I live just outside of Greenville, South Carolina and I love
almost everything about it.
The one thing I don’t love? Our traffic.
I-85 and I-385 are a daily source of frustration for
thousands of commuters and in an effort to alleviate the congestion, a massive
construction project is underway.
Last week, after being out of town for a few days, I merged
onto I-385 . . . and quickly realized
that the lane I had traveled for years was gone. It was now an exit ramp and it
went in a direction I didn’t want to go.
I scrambled to check my mirrors and slip into the lane to
the left. There had been no warning signs and if I hadn’t been paying
attention, I would have had to take a circuitous route to my destination.
As I adjusted to the new road conditions, I couldn’t help
but notice the parallels to the publishing journey.
We make plans, we follow the paths others have successfully
taken, but sometimes we open an email or check social media and realize
everything has changed.
- The agent we thought would be our perfect match sends a rejection letter.
- We don’t get an appointment with the editor we knew would be the right fit for our story.
- The line we were targeting closes.
- We learn the publisher we’ve always dreamed of working with isn’t accepting new submissions.
We’ve heard it before . . . If there’s one thing you can
count on in publishing, it’s change. Sigh.
I’m no fan of change, but I’ve found a few things that help
me deal with the inevitable disappointments that come my way.
First, I pitch a fit. I
know you thought I was going to say I pray, and I do. But if I’m honest, it
usually starts out as a rant that morphs into a prayer. I pour out my
frustrations and fears to the One who loves me best. When I quit throwing a
tantrum and take my sadness to my Father, it doesn’t take long for Him to
remind me that He isn’t surprised by the latest developments and His plans have
never been held captive by the whims of mankind.
Second, I plug in. I go
to conferences, interact on-line and in person with other writers in a variety
of genres, and read blogs from editors, agents, and other industry
professionals. There’s no way to know when a contact could turn into a referral
or a paying job.
Third, I press on. I keep
writing. I keep looking for new opportunities. I stay open to new ideas.
Mostly, I keep my eyes focused on the One who has control of
my path and I trust Him to get me where He wants me to go, no matter how many
times the roads change.
Have you encountered an unexpected shift in your writing journey? How do you manage the ever-changing publishing world?
~~~~~~~
Lynn H. Blackburn believes in the power of
stories, especially those that remind us that true love exists, a gift from the
Truest Love. She’s passionate about CrossFit, coffee, and chocolate (don’t make
her choose) and experimenting with recipes that feed both body and soul. She
lives in South Carolina with her true love, Brian, and their three children.
Her first book, Covert Justice, won the 2016 Selah Award for Mystery/Suspense
and the 2016 Carol Award for Short Novel. Her second book, Hidden Legacy, releases
June 2017 and the first book in her new Dive Team Investigations series, Beneath
the Surface, releases March 2018 from Revell.
You
can connect with Lynn at www.LynnHBlackburn.com and as @LynnHBlackburn on Facebook,
Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Hidden Legacy:
