by Tari Faris, @FarisTari
Just about a year ago I wrote a blog post about how difficult it was to write during quarantine. And it WAS hard.
A few years back I wrote a post about how hard it was to write on deadline. And it WAS hard.
Today, as I was considering all the things I could write about, I thought about writing how hard it was to start a new series (which is what I am trying to do right now). And it IS hard.
But as I sat to write and ended up reflecting on my previous posts, I am beginning to see a theme form. WRITING IS HARD.
I am in a texting group with several authors whom I would consider prolific. They have lots of books and continue to have lots of books (new ones every year). Guess what – they think writing is hard work too. Over and over again I hear them asking for prayers as they, too, struggle to get words on the page.
What is my point? WRITING IS HARD.
Okay, hear me out because I am not complaining. I love writing and the fact that it is my job is a gift. But I need to stop being surprised when it is hard. Boom. There I said it.
It is like when I complain that it is hot in Arizona. Dude! I live in the desert. Heat is a given.
Because, as soon as I recognize that it is hard and always will be hard, then I can stop feeling discouraged when the words feel like they are so slow. I can stop doubting my calling when my first draft reads like junk. I can stop giving myself an excuse not to write because “the words just aren’t there today.”
It is a job. I am responsible to show up and write.
It also does something else. It gives me the opportunity to open up and let God fill the gaps where my words seem to fail. To say “God I’ve got nothing” and watch him show up. It gives me an opportunity to let God move because He has called me to this and He will not abandon me.
It is a calling.
It is work.
It is hard.
Now let’s get our butts in the chairs and work like it is a career and not the hobby of the day.
I invite you back to the small town with a big heart in this second book in the Restoring Heritage series.
When she hears that the small town of Heritage, Michigan, is looking for a new librarian, Libby Kingsley jumps at the opportunity. Little did she know the library is barely more than a storage closet stuffed with dusty, outdated books. What the community really needs is a new building. But the only funds available are those being channeled into the new town square, and the landscape architect in charge of the project wants nothing to do with her plans.
All Austin Williams wants to do is get the town square project finished so he can do right by the family business and then extricate himself from the town that reveres the brother who cost him so much. But the local media and the town’s new librarian seem to be conspiring against him at every turn. Will the determined bookworm find her way into his blueprints–and possibly even his heart?
Tari Faris has been writing fiction for fifteen years but has been creating fiction in her head as long as she can remember. She is represented by Wendy Lawton at Books & Such Literary Management and is a member of ACFW and My Book Therapy. She was the 2017 Genesis winner, 2016 Genesis finalist, and 2014 Genesis finalist. In addition to her writing, she also works for My Book Therapy as a special project manager and writes for LearnHowToWriteANovel.com . When she is not writing or working, she spends time with her amazing husband and kids. In her free time, she loves coffee, rockhounding with her husband and kids, and distracting herself from housework. You can connect with her at www.tarifaris.com