When I asked this group of writers what was slowing their writing down, the responses ranged from being pulled in different external directions with responsibilities and work, to the internal challenges. Wondering “Am I good enough? Should I be writing? What is writing success and how do I attain it?” A few writers even mentioned the internal struggle with all the investments needed to improve their writing: time, energy and money.
Sometimes it can feel as though we are being drained of our time, energy and money resources and we just want to know that it will be worth it.
The invitation and opportunity we have, as creatives and writers is to embrace confidence.
Confidence does not come from staring in the mirror and telling ourselves “I can do it!” It does not come from working harder and sweating to pull ourselves up from our bootstraps. Confidence comes from PAUSING to CONECT with God and ACCEPT that our creativity is a gift from God. When we realize this on the soul-heart level, we experience freedom and confidence. It’s not about our current ability, pride or striving to get to a certain level or number of Facebook likes.
The call within your soul to create as a writer and artist is an invitation from God.
Your creativity connects you to God, the creator of all things.
Regardless of the medium you use—oil, poetry, watercolors, spoken word, novels—your creativity is a gift from God. As one of our Unstoppable Writers, Kurt Poole mentioned that writing is “having tangible manifestations of thought” and our art and writing has the power to change a life.
Connecting to God is our first step to catapulting our writer-creativity.
Connecting to other writers and artists is our next step. We see the momentum and opportunities available. As we help one another along there is synergy as we create alongside others who are committed to creating and moving forward with their craft.
For those who have made that decision to write, the writing platform and the writing world as it exists right now, it can feel like the wild west.
The gatekeepers of traditional publishing are no longer the only way to launch our books into the world. There are countless opportunities, self-publishing, and social media marketing strategies a writer can take advantage of with or without a large financial investment. It’s the reason behind the growing movement of writers ready to speak out, write their books, and launch them into the world.
Previously millions of people were held back from even trying to publish their work because of the gatekeepers. Today the decision lies with the writer: whether to go for it or to walk away. Each writer stands before the burning bush of their desire and gift of writing and makes the choice.
The problem with the wild west of today’s writing world is that although there are free opportunities, there are still sacrifices to be made. In the same way that settles said goodbye to their extended families, boarded ships and sailed away into the unknown, writers face the same decisions.
To be a successful writer, we cannot continue in our old way of living. Priorities need to be re-arranged, writing space created and held sacred, and the learning curve embraced. If we are not careful, we interpret the promise of easier publishing as thinking it will be easy and without sacrifice.
As we step into the writing-world, we are invited to intentionally invest our resources, market ourselves and our books and build a business to sustain and multiply our ability to create more art. There are many pieces to writing success, but don’t let the pieces deflate or discourage you.
Instead of comparing ourselves to those further along, celebrate their success and KNOW that it is possible for you too.
In the Wild West of the writing world: take a breath and then embrace the adventure of opportunity and risk.
There is a choice:
- How will you think about the sacrifices of time, energy, and finances?
- Is it worth it?
- Who will you be in this uncharted territory?
- Who will you be as a writer?
Every writer decides if they will be burdened and squished by the wilderness or whether they will embrace the cost and then make a plan for success. When we view our writing path as an adventure, we begin to see invitations and opportunities where previously we only saw sacrifices and burdens.
This brings me back to the faith of a writer.
Everything pivots on our faith and connection to God.
In the my soon to be released book, When God Calls a Writer, I give readers the tools to KNOW that writing is a gift from God.
Instead of scrambling and striving to prove ourselves and pull ourselves forward—we can rest and listen to the Holy Spirit.
He surrounds us and invites us to learn, experiment and embrace mistakes as stepping stones to success.
Mistakes are okay. As long as we learn from our failures, they are not true failures. Experiments determine whether an hypothesis is true or false. The experiment is not a failure if the hypothesis is proved false.Treat your writing journey as a grand experiment and learn from everyone and every step.
Embrace the adventure of the writing wild west and learn.
Today, know that your writing is a gift from God. Your desire to write is a gift from God. Do not be ashamed of your writing or hide it under bushes, in the back of your closet or in forgotten files on your computer. It’s time to step into the light. Don’t worry about all the pieces of things that need to be done to market our books, to build a business – all of those pieces, those are not things that God wants you to figure out on your own. He’s not saying, ‘Okay, I’m calling you to be a writer, now go figure it out and make it work.”
God wants to be intimately involved in the process of your writing career: in the process of every single book that you write, your marketing plan, selecting your mentors.
As you draw close to Him, and learn to ask Him questions about your career, about your writing, about your calling, He will give clarity and help move you forward. He will bring the resources.
When we listen to Him, we create out of a place of rest, peace, and confidence.
Because we’re relying on God, we’re seeing His gifts in us, and we’re willing to grow them and move forward as He calls us. But it’s no longer this ‘thing that we have to figure out’ and just make it work on our own. God really wants to be behind you, in you, helping you become the writer that you were made to be.
Are you ready to trust God with your writing career today?
If yes, leave a comment so we can prayerfully cheer you on and if you want to be a part of my book launch for When God Calls A Writer team, click here.