When It’s Time to Let Go by Sally Shupe

We know it’s hard to let go. Hard to let go of how we do things, because we’ve always done them that way. Or, hard to let go of those few extra pounds we’re always trying to lose. Or, hard to go in one direction when we’ve gone so far in another direction. As I write this, I am learning to let go of my son. He got engaged over Christmas and is leaving home to move to Florida. 10 ½ hours away. We’re packing up today and driving down with him and his fiancé in the morning. But, by letting go of him, I get something in return. A soon to be daughter in law! And a chance to see a state I haven’t been to before. One that is much warmer than it is where I am right now, as an extra incentive. As I thought about this, writing came to mind.

Do you have a story that is just not quite working? Are the characters being more obstinate than usual? Not talking to you, or the scene is not working out? Have you received feedback that goes against what you thought your story would be? Maybe it needs to be let go. Could the story take place in the city instead of the country? Could the hero be a surfer instead of a snowboarder? (Someone had asked my son if he was trading in his snowboard for a surfboard. He said no, in case you’re interested lol.) Could it become a suspense instead of a sweet romance? Or maybe your editor or agent has requested changes. Do you find it hard to follow their directions and let certain aspects of your story go? How do you handle letting go of a story that you’ve worked so hard on?

Just as it’s hard for me letting my baby boy go, it’s just as hard to let a story go. One that we’ve worked on for a long time. We’ve gotten close to the characters. Watched the characters, and the story, grow from an idea, to chapters, to maybe even a completed story. But do you know what you get when you let certain things go? A better story! One that resonates with more people. One that is stronger.

Step back from your story and see it from all angles. Could your story benefit from letting go? Only you know the answer to this question. It may end up looking drastically different. It may take lots more work to get it where it needs to be. But we’re writers. Writing is what we do. Once you’ve looked it over, studied the feedback from editors, agents, or beta readers, dissect the story and see if what they’ve suggested makes sense. If it does, your story just may benefit from letting go!

Are you struggling with letting certain aspects of your story go? Or, have you had to let a story go? Please share how you handled it so we can all learn, and know we’re not alone. We can encourage one another along this journey.

How do you handle letting go of a story that you’ve worked so hard on? @SallyShupe1 #amwriting #writetip #seriouslywrite

Sally Shupe lives in southwest Virginia with her husband, two grown kids, and a whole bunch of pets: five dogs, three cats, a rabbit, and birds at the birdfeeder (and the mandatory snowman when the snow cooperates). She writes contemporary Christian romance, with two completed manuscripts and others in progress. They are part of a series located in small town Virginia.

When Sally’s not writing or working full-time, she is a freelance editor for several authors who write fiction and nonfiction; students working on dissertation papers; a copy editor for Desert Breeze (now closed); a content editor for Prism (became part of Pelican); performs beta reading for various authors; publishes book reviews on her blog and with Valley Business FRONT’s monthly magazine; is a member of ACFW and ACFW Virginia; and loves genealogy, running, and crocheting.

Sally uses her love of words to write about God’s amazing love.

Pass It On by Susan Tuttle

Image Courtesy of Ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.Net

I was helping my son with his schoolwork recently, and we were studying about Samuel. He was a great man. An amazing prophet who God used to not only anoint Saul as King, but be a spiritual leader to Israel.

And he didn’t miss a beat. The man loved the Lord and carried his calling very seriously. He was dedicated to the Lord by his mother, Hannah, (one of my favorite stories) before he was even born. Raised under the priest, Eli, Samuel recognized God’s voice from a very early age and followed it willingly. He rallied under the passion God had given him to reach Israel and lead them as a Judge.

He pointed them to God. Helped them walk in His ways. Encouraged and uplifted the people with the sole purpose of bringing their focus to God. It was, in essence, his calling.

Except, in all his zeal, could he have missed something?

1 Samuel 8:3 says “…but his sons did not follow in his ways.”

He’d reached an entire nation, but missed his own children.

Now, I have no way of truly knowing if Samuel was a present parent or not. If he spent as much time teaching them about God as he did with Israel, and they simply chose another path. Believe me, I know this happens, and it is heart-wrenching. But as I read the story with my son, caution stepped in. A warning if you will. See, Samuel was so focused on carrying out his calling, that it’s equally as possible he missed bringing it to his family.

