Not Forgotten by Susan Tuttle

Susan Tuttle

Today marks a brand new year. For some of us we watched as dreams were realized in 2014, others are wondering if they were forgotten. I get it, believe me I do. The writer’s world is a tough one. But recently while I was lamenting the fact and working on a new story, God drew a parallel for me, and I want to share it.

See, when we write we move things around. Our final draft rarely ever resembles our first draft. For the story to work we need to cut things out and shift other things into position. Sometimes we need to add new elements. And why? Because we want the story to work. All of the painful process; that part that’s grueling work, that part that feels like we’re going backward rather than forward, that part that feels like we’re creating a mess rather than a story, all of that is what produces the glowing finished product.

Well, Hebrews tells us that Jesus is “the author and perfecter of our faith” which means he’s writing our life story. Just like when we write, in our lives there are seasons of shifting, adding, and editing that we need to go through. In those moments when it feels like we’re not making headway, when frustration grows, God is still working. No, we don’t have the finished product in our hands—we might not even be able to see it—but the process of our story is still occurring. Oh, we’d love the end product without the editing process, but it’s the hard work of the editing that makes the story shine.

And just like when we write, we cannot give into the frustration of the moment and give up. Our stories will never make it out there if we quit.

So as you begin this new year, I challenge you to spend time with your Author. To ask what part of the process he has you currently in, for the wisdom to travel through it, and for the strength to continue forward.

Because your dream has not been forgotten; it’s still being written.

****

Susan Tuttle is a homeschooling mom of three who is crazy about coffee, dark chocolate, and words—both reading and writing them. Combine that love of words with her passion for leading women to a life-changing encounter with Christ, and you’ll find her crafting Inspirational Contemporary Romance stories laced with humor, love, and healing transformations. When not cheering on her Ironman hubby, chasing the family dog, or tackling complex math problems to teach her kids (yes, even the third grader), you can catch Susan at her blog, Steps.

Golden Calves and Summer Stories by Heidi Chiavaroli

Heidi Chiavaroli

As I finish up my fourth manuscript, prepare to attend the ACFW Awards Gala in St. Louis, and evaluate my summer with both my family and my writing, I feel a nagging prod to look at myself closely.

It’s not a pleasant prod. More like a pointy icepick sort of prod. You know the feeling that something within your spirit needs to be addressed, but you’d rather ignore it? Rather stuff it deep inside, bury it far behind other secrets and shames you’d like to ignore—behind that half-gallon container of ice cream you ate while alone in the house, behind that argument where you lost your temper with your husband or children?

Yeah, way back there.

As I prepared to write this post, I couldn’t ignore the niggling feeling any longer. I looked for other topics, blamed my lack of creativity on the recent edits I accomplished. But the feeling couldn’t be ignored.

And I wonder if maybe I’m not alone.

This summer I gave myself a writing deadline. I wanted to submit my work to my dream agent by the beginning of September. And I did finish. Only the satisfaction wasn’t as complete as it should have been. And I realized why this week.

You see, idols are more than golden calves.

They come in a variety of forms, but to me, this summer, I made my writing into an idol. I placed it before other responsibilities, before my family, even before my God.

My summer was not incredibly peaceful and I’m ashamed to say that maybe I even knew why. This is not my first rodeo with the Writing Idol. But I kept shoving the knowing aside, burying it deeper, putting my plans and goals ahead of what—and Who—I knew to be more important than all else.

This summer is done. I can’t get it back. I can only ask for forgiveness, learn from it, and look forward. I can only fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith.

I am so thankful I don’t have to keep looking into a mirror and evaluating all my failures. Instead, I can look through the window of faith at Jesus and all He has already done for me.

It is my prayer that we would be diligent in reminding one another of this truth. As writers—and especially as Christian writers—it is easy to get caught up in our stories, in what we believe and hope they will accomplish in the name of our Savior.

I know I, too often, look to my own small efforts and feeble attempts. I forget to look through that window to where Christ has proclaimed, “It is finished!”

