A Writer's Pains and Gains: A Birthday Perspective

Earlier this month I had a birthday on January 11th. I'm 57 years into my journey. I’ve been taking time to look back like so many of us do at the beginning of a New Year and then looking forward with excited anticipation to 2012. I've learned a lot! I went through a bunch of blog posts I’ve done since 2009 when I was just learning to blog. Some of them are hysterical. But the important thing is that I learned to blog. Creating blogs and all the rest that comes with such things is no easy task. I’m proud of this achievement because I never considered myself technologically savvy. I"m getting better.



I found an editor, Debbie Marrie, at Charisma Media/Realms who loved my book and shared it with others in the company and asked me if I wanted to sell my series at a time when they weren’t even looking for Regency era novels.  I SOLD MY SERIES! I sold it by myself and then I GOT AN AGENT! I’m following Rachelle Gardner to Books and Such and am very excited about what this year might bring. So if you are reading this and wondering if you'll ever get published just remember that it's still possible no matter what you hear.
In the past twenty-two years I’ve attended at least two Romance Writers of America Conferences, multiple American Christian Fiction Writers Conferences, one Mt. Hermon Christian Writers Conference, and two Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conferences. Along with these conferences I’ve attended a zillion local writers meetings.

I’ve been in a critique group, I’ve received help, given help, and I’ve improved my writing craft more than I thought possible and still have so far to grow. I’ve entered more contests than I could count and I’ve judged a few too. I discovered that I’m stronger than I thought I was.

I’ve learned to depend on God. I’ve prayed along with my husband until we had holes in the knees of our blue jeans for our oldest child who has struggled with severe depression and anxiety for the last eleven years, and for her sister who didn’t get enough attention during that time period. She still found her way through our family’s difficulties and instead of going to college when she graduated high school eighteen months ago she travels the world with, Youth With A Mission, serving others.

I’ve had the honor and privilege of making many new friends since I decided to write; some of you here, some from ACFW, some from RWA,some of you I've never met in person but I can always find you on-line, on Face Book, on Twitter.  What you've given me is so much more than I could ever give back and I’m so grateful for all of you who have helped me and prayed with me and for me and for my family.

So as I’ve said in the past to those who have been discouraged, don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. You must not believe them. You must try.

What is an obstacle you've faced during your life time that you
overcame?