How do I know this? Because I am passionate about writing. Can anyone here relate? And writing for the CBA market isn’t strictly about entertainment. We write with a message, with a calling. We write to encourage other Christians and point non-believers to Christ. It’s an amazing purpose that we could so easily lose ourselves in because we see the value of it.

Problem is, the people in our immediate reach are our first mission field. If I write a bestseller that reaches a million plus people for Christ, but I neglect to show Him to my family or lose them in the process, what have I gained? Oh, I desperately want to reach an unsaved world, but not at the cost of my husband feeling neglected or my children never knowing Christ.

Please hear me, I’m not saying we don’t have deadlines, or that God hasn’t called you to write what’s before you. I am saying he’s placed your family around you for such a time as this. That God holds time in his hand, and He’s capable of proportioning it into the perfect amounts if you seek Him over what those are.

And I guess that’s where all this is going. Learning to balance your calling with the people he’s placed in your immediate sphere. Being present in their lives, so they don’t miss the presence of the One who created them. What you share with them is as important as the message you’re typing with hopes of reaching the masses.

Don’t let that calling pull you from the people within arm’s reach.


Pass it on.

Susan Tuttle

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.

Strength in Adversity is Necessary for Life and Writing by Pam Meyers

Angie, here. I'm so pleased to introduce a writing friend of mine, Pam Meyers. Raised in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Pam spent time in a variety of places in her early adult life such as New York City and Los Angeles, California. After she returned to her Midwestern roots, God got a hold of her heart and she never looked back. She has a degree from Trinity International University and is involved in deaf ministry, singles ministry and as a small group leader in her church. In addition, she currently leads a women’s Bible study group and serves in a cross-cultural ministry to the Japanese.

A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Pam served on the Board from 2005 – 2009. She also supports her fellow ACFW members by promoting new releases each month and writing reviews. You can keep up with Pam on Twitter and FaceBook. The following is reposted with permission from her blog, “A Writer’s Journey.”

I'm reading a chapter a day in Deuteronomy since that is the book of the Bible my pastor is preaching from right now. Today, it wasn't the scripture that contained a take-away for me, but the study note in my John MacArthur NASB Study Bible regarding Deut. 13:3 that says God was testing the Israelites to see how much they did love Him in the face of temptation. The study note states: "...while temptation was dangerous, the overcoming of that temptation would strengthen the people in their love for God and obedience to His commandments."

Temptations can be strength-builders when we overcome. I pondered this, but the lesson didn't hit full-force until I went to the gym and decided to increase the weights on some of the machines I use. The increase was only five pounds, but it made a huge difference in how easily I was able to do the reps. What had become fairly easy was suddenly more difficult. Yet I pushed on, straining at times, and accomplished my goals. Why? Because it's been proven that without increasing the resistance, my muscles will never strengthen. They need that extra weight in order to become stronger.

That got me thinking about adversity and trials beyond the temptations that I face every day. They provide increased weight to my inner soul, strengthening it like a muscle when I don't give up and stop resisting the temptation to climb on my pity pot. The harder I work at resisting and rising above the disappointments, the setbacks, the trials of life, the more I will depend on God to get me through. And the more my love for Him will increase as I realize He gives me EVERTHING I need for life.

How does that translate to my writing journey? Every rejection I receive (and there have been dozens over the years), every hard crit that points out flaws in my story, every time someone points out a typo that slipped past me before I posted my blog, or every bad interview I have at an editor appointment (and there have been very few), those times can benefit my strength and determination the same way increasing the weight on the leg press machine I use, similar to the one like the guy is using in the picture. 

This morning I grimaced like him through most of the exercises, but I am now a bit stronger for having endured. And each disappointing experience I have with my writing will only make me stronger and more determined to grow from the experience, trusting God that He is in charge and is equipping me to better my craft. At the proper time I will reap a harvest if I don't give up. (See Galatians 6:9)

Bring on the weight!

NOTE: Since the original writing of this post, after persevering for nearly a year more, Pamela has been blessed by God with two book contracts. Her debut novel, Thyme for Love, will release in later this year, and Love Finds You in Lake Geneva Wisconsin, her hometown, will release in June of 2012.