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| Michael K. Reynolds |
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by trying to do it all—family,
church, job, and pursuing a career in writing? It’s not easy, is it? How do you
handle it? Author Michael K.
Reynolds faced such a time, and he’s here to share what he learned. Be
blessed! ~ Dawn
The
Power Behind the Pen
by
Michael K. Reynolds
Ever feel like throwing in the pen? Giving up this crazy writing pursuit?
The voice in your head whispering: Who are you fooling? This will never amount to anything.
I heard the voice almost exactly a year ago. In fact, there
were dozens of voices joining together in a discordant, conspiratorial choir.
And it sounded like hopelessness.
No question about it. I was in a crisis.
My first novel Flight
of the Earls had just released and I was overwhelmed by the demands of
promotion. My second book In Golden
Splendor, which at the time was due to come out in a few months was in
final production. Then my third book Songs
of the Shenandoah was already past its appointed draft deadline with my
editors writing me patient…but pointed…e-mails: “Is it just about ready, Michael?”
Uh…not
exactly.
It was the dream of my life fulfilled…and I was miserable.
Because during a time that should have felt like tremendous
victory my world was shattering tiles beneath my feet. Just like Elijah after
his triumph over hundreds of the false prophets of Baal, I found myself alone,
quivering in a cave of darkness.
Behind the scenes I had just learned my publisher was
eliminating nearly the entirety of their fiction line, which meant the new deal
we were working on for my next trilogy just vaporized.
Meanwhile, the business I owned was going through a tough
transition, our family was facing some unexpected financial and health issues
and I was completely exhausted from a two year schedule of balancing two full
time jobs while trying my best to keep my family first.
Spent…wiped out. Kapootz. And for what, Michael? A foolish chasing of the wind? I was ready
to throw in my pen.
Fortunately, through the gentle mentoring of some of my most
respected writing friends I realized what was wrong.
In all of my busyness and relentless goal chasing I had
inadvertently pulled the plug out of the wall.
My time in the Word was subordinated to “maybe tomorrow”
status. My prayer life was pared down to pre-dinner blessings. My family had
pulled back from service in church. We no longer attended our weekly Bible
study.
And I was a Christian fiction author! It was my faith that
was becoming make believe.
God has a great sense of humor and it turned out the joke
was on me. My third book, Songs of the
Shenandoah, staged during the Civil War was all about hearing His voice
during even the most difficult battles of life. I had managed to get lost in my
own plot.
I realized in that moment my struggles were a gift from God
so I could breathe into my characters with firsthand, visceral experiences. The
Civil War fields became the canvas of my own personal struggles.
So I plugged back in.
In God’s infinite mercy it was extraordinary how rapidly my
world healed and my energy and passion returned. The concluding novel of my
series virtually wrote itself the rest of the way and with its recent release
it’s been encouraging to learn how it’s already changing lives.
If you are writing with the purpose of honoring God, you
must realize you are at war with a bitter enemy. When you hear that voice in
your head urging you to quit, be firm and say, “Get behind me Satan”.
Then make sure the plug is firmly attached to the socket.
Tweetables:
Author Michael
K. Reynolds offers encouragement for those times when you want to give up.
Click to tweet.
Have you tried
using personal struggles to breathe life into your characters? Click to tweet.
If you write with the purpose of
honoring God, you must realize you are at war with a bitter enemy. Click to tweet.
At the
onset of the Civil War, Seamus heeds his wife’s wishes to return to her beloved
family farm in the South, where he takes a post as chaplain for General
Stonewall Jackson’s brigade. As Seamus ministers to the troops, his sister
Clare ministers in a different way—by being a powerful voice in the Northern
cause toward freeing the slaves. All this while their youngest brother Davin,
who became wealthy during the Gold Rush, struggles to find love and identity in
a fallen world. It’s a clash of loyalties and beliefs that threaten the entire
family, each of them trying to hear God’s encouragement in the midst of the
tragedy of war. The dramatic conclusion to the acclaimed Heirs of Ireland
Series.
Michael K.
Reynolds’s debut novel, Flight of the
Earls, about the Great Irish Potato Famine was recently nominated for RT Book Reviews 2013 novel of the year
award in the category of Inspirational Romance. In Golden Splendor, set during the San Francisco Gold Rush,
received similar high acclaim and Songs
of the Shenandoah, the Civil War-era conclusion to the trilogy was just
chosen as a Top Pick in RT Book Reviews.
Michael is the author of a popular Christian Blog called Real Life. Real God. and he has been
rated as one of the top 50 Christians on Twitter. He lives in Reno with his
wife and three children.
You can learn more at:
TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/M_K_Reynolds
