “arrive.” Let’s be clear, I’m still on the journey. We never stop learning or improving our skills as we walk along the path.
I’ve progressed on my writing journey to the point that now I can say I’m a professional writer. This is my day job and I get to set my own hours. I have flexibility in my schedule for my family’s needs. I get to dream up stories. It’s the best job in the world, and I have this job because I stayed the course. I never would have gotten this far if I had been too impatient with the process or if I had tried to take shortcuts.
Take the time to learn to craft an amazing story and develop relationships with other writers so you can walk the journey together.
Take it from me, you don’t want to leave anything good life has to offer, especially your writing career, on the table.
Start now and think of this as your writing journey.
He’s her undercover bodyguard—but she can’t know
A Coldwater Bay Intrigue story
When someone tries to kill former government agent Jonna Strand, Ian Brady comes to her rescue. Now Ian must keep Jonna safe and catch the would-be killer—without revealing he was sent undercover to protect her. But when Jonna learns the truth, can she look past his secrets and lean on him to ensure they live through the storm-ridden night?
Elizabeth Goddard is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than thirty romance novels and counting, including the romantic mystery, THE CAMERA NEVER LIES–a 2011 Carol Award winner. Four of her six Mountain Cove books have been contest finalists. Buried, Backfire and Deception are finalists in the Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense, and Submerged is a Carol Award finalist. A 7th generation Texan, Elizabeth graduated from North Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and worked in high-level software sales for several years before retiring to homeschool her children and fulfill her dreams of writing full-time.