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| Connilyn Cossette |
Are you
able to trust God and his goodness in your writing journey, despite days when
you feel discouraged or fears start to creep into your thoughts? I’m inspired
by what author Connilyn Cossette
shares today, and I believe you will be too. ~ Dawn
Lay
Down Your Writing
A few years ago publication was just a dream, and a
forgotten one at that. I was a stay-at-home mom with two kids under five and
although writing was always my “if-money-was-not-an-object-what-would-you-do
answer”— I had little hope that anything would ever really come of it. My
personality is also a bit “all or nothing” so I had never even tried to write
anything substantial, other than some bad poetry here or there, and a few
intermittent scribbles in an oft-neglected journal—since in my mind, if I didn’t
know how to write a “good” novel and didn’t have any earth-shattering ideas,
why bother wasting my time?
But then, as I was studying the book of Exodus, I was struck
by the humanness of the people within that story. Like many others that grew up
in the Church, listening to the Old Testament felt-board stories, I saw those
“Bible Characters” as something akin to fairytales—not that I did not believe
the Word of God and its history was truth—but that Moses and Pharaoh were
characters in a story that had little bearing on me personally.
However, the more I dug into the history and the culture
surrounding the well-known story, the more those long-ago people took on flesh,
began to live and breathe in my mind. And when I read the verse “a mixed
multitude went with (the Hebrews)” in Exodus 12:38, inspiration struck and
Kiya, Shira, and the other characters from the Out from Egypt series came alive
in my mind as well.
Once I wrote that story (during a five year long process of
researching and learning) I was faced with a decision. I could either give in
to my fears and my lack of self-confidence, or I could lay my manuscript in
God’s hands and trust that if He created me with such a desire to craft words
and wrangle them into a story, He would be faithful to complete whatever He
planned for those words.
The long, windy road to publication, and beyond, was not
without struggle. There were times, sometimes months-long periods, of extreme
discouragement. There were lots of rejections, deafening silences, and one
devastating email that nearly caused me to throw in the towel. But this journey
has taught me more about myself, my God, and His Word than I ever dreamed
possible, and it seems the more I entrust this career of mine to His capable
hands, the more He delights in showing me just how much He loves me.
Perhaps your writing dream is still a mirage on a far
horizon, or you have a manuscript or two under your belt and are frustrated
with the hoop-jumping that defines the publishing industry, or maybe you’re already
published and dealing with discouragement. May I encourage you, however, to
consider this time as a call to lean in to the Lord and His Word? Ask Him what
He is teaching you in the midst of this messy process. Lay your writing down
before Him, in declaration of your trust in His goodness.
Having my books in the hands of readers is wonderful and I
am grateful for the privilege, but the rewards of going deeper with God are so
much better. I can’t wait to see where He will lead me next!
Having
escaped Egypt with the other Hebrews during the Exodus, Shira is now living in
freedom at the foot of Mt. Sinai, upon which rests the fiery glowing Cloud
containing the shekinah glory of God. When the people disobey Yahweh and build
a golden idol, the ensuing chaos gives Shira an unexpected opportunity to learn
the arts of midwifery. Although her mother wishes for her to continue in the
family weaving trade, Shira's gifts shine brightest when she assists with
deliveries. In defiance of her mother, Shira pursues her heart's calling to
become an apprentice midwife.
When a
delivery goes horribly wrong, Shira finds herself bound to a man who betrayed
her, the caretaker of three young children, and the target of a vengeful woman
whose husband was killed by Shira's people, the Levites. As contention between
the Hebrew tribes and the foreigners fans the flames of another dangerous
rebellion, Shira will come face-to-face with the heartbreak of her past that
she has kept hidden for so long. How can she let go of all that has defined her
to accept the love she's denied herself and embrace who she truly is?
When she is not homeschooling her two sweet kids (with a
full pot of coffee at hand), Connilyn
is scribbling notes on spare paper, mumbling about her imaginary friends, and
reading obscure out-of-print history books. There’s not much she likes better
than digging into the rich ancient world of the Bible, uncovering buried gems
of grace that point toward Jesus and weaving them into fiction. Her second
novel Shadow of the Storm: Out from Egypt
Series releases October 18 through Bethany House Publishers.
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