Blogger: Rachel Kent
Location: Kirkland, Washington for the Northwest Christian Writers’ Renewal Conference
Because I’m at the conference today (Listening to pitches! Fun for me, and hopefully not too scary for those doing the pitching.), I won’t be able to actively participate in the blog. I do hope you will still comment and talk amongst yourselves.
One of my clients received a three-book offer a few weeks ago from an amazing publishing house. She is settled right where she should be and we have been able to see God’s hand in her writing career.
Approximately two years ago, another publishing house was very interested in this idea. The editor asked my client to complete the whole manuscript–even without the promise of a contract–to help the editor get the book through committee.
My client and I discussed whether or not she wanted to invest the time on the book without the guarantee of publication and she decided she loved the story enough to write it–even if it was never published. She stepped out in faith and wrote the story. That house couldn’t come to the decision to publish the book, so it was back to work for me to find a place for this book that my client had written and I had read and loved.
Two years later, we found the perfect publishing fit and the fact that the manuscript was completed helped us to place the project at just the right place.
I have found that God often calls us to step out in faith and trust him. We may or may not see the results of our faith in these circumstances here on Earth, but our own relationship with God is stronger through the act of obedience.
Have you ever been called to move forward with something in faith? If you feel comfortable, please share. Have you seen results from the act of faith yet?
Have a great weekend!
Rachel, thanks for a great post–one that’s just what I needed to read today.
There’s a wonderful quote in one of Norman Vincent Peale’s books, ascribed to an Olympic high-jump gold medalist –
“Throw your heart over the bar, and your body will follow.”
We often have to take that step of faith, whenever we find another lost and desperate dog abandoned on the side of the road. How do we feed her, where do we PUT her? Will she get along with the others?
You’ve got to trust, and do the right thing. You can’t leave a small soul crying in the dust.
With God, we’ve made it work.
I agree, Andrew. With God all things are possible. Recently, my wife wanted another puppy but I greatly resisted. “We have two dogs already! What if she ruins our happy family?” Long story short, we got the puppy, and she completed our happy family, and needless to say I’m am totally crazy over her.
Lovely story, Jim!
They all bring something, and I can see the hand of God working through our ‘ambassador’, a Heeler named Ladron, making then feel comfortable and accepted.
As I write this the sound of snoring fills the house. Until we lost one yesterday, we could field three canine baseball teams.
Lot of love, and innocence.
That’s sweet, Jim. My mother’s mother actually felt the same about me! When my mom first found out she was expecting me, and already having one daughter, my grandmother was upset! She loved the one grandbaby so much and couldn’t imagine loving another the same. Hopefully, they can’t imagine life without me today! Grin!
Very sorry for your loss, Andrew. I know that the wedding at Cana was where Jesus performed His first earthly ministry miracle, and as a pastor I shouldn’t say this but….If Jesus had a dog, or a lamb that died, I can certainly see Him saying “get up and live!” (I know this is not scriptural, just saying.) Grin!
I’m sure they can’t, Shelli!
Jim, thank you. I do agree that Jesus would have raised a dog – or a cat – or a lamb.
And without dogs, how could Heaven be Heaven?
I figure that if “if the very stones would praise God”, well, a dog’s a lot smarter than a rock.
And a lot better at unconditional love and loyalty than most people.
Those stories I love enough to spend a year writing even if they are never published are the only ones I could spend a year writing. 🙂
I think there’s faith involved in the act of writing every novel. No matter how often I’ve finished one, every time I start a new novel I feel a mix of giddy anticipation, that sense of falling in love with the characters, and a fear that I will never see the completion of the work. All those others I finished? Flukes! However did I DO it? That’s where faith comes in, and I get going.
Lori, I feel the same way. Every time I start a book, I’m struck with a feeling that I’ll never finish and that it’ll never be what I want it to be. But then I remember that God qualifies the called. So I take the next step, and the next, just trying to be obedient. Obedience and faith go hand in hand.
But it’s nice to know I’m not the only one who wonders if past books were just a fluke.
If I was attempting to write this book series on my own, without God’s help, I couldn’t do it. There have been far too many divine appointments for me to think that this is all by chance. The further I get into the process, the more amazed I am that my first tiny step of faith, 2 1/2 years ago, has now become a steady marathon of faithful steps, all toward one goal.
Such wonderful insight. I’ve been trying to focus on one fruit of the Spirit each month since the beginning of the year. This month’s focus is patience. I’m waiting on a lot of things right now, and have other things that I could move forward with if only I weren’t so busy waiting on these other things. It’s been a hard step of faith to take, but this post reminded me today that it’s worth it.
Faith is taking the first step – even when you don’t see the whole staircase.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
What a wonderful quote, Donnie!
Nice post, Rachel!
I keep hearing the word “pitch” … I understand the obvious, but for any who have actually presented yourself to an agent/editor … what are some main points to include in the pitch? Obviously, the “hook” … anything else us newbies should know? If you have time …
The book I just finished could definitely be a series for middle grade. It’s hard to take that step out in faith for “book 2” not knowing for certain anyone will be interested in “book 1.” It really takes faith and a love for the work.
Oh, and great post, Rachel! Thank you! Enjoy your conference!
