Five Writing Commitments for 2010

Our pastor delivered a sermon this past Sunday about commitments we should make at church for the New Year. As I contemplated his words, I began to think about the commitments that we as writers need to make in order to promote our writing success in 2010.

Put those rejections in perspective. Don’t tape those rejection slips to the wall in plain sight and convince yourself writing is not the profession for you. Take a look at those rejected articles, stories, poems, or novel length efforts. Make an honest evaluation of your work and the rejection that goes with it.

Did you approach the wrong market? Remedy that by studying a publication or publishing house before you submit.

Did you follow word count, content, and format expectations? Read the guidelines. No editor wants to waste time trying to muddle through something he or she can’t use anyway.

Does your work seem great to you, but keeps getting rejected? Run it past a mentor or critique group. A fresh pair of eyes can alert even the best writer to flaws in writing style, characterization, or plot.

Quit complaining! We’ve all done it, lamented a judge’s lousy scores. Stamped our feet in frustration when someone else’s book gets published that you know isn’t near as good as yours. Punched our tear-soaked pillow as we weather the sting of an editor’s words of rejection at a conference. Paced the floor waiting for an answer to a submission.

Remind yourself that there are people in the industry who know more than you do. Pick yourself up off the floor, look around you, and learn from the experience.

Keep in touch. Stay in contact with everyone you can, those who know more than you about writing and those you can teach about writing. Having been in nursing most of my life, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge by watching the behavior of others, and I, in turn, have taught others with my actions, sometimes without even knowing it until much later.

Affluence seldom describes the aspiring writer, so take advantage of everything you can find as cheaply as you can get it. Sure, the big conferences are wonderful and browsing the writing section at B&N fills a writer’s wish list, but it also drains the wallet fast.

Tap into the online writing courses. They are offered free every month at ACFW. Look around for writing blogs. There is a wealth of information out there, and most of it is offered by some of the best in the industry. Read the author interviews featured on the blogs of your writing friends. A good interviewer can glean a wealth of information from an author. All you have to do is take the time to click on the blog and read.

Check online for those writing books you would love to own. Nine times out of ten, you will find them at less than half the price they sell for in the stores. Sure, they may be second-hand, but I haven’t purchased one yet that wasn’t in excellent condition, despite the “used” tag.

Give up those bad habits. Oh, yeah, this is a tough one. Just like the resolution to quit smoking or lose weight, we writers all have expectations of ourselves as well.

Overcome procrastination.

Swallow your fear and submit something.

Set goals, whether it be a daily word count, a weekly minimum of writing time, or a plan to complete your novel before we celebrate 2011.

Bound and gag that internal editor! Bring her out when you are ready, and don’t let her hang over your shoulder constantly like an attention-seeking child.

Identify the culprit that is keeping you from writing success and fight it with everything you've got.

Submit to God’s will for your writing. Seek Him first! Pray about your work, even before you put a single word on paper. If the words aren’t working, go back to Him, talk to Him, ask His advice, and above all – listen to what He has to say!

Remember that it is for the glory of God that we as Christian writers are devoting our time and talent to this effort. Time and talent that He gave us.

Sure, money is nice and so is recognition for our work, but it shouldn’t be our ultimate goal. If God wants us to have it as a part of His master plan, then we’ll obtain it. If He doesn’t, then it wasn’t that important to begin with, was it?

Thanks for reading my blog.