Welcome to Fortifying Friday—the day we offer words of encouragement and provide opportunities for guest authors to share their journeys to publication. Lynne Gentry is here today, reminding us that starting over isn’t necessarily such a bad thing. Thanks, Lynne!
~ Dawn
Reflect … Reinvent … Rejoice
by Lynne Gentry
Starting over was the last thing I wanted to do.
I’d written the perfect manuscript. A serious 450 page work of art. The next best thing since Francine Rivers. Or so I thought, until I tried to sell it in 2005. It didn’t matter how highly I valued my work, nobody was buying Biblical fiction. Chick Lit was all the rage. Every publisher wanted something funny.
So I had a choice to make. Give up because I wasn’t funny, or get up and take a stab at starting over.
I pouted in front of my blank computer screen for days. Then I got an email from a writer friend. She challenged me to reflect upon my life, my experiences, and my passions. She said if I was faithful to God’s calling, I could trust Him to provide the story.
Keystroke by painful keystroke I began to trudge through a new story in a totally new genre. A few months later I had my second finished book, a book that was funny, a book that would finally sell.
The process of starting over is painful. Not one I’d volunteer to do again. But forcing myself to reflect upon my past reinvented my future. Reflect … Reinvent … Rejoice!
It’s never too late to start over.
Lynne Gentry knew marrying a preacher might change her plans. She didn’t know how much ministry would change her life. This author of numerous short stories and dramatic works travels the country as a professional acting coach and inspirational speaker. Lynne lives in Dallas with her husband Lonnie and counts spending time with her two grown children and their families her greatest joy.
To find out more about Lynne and her books, please visit:
Website at www.lynnegentry.com
Facebook at Author Lynne Gentry
