 |
| Photo by Kristen W. |
While I did not attend the ACFW Conference, I did attend the North Texas Christian Fiction Writers conference the weekend before. At the end of the conference, there was an author panel consisting of Michelle Medlock Adams, Mary DeMuth, Steven James, Gail Gaymer Martin, and Tim Shoemaker. These authors answered questions put forth by the participants. In the answers these authors gave, came beautiful words of wisdom that I thought worthy of sharing.
- You are writing upon the heart of the reader. Write from your heart to theirs.
- Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land in the stars.
- You learn more from writing your book than from studying the craft.
- You must sacrifice and put your own selfish desires on the altar to follow your dream.
- You offer your work unto the Lord, and live with the peace in bringing glory to God.
- Publishing does not validate you - Jesus validates you. When Jesus validates you, you are well-souled.
Don't you love that last one? If we live with the expectation that we be validated when we achieve success in our writing, we will be sorely disappointed. It is only when The One and Only validates you that you will be truly at peace and fulfilled. You will be well-souled. You will be freed to write for Him in the peace that only He can give. You will indeed be well-souled.
Sherrinda, loved this! Those author tidbits are profound. :) God continues to bring me back to finding my identity in Him, regardless of what I may be doing or the roles I live out. So true with writing too, eh? We can't find true validation in anything we do, only in Jesus. :)
ReplyDeleteThe other question I keep coming back to is, "Am I enough for you?" This is what Jesus asks me from time to time. Writing is my icing on the cake--Jesus is my cake. :)
Thanks for sharing these today.
SUPER tidbits, Sherrinda. YES. Especially grabbed by the craft vs. writing one. Needed that.
ReplyDeleteGREAT info here, Sherrinda.
ReplyDeleteI think the first, third, fifth, & sixth are my FAVORITES!! Wow - good stuff this morning.
It's an important reminder of the call that God's placed on our hearts that only we can answer.
I LOVE that last one... well-souled!!! THAT IS WHAT I WANT!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sherrinda, for all the tidbits--every one is a keeper!
ReplyDeleteLove that last one. I'm going to have to hang that over my desk. :)
ReplyDeleteI love these thoughts Sherrinda! They are so encouraging. Thank you so much for posting.
ReplyDeleteLove these, Sherrinda. Sounds like a wonderful conference. I would love to hear Mary live (and the others of course, too) :)
ReplyDeleteLove #3 & 5 especially.
Jeanne! I love that!!! Writing is the icing...Jesus is the cake. That is rather brilliant, I would say.
ReplyDeleteJoanne, I need that too...in the worst way!
Pepper, what you say is so true. We are the ones who have to answer God's call on our lives!
Krista, me too! I sooo want to be well-souled.
ReplyDeleteBeth, I was so excited listening in on that panel, getting fed these wonderful words of wisdom.
Jennifer, I thought of doing that too! Don't you love post-it notes? :)
Natalie, you are so welcome. I'm glad you were encouraged.
ReplyDeleteJulia, Mary was wonderful. She is such a beautiful spirit and is so incredibly helpful. She is one of those generous authors who wants to share their knowledge and expertise.
Oh, Thank you Sherrinda.
ReplyDeleteThis was a wonderful post.
No matter how many times we hear Jesus validates us, we seem to need to hear it again. How quickly we forget His love for us.
Thank you for a super post.