Thank God for His saving grace. Thank God for His ability to unearth the ugliness of my spirit and love me into true obedience.

Have you ever discovered your writing to be a golden calf? What helps you from falling into this way of thinking and believing?

****

Heidi Chiavaroli writes History Woven in Grace. She is a wife, mother, disciple, and grace-clinger. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and has finaled in the Genesis contest and My Book Therapy’s Frasier contest.

Anticipation, Expectation, and a Little Faith

We recently finished celebrating Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Trees have been taken down, decorations have been packed away—and bathroom scales have been put back in view. 

What comes next? Have you made a list of goals you want to accomplish this year? Do they include eating healthy, losing weight, getting fit, becoming more organized, and finding a better balance in your life? Many of us strive to be successful at those goals. 

Have you also thought about what you want to accomplish in your writing journeys? You know … the milestones you want to reach. Without having a known destination, you’ll never get there.

It’s helpful to have a plan, or even an idea, of what we want the writing year to look like. However, we can get so wrapped up with what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it, that we forget we’re not alone. No matter how much we try to make things happen by hard work, will, and determination, God is still calling the shots. But while he leads, he also desires that we ask for direction so that we don’t get lost, wandering down a path we shouldn’t be treading on.

What if God has great plans for us? What if accepting his lead takes us on a much lovelier road with extraordinary scenery, refreshing water, and nourishing food  along the way?  

The children in the photo have faces filled with anticipation of diving into that platter of ice cream. Do you remember how excited you were as a child for Christmas and birthdays? You looked forward to finally opening your gifts and seeing what cool things were chosen specifically for you. If you’re a parent, you waited with expectation at the birth of your child. But there may have also been some fear as you wondered how you were going to handle parenthood. 

To anticipate means to look forward to something. We’re excited, hopeful, and eager about something that is going to happen. We expect it to happen.

If we expect something to happen, we confidently believe it will happen. We have faith.

When we have faith, we believe or trust in something or someone without proof.

Anticipation and expectation bring excitement into our lives. 

As we begin a new year, let us be filled with anticipation, expectation, and faith that God will do wonderful and great things in our personal and professional lives. Let’s leap into 2012 without fear, knowing that God leads the way and has the journey mapped out for us.

~ Dawn

Turning the Pages Series: Seasons

How Seasons Affect Our Writing
Turning the Pages Series
Net's Notations Tuesdays

Sure feels like fall here—cooler temps, darker skies, more rain and lots of color on our deciduous trees. Ahhh … autumn.

Time to put away the patio furniture, grab the rake and prepare for winter.

In summer, we can step outside without a coat or shoes to let our dog out. In fall, we’ll have to keep slip-ons by the back door.

In summer, I can grab a book, a lawn chair, and my sunglasses and read in the sunshine, soaking up some Vitamin D. In fall, all the reading happens indoors.

In summer, the kids are home from school, with an open schedule. Near the beginning of fall, they start back to school, have to stick to a schedule and more is expected of them by outside sources.

New seasons call for new actions, new approaches to familiar territory, and visiting of new territory. New seasons call us to answer to different authority figures, meet different deadlines, change our schedules.

Isn’t that true in our writing seasons, too? Some writing seasons are for “penning” that first draft. Others are for editing. And then others are for submitting. Then, *hopefully* there comes a season of answering to an editor for your book. What used to be yours is now shared.

Are you aware of the season you’re in? Maybe you’re a parent of small children, and the focus is on them. Maybe you’ve started a new job and are still adjusting to fitting everything into your schedule.

The key is to know the season you’re in, make the appropriate changes for that season and follow through. A student can be all prepared for the school year, but if she never attends classes, never sits under the teaching, never studies, she’s not truly engaged in her season, and she won’t reap the benefits of all her preparation.

God may be turning the pages of your writing season right now. Are you on the same page as He is? Be glad for new seasons, they mean you’re growing, moving ahead.

Now, go ahead, peek at that new page the Author of your faith is penning. Together, start at the top and work your way down. It's going to be good.