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| Annette M. Irby |
Hey, fellow writers! Annette here. Raise your hand if you're just back from ACFW's annual writers' conference. I didn't go this year, but I have a feeling I can relate to how you're feeling. Once you've recovered from the exhaustion and processed the last few amazing days, no doubt you'll have some follow-up that needs attention. Here's some encouragement for that moment!*
What if the only thing stopping your advancement is you?
Yikes.
I was just cleaning my desk and God brought me this
question. I might be procrastinating
right now. I might. You tell me. The dusting spray is out, the right side of my
desk is dazzling, and on the left side of my desk? A manual on how to make that
book proposal sparkle.
Ugh.
First, I need a little company here in my procrastination
pool. Raise your hand if you *love* writing proposals… Anyone? Hmm. That’s what
I thought.
I just returned from the ACFW conference. And I
had some great meetings and requests for proposals. So, like a diligent writer, I’m trying to get my act together, study what these different agencies
and houses want in their proposals and get them sent. Right?
Or maybe I’ll just work a bit more on clearing off my desk.
After all, this room was a hotbed of preparations just a couple of weeks
ago, prior to conference. And I have things strewn all over that I haven’t had
a chance to pick up, or file. And then there’s the dust… Oh, the dust. And
then, there’s…
Well, there’s the proposal I need to polish.
So, there I am when God asks me: What if the only thing stopping
your advancement is you?
Did you feel that all the way over there? ;) Yeah, me too.
So, I’ll research, and I’ll polish. (Say it with me now.)
And I’ll follow. Through.
I made a new friend at conference. She lives locally, but we
met at the airport. (Don’tcha love that?) She relayed a story where an editor
asked every single person around the lunch table (what is that, ten, besides
the editor?) to send her their proposals. All ten of them. And how many
followed through? Can you guess? I mean, here’s an open door. An. Open. Door.
How long do we writers wish for, beg for, pray for, search for an
open door? And they all had one. Now, I’m not saying there were any guarantees,
we know that’s not possible in this biz or any other, but they all had the same
invitation. And guess how many took this editor up on it?
ZERO.
Not one.
What if the only thing stopping your advancement is you?
What if your lack of following through (believe me, this
hurts me as much as it does you) is what’s keeping you from breaking through??
God has heard your prayers.
God has held your hand.
God has given you an open door.
WALK THROUGH.
Follow through.
Don’t be the reason you don’t advance. Don’t do that to
yourself, to your dreams, to your future. Buck up. Settle down. Forge ahead.
And follow through.
And we’ll be here cheering you on.
“I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door,
and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength,
have kept My word, and
have not denied My name.”
(Rev. 3:8 NKJV)
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| Her Nerdy Cowboy |
Whoever heard of a bookish cowboy? When Logan
McDaniel’s brother-in-law dies, he steps in to help his beloved sister run her
ranch. But what does a city boy know of herding cattle? Claire Langley loved
her cousin. After he dies, she agrees to serve as a temporary nanny for two
heartbroken children.
Claire and Logan find they share a love of books, and
Claire can’t resist the nerdy uncle who is great with children, and who reads
to her of pirate romance. Claire’s ailing mother needs her in Seattle. Can she
break away? And if she does, can there ever be a future for Logan and her?
~~~~~
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| Annette M. Irby |
Annette M. Irby has three published books and
runs her own freelance editing business, AMI Editing.
See her page here on Seriously Write for more information.
* This article first appeared on SW in 2011.
