Ever feel like
giving up? Me too. Often. I’ve even quit a few times, but my imagination always
gets me started again. Through the long, unpublished years, I struggled with
motivation, but mostly with “am I wasting my time?”
I knew God had
given me a gift to write fiction, but there was a lot of second-guessing. Discouragement is
insidious, and I wondered why I was spending such a huge amount of time writing
fiction—for nothing. Eventually I decided to write anyway, even if it was just
for me, and to enjoy the gift. I still hoped it would sell, so I could share my
imaginary friends with the world.
Once I was
published, and then decided to continue on as an indie author after my
publisher closed, the temptations to quit changed. But they haven’t gone away.
Sometimes when the
little voices ask, “Do you really want to keep doing this?” my only answer is
“It’s better than cleaning toilets.” But then a character or plot point will
surprise me, or a reader will tell me that something I wrote touched them, and
I’m re-energized. Plus, God brought me this far. It would be ungrateful—and
disobedient—to quit or to give less than my best. When it’s quitting time,
He’ll tell me.
Looking back, I
can see times where God positioned me in a spot to be encouraged to keep on.
Perhaps most memorably, when I was at a very low, pre-published ebb, He nudged
me into attending the 2012 Write Canada conference. I was feeling discouraged
and directionless, but the conference challenged me to renew my sense of wonder
and to carry on.
So I took that and
ran, right?
No, I forgot and
got discouraged again. Here’s the part I love: instead of letting me sulk, God
got my attention while I was listening to Peter Furler’s song, “All in Your
Head.” I’m sure that song was written for more important assignments than my
writing, but God used it to challenge me. If you like rock music and need a bit
of encouragement, here’s a YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VillmIj5SE
If you love
writing, keep persevering. Even when it’s hard, and even when there’s no
recognition. When God gives us a gift, He wants us to use it. And to leave the
results up to Him. Some of us may become multi-published, best-selling authors.
Others may publish a single book or article. Others’ words may only reach an
editorial assistant deep in a publishing house. Or maybe the act of writing,
listening, revising, will help others of us to work through issues we’re
struggling with personally.
He will use our
obedient words, in His way and in His time. May we persevere, so we’ll one day
know the joy of hearing “well done” from the Master.
When
have you been most tempted to quit? How does God encourage you to keep going?
~~~~~~
Janet Sketchley is an Atlantic Canadian writer
who likes her fiction with a splash of mystery or adventure and a dash of
Christianity. Why leave faith out of our stories if it’s part of our lives? You
can find Janet online at janetsketchley.ca. This summer, she’s celebrating the
release of her suspense novella, Unknown
Enemy.
