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| Elizabeth Byler Younts |
We live in a fast-pace society, and it’s easy to lose
patience when things don’t happen as quickly as we’d like. This tends to apply
to many areas of our lives: customer service, traffic, and even how long it
takes for the microwave to cook food. But some things just can’t be rushed.
Author Elizabeth Byler Younts shares her personal journey to publication and thoughts on why it’s important for writers
to slow down. ~ Dawn
Take
Time to Learn
I’ve always been a “writer” for as long as I can remember. But in 2009 I walked into a critique group in San Antonio, Texas where my husband was stationed, and God altered the course of my path. It was very intimidating to walk into a group of almost thirty people without knowing a single soul. Through my nerves and self-consciousness, however, I continued to hear the call of God on my writing to go out and seek. To knock on the door He put in front of me.
The writers I met there became some of my dearest friends. I
had to take those critiques with thick skin to get better. I attended every
writing workshop and conference we could afford…thanks to a very supportive
husband. I even hired one of my favorite writers and leader of our critique
group, Allison Pittman, to do a daylong workshop at my house with several other
writers. She offered to do it for FREE but we gave her a “love-offering” that
couldn’t amount at all to her wisdom. The two years I was with this group
before another military move, gave me the growth spurt I needed to push me into
becoming a forever student.
In 2011, I self-published my grandma’s memoir, Seasons: A Real Story of an Amish Girl,
that became a #1 Amazon Bestseller in 2 categories. Then in 2012, while my
husband was deployed, I wrote another manuscript and that fall landed an agent
and a 3-book fiction contract with Howard Books/Simon & Schuster. The first
in the series was release in October 2013.
I owe all of this to the God of Wonders!
“Often
the prevailing worldview creates an anxiety to ‘get on with it,’ and drives the
beginner to want the practice before the theory or even instead of the theory.” Laurie
Bestvater, The Living Page (page 69)
This quote is from a book about the art of learning and
teaching and “notebooking” throughout our entire lives, not just during our
academic years. As a homeschool mom, one of the most important aspects of
homeschooling is always be a student myself in all areas of my life no matter
my setbacks or successes.
This concept of not hurrying learning along hit me between
the eyes. How often have I given my first grade oldest daughter a ‘get on with
it’ attitude one way or another as we go through her lessons? I think the ‘get
on with it’ or hurry-up mentality has
become ingrained in our culture and I don’t like it.
I found this quote a challenge in not just my outlook on
homeschool, but for my writing. I consider myself just a beginner in the world
of publication and I want to make sure that I continue to be a student of the
craft as I write. I don’t want to just hurry through the theory but take the
time to learn it well and let it fuel my best possible writing. Learning should
always be an important part of our journey as writers of all stages.
Tweetables:
Elizabeth Byler
Younts joined a critique group and God altered the course of her path. Click to tweet.
The ‘get on with
it’ or hurry-up mentality has become
ingrained in our culture. Click to tweet.
Elizabeth Byler
Younts on why it’s important for writers to slow down. Click to tweet.
Learning is an
important part of our journey as writers of all stages. Click to tweet.
When World War II breaks
out, Miriam Coblentz’s peaceful Amish world is turned upside down...
It’s
1943, and Miriam Coblentz and Henry Mast are nearing their wedding day when the
unthinkable happens—Henry is drafted. However, since he is a part of the
pacifist Amish tradition, Henry is sent to a conscientious objector Civilian
Public Service camp. When he leaves for the work camp, his gaping absence turns
Miriam’s life upside down. Little does she know it’s only the beginning...
When
Henry returns home, he brings news that shakes Miriam and their Amish community
to the core. Henry believes God has called him to enlist in the army and fight
for his country, leaving her to make an important decision: whether to choose
loyalty to the peaceful life she’s always known or her love for Henry. Two
worlds collide in this unforgettable debut novel, providing a fascinating and
rare look into Amish culture during World War II. While Henry is battling
enemies across the ocean, Miriam struggles between her devotion to Henry and
her love of the Amish way of life. One question is at the
bottom of it all: will she follow the rules of her religion or the leading of
her heart?
Elizabeth
Byler Younts is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers. She is
an Air Force officer’s wife and a homeschooling mom with two young daughters.
She makes her home wherever her family is stationed. Elizabeth was Amish as a
child and after her parents left the church she still grew up among her Amish
family and continues to speak Pennsylvania Dutch.
You can learn more and connect with Elizabeth on these
sites:
