What's Changing the Waiting Game For Me
Plus my latest reads and recommendations and a heartfelt encouragement just for you.
Hi friend,
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been getting inundated with email and newsletters lately and it just feels overwhelming. Maybe because my kids are home this summer and I’m feeling the struggle of trying to work from home, and not sit my kids in front the TV to watch Bluey all day. Meanwhile I’m also breaking up the squabbles they get into 100000 a day and trying to make sure that is some “learning” going on each day.
All of this to say, I’m going to make this newsletter short. I have an encouraging note to share and some other reflection and resources that I think you will find helpful. But if you’re anything like me, summer is a crazy time of year and you’re just trying to creatively get through each day.
We often think if we can just get to __________ then it will get easier. We often think about how to wait well or what to do in the waiting, but lately for me it’s been more about allowing myself to stay in the waiting and reframing my responsibility. This has helped me stay intentional as I wait on the many things that are out of my control.
We don’t like waiting, it’s uncomfortable and scary. We don’t know what to expect and we don’t even know what to do with ourselves. Our desire is to move through the waiting as quickly as we can, but God says something different about how should approach waiting.
I wrote about this on my social media this past Friday:
Here are a few things I’m doing while I’m “waiting”.
Pray: This one is obvious, but it’s true. God is giving me several opportunities to practice untethering my worth and value to feedback I receive from my writing (good or bad) and lean on him.
Praise: By redirecting my attention to him and the message he has given me, praise comes easier. He is good whether I get a book deal or not. He is good whether ___________ (insert your own statement here).
The outcome of our writing doesn’t determine our worth — only HE does.
So, whether you find yourself in the querying trenches like me, or you have a goal to sell a certain number of copies, praising God for who he is and not what he can do for you makes all the difference.
Play: I joined a challenge back in February called The100dayproject (as you may remember) I took a verse and painted a picture in response to it every day for 100 days.
Once I got out of my own way (which was well into the latter half of the project), I was able to relax and enjoy the process. We can’t take ourselves too seriously — we need to create time and space to play. There is much to be said about tapping into other creative endeavors to grow as a writer (and that’s a topic for another day).
The last thing has to do with our posture.
Posture. Our posture is everything when we find ourselves waiting for something or someone. Whether we are waiting for inspiration to show up to finish our book, waiting for direction about our writing, or waiting to hear back from editors or agents, the best posture of heart we can have is surrender.
We surrender our idea of what it’s supposed to look like and trust in his perfect plan (and timing, but that’s a whole different struggle!)
We can’t control the outcome of how many books we sell, or whether we get a book deal, but we can control our heart posture and remain prayerful, praiseful, and playful in the process.
Books I’m Reading:
The Artist’s Joy: A Guide to Getting Unstuck, Embracing Imperfection, and Loving Your Creative Life by Merideth Hite Estevez
I know the author as a fellow writer and creative and champion of all things Juilia Cameron. Meredith and I were in the same Writing Coach certification program, and I also was in one of her “Creative Clusters” when I completed The Artist’s Way for the first time. I’ve enjoyed much about her book (almost finished it!) but by far the gamechanger for me is her take on the SMART goal and how she adapted it to fit creatives! You can grab her book here!
Creating Dynamic Podcasts and Audiobooks by Linda Goldfarb
This is another fabulous book. If you know me, you know I am big learning new things for myself as a writer as well as my clients. Podcasting is just another great way as a writer that you can learn to expand your voice, reach and impact beyond the page!
I first became acquainted with Linda through her podcast, Your Best Writing Life and have followed her and supported her work ever since. It is my personal goal to attend her conference for writers in the Blue Ridge Mountains one of these years! You can grab her book here!
Journey through the Psalms: A Thirty-Day Devotional by Mike Velthouse
So I met the author, Mike at the #Speakupconference through my friend/client Tika last year. I was thrilled when I heard that he was releasing his first book on the Psalms.
I’ve started adding it to my morning routine (if there is such a thing with three young kids). It's a devotional, so it's a quick read and it's beautifully illustrated! I've been looking for a resource that could provide some biblical insight in an easy-to-understand way, and since it's written for a younger audience (9-12 years) this book delivers!
It's been a great resource to have, and because of the pictures it has also sparked some great conversations with my oldest (6) about the bible! You can grab his book here!
Thanks for being here, friends! Thanks for allowing me space in your inbox to support and encourage you on your creative journey!
P.S: I want to speak my fellow faith-filled writers for just a minute:
You have a message and a unique story to share. Fiction or nonfiction there is a story inside of you that needs to get out, and God has entrusted you to write it. Your job isn’t to figure out how it’s going to all come together, but to trust the one who knows.
He is working in the waiting! Let’s stop focusing on that “thing” we are waiting for and start focusing on him!
Praying for you and cheering you on! 🤗
Added THE ARTIST's JOY to my Amazon books wish list. Thanks for the recommendations.