Be sure to say why you wanted to write the book in the first place. Just a sentence or two, but I found sometimes people are more interested in that then the pitch even.
For a long time, my heart had been breaking for victims of human trafficking – even before my church had Christine Caine of the A21 Campaign come to speak. But even after I heard her speak and was convicted of my lack of action, I did nothing. As a stay at home mom, I didn’t have anything to give – no income, no connections, no ideas.
But then it occurred to me that I do have something to give – I have ten stories that I’ve been working on, daydreaming, refining characters, plots, dialogue, writing down and sketching out here and there but not submitting to get published because “I’m not good enough.”
I could not force myself to complete or send out this work for myself or my own gain – though I’ve worked hard to learn to appreciate constructive criticism and use it to improve, my motivation to get published was still not enough to outweigh the stress and sting of potential rejection. It did not help that I most enjoy mixing media with my stories – illustrations, comics, captions, video, etc. – and exploring various sub genres of science fiction and fantasy. There may well be an audience, but there doesn’t seem to be a publisher. That leaves self-publishing, and somehow doing a great many things I don’t know how to do, and far too many opportunities to let doubt and apathy creep in.
I can’t do this for myself, not for more than a month, and then my willpower fades and I stop trying.
But for someone else, I will go to lengths I’ve never considered for myself.
I am dedicating the first and best story, the one I’ve been refining for the past ten years (so much better than the early iterations) to raising money for A21. I believe that God has called me to use my gifts, not for my glory or gain, but for His. Already I have seen Him at work – He matches every move I make in faith. If I need costume pieces and props to shoot a promo video – people I hardly know step up and send me items to borrow. If I can’t find a location or an actress, the next day someone three states away tells me she knows the perfect place and the perfect person and will film the scene for me. I’ve been very shy about speaking up and asking people to read my work or join my list, but everyone I’ve asked has been happy to and I’ve had some great feedback already. And that’s for a 5 page PDF comic book – a prequel to an as-yet-unlaunched series that no one has any reason to care about. (Well, other than the movie-style trailer I made, which does look pretty cool.)
Now, I still haven’t launched a paid subscription or any means of generating the income to donate, but already I can see it’s possible and I *know* that anything I can’t accomplish, God will – and through a genre that may get even less mainstream respect than romance novels 🙂
1 Cor. 1:27-28 for the win. 🙂
(Is embarrassed by the length of the post… Sorry!)
That’s so cool, Paula! Thank you so much for sharing your story and heart with us. It will be exciting to hear what God does through you and your stories!
I will be praying your work will make an impact on human trafficking. All things are possible with God.
What a path of inspiration! Wonderful idea and blessings to many! Thanks for sharing your story!
Thank you, ladies 🙂
On my own, I don’t have much – but I’m not on my own! 🙂 I’m seeing firsthand that it’s true – everything given to God multiplies.
“When you get to the end of all the light you know and it’s time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.”
― Edward Teller
And it’s amazing how often I’m taught to fly.
Rachel,
I always enjoy reading the Books & Such Blog, but this was a wonderful post with such a powerful example! Really, I think every “unknown” author starts out here, with a seed-faith kind of an idea and maybe even the guts to plant the seed, hoping it will yield fruit. It takes love and commitment to stick with the process for the sake of growing the plant itself, rather than giving up while waiting for the harvest. I have just such a project I set aside recently – because it was so time-consuming – that I just might take up again. Why? Because God gave me the idea in the first place, so it seems to me that I have a responsibility to make it grow. 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement. l
Right now I’m in a silent part of my career. The silence bothers me. I’m not hearing good, I’m not hearing bad. I’m hearing nothing. It’ll be at least three months until I hear something. (Sometimes I wish the pace of publishing wasn’t soooo sloooowww…)
Until then, I must wait.
Faith’s about the only thing I’ve got happening at the moment, that intangible belief in things not seen (or heard).
Hi Rachel – Yes, my stepping out in faith was this weekend at the conference. I called it my “coming out of the dark” God brought it all together in a 1 week time period. He keeps telling me to do things that I wouldn’t normally do and I am obeying Him. Before this weekend, I had few friends and never really “fit in” now things are all different.
In obeying Christ, I met wonderful people at the conference who were encouraging and helpful. Now I have friends who are encouraging and loving me which I never thought would happen. I’ve been afraid of judgment in telling people my story but God is pushing me to do so and I have surrendered to Him. I love Him, He loves me despite of all my mistakes and in obeying Him he has already brought me so many blessings. I have to and want to tell everyone about what He has done in my life.
I’m so excited to see how I am going to step out of my comfort zone next. I am NEW HIM. If He can make me new, He will do that for anyone who surrenders.
It was so nice to meet you and thank you for taking the time to hear a little bit of my story.
Ten years ago I stepped out in faith and attended my first writing conference. I had been writing seriously for 4 years and taken 2 distance courses…but I’d never attended an event as a “writer”. That was really scary for me. I had to leave my 6 month old baby with my mother for the first time and sit in a restroom stall crying and pumping breast milk so that I could survive the day. But I learned things. I am a better writer because of the 12 writer’s conferences I have attended over the last decade. That leap has brought fruit. Not an agent or a contract, but good things none-the-less.