Sour Grapes or Blessed Fruit: When the Writer Wants to Give Up by Linda Rondeau

Have you experienced a time of disappointment in your writing career? Unless today is your first writing day, that answer has to be yes. I know it is for me. Today, Linda Rondeau has some advice for those of us who have suffered discouragement at one time or another. -- Sandy

Linda: Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he will never be disappointed…Alexander Pope.

Disappointment is part of the human condition. Who among us has not felt its sting to some degree? 

When we don’t achieve what we desired, we are tempted to quit. The pain is simply too much.

For me, I’ve recently struggled with disappointment, having gone from never getting published, to acquiring an agent, to getting multiple book contracts and then having those books tank in the marketplace. When will I realize success?

So I did some research. I discovered that most often disappointment is caused by what psychologist call cognitive dissonance. This occurs when expectation is incongruent with reality. When our desire or object of pursuit exceeds the bounds of reality, defeat is likely and it can lead to disappointment.

Can I reasonably expect I will hit best seller rank with any or all of my books? Perhaps not. Look at James Joyce or Theodore Dreiser. Can you name all their books? No. Not all of their works came off the presses with gusto.

When faced with so much disappointment in our careers, we are tempted to jump to the conclusion, “Must be I didn’t hear God correctly. Perhaps I’m wasting my time.”

If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment – Henry David Thoreau.

Remember the story of the fox and the grapes? After repeated attempts to reach the grapes through normal fox-type behaviors, he gave up, stuck his tail between his legs and slunk off, saying to himself, “Oh well, they were probably sour anyway.”

Disappointment cripples the soul when we believe we are “deserving” of a particular outcome. When life does not curve the way we want or if we don’t receive what we feel we deserve, we give up and become enslaved in Disappointment’s domino effect: I expect what I think I deserve, I don’t get it, I feel disappointment.

Does that mean we shouldn’t try?

No. That’s sour grapes.

Likewise, we may need to reframe our approach to our writing. That does not mean we should let go of the prize.

God has created us as unique individuals with different characteristics. We often make the mistake of expecting the same outcome as someone else who may have traveled a similar path, and we fail to take into account our different makeups, the peculiar God-made construction.

His way may not match our pre-conceived design.

Rather than view the roadblock as failure, we can perceive it as a time to reflect and move forward again, perhaps in a different direction. Always, though, within those struggling times, God has prepared a harvest of blessings, if we choose to look for them. 

