Writing, as it turns out, it much harder than I expected. Placing words on the page isn’t so bad. Making sure they’re good … that’s where the difficulty begins.
Then, once the words are firmly entrenched on the page, after being critiqued, edited, deleted, rewritten, re-critiqued, and finally accepted, comes the getting-them-out-into-the-world part.
Hurdles abound.
An editor must bless your work of art. Hurdle number one.
Depending on where you submit your masterpiece, you may need an agent to clear the path before you. Hurdle number two.
You must convince the publishing company your story is worth their while to print. Hurdle number three.
And once your novel finally sees the light of day, you have to let people know it exists. Hurdle number four.
But, sometimes the stars align. Your future works out just the way God planned it. Sometimes magic happens.
I’m grateful the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers chose my book, A Father’s Gift, as the third-place winner in the novella category of their 2023 Selah contest this week. Being in the top seven finalists was an honor, alongside such names as Hallee Bridgeman and Lynn H. Blackburn, much less earning the third-place spot. Congratulations to them both for their second and first place awards.
I encourage all writers out there to persevere. Your story is important, and someone in this world needs to hear your words. And when it finally happens, please share your joy and excitement with the rest of us. We will be just as happy as you are, I promise.
Thank you for making words come alive!!
Thank you, friend. You’ve been a great support for all these years.
That’s great, Paula! Congratulations! I’m so excited for you!
I appreciate your encouragement, Wendi.
That’s wonderful, Paula! Congratulations on a well-deserved honor!
Thank you, Ann.
Congratulations on both your success & following your dream!
Thank you, friend!
Congrats!
I may be your newest member, but I know immediately I’ve become one who will be loyal to the end. Thank you..
What a wonderful thing to say.
Congratulations!
Congratulations, Paula! What a fun post. So glad your hard work is yielding fruit and getting recognized.
Thank you. And thanks to God.
Yay! I’m so proud of you!!!
Thank you, friend!
Congratulations, Paula. I’m proud of you for your achievements and happy to call you my friend.
Lisa
Same here, friend. You were there to help in the beginning. Without all my critique partners, I wouldn’t have understood what needed to be fixed.
Congratulations, Paula!
Thank you.
Congratulations on reaching this well-deserved recognition.
Thank you.
Many congratulations to you! Being patient is very hard, yet following your instincts to be so does produce wonderful results!
It’s hard to wait on God’s timing sometimes, but his plans are always perfect.
Awesome!
It was a fun night.
Congratulations!!
Thank you.
I love this! Congratulations on this wonderful recognition, and thank you for the encouragement.
We’ll be reading a post like this from you next.