The Writer's Journey ~ A Guest Post with Linnette Mullin

Linnette's novel. Don't you love the cover?

“Writers must pay their dues.”

“If you’re serious about writing, you’ll work hard to prove yourself. Eventually, people will sit up and take notice.” As a new writer, these words needled me. While it sounds like an excuse to ignore newbie writers, it rings of truth. However, I’ve since learned a more comforting truth:

You aren’t a writer because you write. You write because you are a writer.

Don’t let the need to prove yourself discourage you. Even in seasons of life where you have to lay aside the pen, know that if you’re truly a writer you will write. The delay is simply part of your journey.

My own journey is rather abnormal,

but then what is normal in this age of publishing?

While I haven’t been writing since I could hold a pencil and I wasn’t an avid reader in my early years, stories have always swam in my head. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t a people watcher - an observer of life. If you ever received letters from me in my youth, you can attest to page after page of detailed accountings of my life. My brother once teased, saying I couldn’t sign a card without writing a book. So in my own way I’ve always been a story-teller.

I became chronically ill after the birth of my third son. While my body was broken, my mind remained active. I picked up the pen to preserve my sanity. I finished my first manuscript and then realized I didn’t know what to do with it. Thus began my foray into the world of search engines where I found an inexpensive on-line character building class with DiAnn Mills. She gave me encouraging feedback throughout the class, and guided me to Mark Littleton and HACWN where I officially became part of the writing jungle!

Due to certain providences, however, I set aside my manuscript. In an effort to continue honing my writing

skills I started blogging a short serial story. After a year and a half, I realized “Finding Beth” would be a full-blown novel! Three years of writing, rewriting, and honing the book, I began searching for agents and publishers. The thought of coping with my illness while landing a contract with a big publisher intimidated me. I didn’t know if I could handle the pressure of their timelines, so I also researched self-publishing.

December of 2011, Mark Littleton mentioned that writer friend Pamela Sonnenmoser was somehow connected to a small but growing traditional publisher. He encouraged me to contact her, so (still agent-less) I emailed a request for information. She in turn requested information about my novel. Little did I know she was the acquisitions editor! I sent her the information she wanted and continued my self-publishing research. Months passed and, forgetting about the publisher, I decided to self-publish.

One week in July 2012, I was preparing to set up a Kickstarter to raise funds for my endeavor when I received an email from CrossRiver Media Group. They wanted to see the full manuscript as well as the rest of my book proposal.

“God, what are you doing?”

I thought he wanted me to self-publish, yet I felt compelled to at least explore the CrossRiver option. So I sent them my proposal and full manuscript. After many questions back and forth, and much praying on both

our parts, CrossRiver offered me a contract which we signed in December 2013. After three years of searching for an agent and looking into different publishing options,

God dropped my publisher in my lap – incomplete book proposal and all.

It floored me! Getting a publisher just doesn’t happen this way. Yet, as I reflect back I see how God guided the publication of “Finding Beth”. The three years I spent searching, my publisher was getting established and I was gaining necessary insight to make “Finding Beth” exactly what God wanted it to be. As I still struggle with my health, I remind myself that book two will also be completed and published in God’s timing. That brings me such sweet comfort.

Are you discouraged by delays or rejections? I’d love to hear about your journey.

LINNETTE R. MULLIN is an author of life-changing romance. She has been married to her hubby - Johnathan, for over twenty years, and they've been blessed with four sons. Some of her writing credits include Charles Stanley's "In Touch" magazine, "101 Facets of Faith", Guidepost's "Extraordinary Answers to Prayer", and "Public Health Alert" - a nationally distributed newspaper for the chronically ill. She is the founder and coordinator of Palmetto Christian Writer’s Network in Lexington, South Carolina and she runs the “We Are Writers” group on Facebook. Her favorite things in life are her family, her church, reading and writing, and her Savior most of all. 

Linnette would love to hear from you. For more information about “Finding Beth”, Linnette or how to connect with her, please visit LinnetteRMullin.com.