How have you handled those discouraging moments in your writing life? We'd like to know your tips for getting past those times.

~~~

When a romance writer and her estranged publisher husband attempt to reconcile, malignant forces and a pending lawsuit seem bent on keeping them apart. After fifteen years of marital disarray, Henry and Sylvia Fitzgibbons (aka Lana Longstreet) independently contemplate divorce, their relationship relegated to Henry’s infrequent visits to the Connecticut estate and their once a week meeting at Chez Phillipe’s in Manhattan.  But, not yet. There is the matter of the decaying rose gardens and the thirtieth anniversary party the children are planning. Reluctantly, Henry moves in for the summer, steeled against the hauntings that torment only him. As reconciliation seems possible, the evil forces within begin to target Sylvia as well.  Like the strangling vines within the rose beds, Henry and Sylvia have become victims of spiritual neglect. Their only hope remains in surrender to a power greater than the evil determined to destroy them.  

Winner of the 2012 Selah Award for best first novel The Other Side of Darkness/Harbourlight,  LINDA WOOD RONDEAU, writes stories of God’s mercies. Walk with her unforgettable characters as they journey paths not unlike our own. After a long career in human services, Linda now resides in Jacksonville, Florida.

Linda’s best-selling Adirondack Romance, It Really IS a Wonderful Life, is published by Lighthouse of the Carolinas and is available wherever books are sold.  Her next releases were her devotional book, I Prayed for Patience God Gave Me Children and Days of Vines and Roses (also available where ebooks are sold).

Joy Comes to Dinsmore Street and A Christmas Prayer have been released in time for the Christmas Season. Songs in the Valley/ Helping Hands Press. Will be released in late 2013 or early 2014.  

Readers may visit her web site at www.lindarondeau.com or email her at lindarondeau@gmail.com  or find her on Facebook, Twitter, PInterest, LinkedIn, Google Plus and Goodreads.   

The Rise of Apollos by Linda Rondeau

He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way (Psalm 25:9 NIV).

Based on Acts 18:24-28

Apollos is mentioned a few times in the Bible as a contemporary of Paul. He rose from obscurity to recognition as an evangelist in his own right, so much so that some wondered if Paul might be “threatened” by the man’s appeal. Paul understood that there was room for the both of them at the top.

As I read Apollos’s progress from a teacher of Old Testament knowledge to a fervent expounder full of insight for his limited exposure to popularity of Christ, I was touched at how God fashions the writer in similar ways.

Apollos was learned

All Apollos knew of Christ was through the teachings of John the Baptist, and with many others, believed him to be the promised Elijah, the forerunner of the Messiah. Yet, Apollos stopped short of seeking the Christ of whom John preached.

When I thought it was time for me to move from hobbyist writing to professional writing, I soon realized that I was overconfident, hindered by my limited scope of experience. I thought I knew enough. I taught English for a bit and used my writing skills in all my human services jobs. I knew how to turn a phrase, how to use symbolism, and basked in praises from readers. But there is a difference between technique and passion, the dos and don’ts and the heart of the matter.

When I finally put my arrogance aside, stopped leaning on my own limited scope of understanding and allowed God to teach me what I needed to know to be the writer He wanted me to be, I discovered a change in how I wrote, no longer toiling for the pretty words to impress, but for the reader’s benefit and edification. A new sense of responsibility took shape in my writing psyche.

He preached with conviction

As he applied his knowledge to his work, Apollos presented an aura of conviction that shone through his words.

Once I began writing from the heart, success followed. No longer trapped within postulations, apologetics, and self-indulgence, no longer caught in a quagmire of muddy purple prose, ideas were finally free to flow from what the heart wanted to say rather than undue concern for cadence.

Apollos was theologically accurate

Paul notes that Apollos taught with good understanding of scripture. Fiction writers have a lot of poetic license with the mundane. But, I discovered I owe my readers accuracy in my depictions, especially pertaining to theological references. I am finding that I need to be as meticulous in my scriptural research as in my historical or geographical research.

He continued his training

Apollos was discovered by Priscilla and Acquilla, dear friends of Paul. They saw something dynamic in Apollos, saw fruit for God’s kingdom. They took him under their wing and taught him about Christ, crucified, risen and the power of salvation through belief in Him. Apollos accepted their mentorship, and his ministry flourished, probably to more than he could have imagined or dreamed.

I could own a fleet of cars on the money I’ve spent on conferences, studying the craft, and self-promotion. The more I think I know, the more I realize I don’t know and become even more aware of my dearth of understanding. This journey of writing is like life itself, a process.

Now that I am multi-published, I find these truths even more entrenching. I hope I never outgrow the need to be more than what I am today. For now I still only see through a glass darkly.

About Linda Rondeau
A native of Central New York, Linda Rondeau met and married Steve Rondeau, her best friend in life, and managed a career in human services before tackling professional writing. After thirty-four years of marriage, they have relocated to Jacksonville, Florida, leaving rural America to live in a city of one million.

While writing is her greatest passion, the more favorable temperatures of Florida allow her to follow another great passion – golf.

Linda is the wife of one patient man, the mother of three, and the grandmother of nine.

An award winning author, Linda is multipublished. Linda's first title, The Other Side of Darkness, released Fall 2012, won the 2012 Selah Award for best first novel. Her first book in her Sci-Fi, futuristic series, America II, written under L.W. Rondeau released summer of 2012.

Connect with Linda

lindarondeau@gmail.com

Website: http://www.lindarondeau.com

It Really is a Wonderful Life

Midville newcomer and Iraq War widow, Dorie Fitzgerald, despises the frigid Adirondack wasteland that has now become her home. After twenty failed job interviews, she questions the wisdom of moving to be near her parents. Desperate to belong, she joins the local Community Theater, in production for It’s a Wonderful Life.

Jamey Sullivan has put his professional life on hold in order to run the family business and to help his ailing father. He signs on for Midville’s production of It’s a Wonderful Life, although he hopes to receive a Broadway casting call any day now.

When these two meet, they are instantly attracted to one another. However, ambition, demanding children, and a romantic rival threaten to squash their growing love for one another.

It Really is a Wonderful Life is set in the beautiful Adirondack mountains, a perfect backdrop for romantic conflict.