by Andrea Christenson, @andrea143

• Book contract
• New job offer
• New job acceptance
• Pandemic
• Move to new town/state
• Civil unrest
• Book submission

When dreaming of the day I landed my first writing contract, I imagined confetti and dancing and the singing of angels. My book would pour from my heart onto the page and every step would be another celebration. I cognitively knew there would be hard work involved, but remained blissful about how I would conquer that mountain. 

Enter real life. I signed my contract at the end of November and, yes, I’m sure I heard at least one angel singing, and, yes, I definitely did some dancing. What I didn’t expect however, was the way my life was about to be turned upside down. You see, not long after my contract signing my husband received a calling to a new job, in a new state. His start date? The same day as my book deadline. This meant I/we needed to transition out of our old life, saying goodbye to friends and family, pack up our home, and move into a space half the size of our old house. Okay. No problem. God knew the timing of these events when He ordained them for our life. With God on my side, I’d be fine. Right?

Enter Coronavirus. I don’t know about the rest of you, but that world-wide pandemic threw me for a creative loop. I couldn’t think straight, let alone think creatively. I followed the news religiously for hours every day. Plus, the shutdown order in my state meant that my husband was now working from home and invading *my* space (Sorry, Honey. I know it was hard for you too!). It was fine. Everything was fine. Deep breaths.

Enter civil unrest. We had just moved, were staring down both deadlines—book and new job—when the events in Minneapolis (and eventually around the country) began. Guess where we’d moved to? Yep. About 10 miles from the 3^rd Precinct of the Minneapolis police department. 

In the space of six months, my small, bunny hill of a mountain grew into the Swiss Alps.

Let’s just say writing during transition is hard. I did learn some things along the way. Here are my top tips for survival:

1. Gather a climbing team. Having writing friends to bounce ideas off of, and to hold each other accountable is crucial to success. These friends can help you stay on track even when your trail seems too hard to summit.
2. Craft a writing map. Just as you wouldn’t scale a mountain without planning the details, take some time to create a plan for your writing schedule. This could include plotting out your novel, making space in your day for writing (even in the middle of packing moving boxes!), or having self imposed deadlines for your chapters.
3. Take one step at a time. This, admittedly, is perhaps the hardest tip to follow but I’m reminded of Matthew 6:34 which says “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” When we borrow worry we make each day harder. Focus on the task, decision, or page in front of you and leave the rest for another day.
4. Above all, trust your trail guide. Again, I’m reminded of a scripture passage. Psalm 108:4 “For great is your love [God], higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.” God is the one who called you to this writing life. He is faithful and will see you through it.

Oh, and maybe turn the news off once in a while. It doesn’t hurt to take a break from the constant updates.

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Andrea Christenson lives in Minnesota with her husband and two daughters. When she is not busy homeschooling her girls, she loves to read anything she can get her hands on, bake bread, eat cheese, and watch Netflix—though not usually all at the same time. You can connect with Andrea on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on her website www.AndreaChristenson.com