So how does one go about beginning a new venture? Wouldn’t it be nice to pray about it and then sit back and just wait for God’s leading? Although the leading will definitely come, I have never thought it wise to count on achievement by only ‘sitting back and waiting’.
I believe that solitude and waiting on God is very important even in the smallest venture. At the same time, I know from past experience that God’s nudges often come in messages of encouragement for me to use my God-given gifts and make the very thing happen that I’d prayed for God to do. In other words, God often used me to answer my own prayer.
Beginning a new venture is risky. There seems to be no guarantee that starting something in a particular way promises to be the key to success. Sometimes it’s trial and error. While other times, we say that practice makes perfect. And then, there are the times when it feels like it’s all there—waiting to come down the pipe, or just hanging out in the back stages of our mind to be discovered. To use a line of clichés—until we take the plunge, get our feet wet, we’re not going to know if we will sink or swim.
In August, a writing friend and I were spending a much earned afternoon, drinking Cranberry juice, reading and talking about the publishing industry. We tossed around questions about self-publishing and we both contributed to the conversation from our individual experiences which were positive and uplifting. We weighed that with the dream of being published by a Publishing House and becoming a famous author—of course that would be an overnight success. Isn’t that the way it happens? I admitted that when Aggie’s Storms was accepted by a publisher, I was elated. Now, with the sequel, written and waiting in line, I am equally excited about its possibilities.
Even as I discussed options, memories of a past conversation with another friend reminded me about publishing opportunities in eBooks and audio book format. Because I’m very loyal to the printed word and I like to hold a book in my hand to enjoy the texture and colour, published material is definitely my favourite format for literature.
However, having said that—in this era of technology I like to think there’s room for both hard copy and other sources of literature. Yet, there would be those who say that the Internet is killing story in the varied way it is used. While the rest of the world is working this out, I think I’ll continue my learning curve in technology and add to my options for sharing story.
Donna Mann
- Take Time to Make Memories (1996)
- WinterGrief (2003)
- Aggie's Storms (2007)
Keep in touch: http://www.donnamann.org/
1 comment:
Great post Donna.
I especially liked your comment that, "In other words, God often used me to answer my own prayer."
It's so true!
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