New Year Thoughts

Where did 2012 go? I have often wondered at how fast the years fly by as I get older. But this past year has seriously gone by in warp speed, leaving me struggling for breath and energy as the new year begins. I heard someone say that they were having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit because it seemed like we had just celebrated Christmas a couple of months ago.

I can relate.

The past year was jammed crammed full of new things: new state; new house; new community; new jobs; new church; new friends at work, church, and writing group; new clients for editing; new contracts for books. Exciting and scary at the same time. And some of the things I’d done for several years were more difficult to keep up with.

Like blogging. J

Early in September I had an offer to do a work-for-hire devotional project for Barbour Publishing, and I accepted, thinking I had plenty of time to work on it and on Calming the Storm Within. Especially as I didn’t have a specific deadline for the latter. Well, I didn’t think I did. But when the contract came for Calming a month later, my agent and I had misunderstood the editor in a conversation that took place in August. She was hoping the manuscript was ready to turn in, so it could be released as soon as possible.

Of course my people-pleasing gene stepped to the forefront and I promised a print-ready manuscript in a week. Then that pesky perfectionism raised its ugly head and proclaimed the manuscript totally unusable in its present form. My agent and the editor, among others, said to ignore those and take what time I needed to complete the manuscript well. But I still raced to finish the book—before Thanksgiving, then before the middle of December, then before Christmas, and . . . well you get the picture.

Because of the content—the subtitle is tentatively God’s Peace in Depression and Anxiety—I expected spiritual warfare. And got it. I asked for prayer on Facebook and at church. And got it. The ones who are reading it for content and grammar, punctuation, etc., have given me great feedback including how powerful it is. Which  ramped up the people-pleasing/perfectionism to new levels. Sigh.

The week before Christmas I started to fall apart—emotionally and physically. Through the weeks of writing, I prayed daily for the Lord’s direction and strength. And He gave it. But not as fast as I expected/wanted. Each day was a struggle between me, my flesh, the enemy . . . and the Lord.

Finally, the Lord got my attention during one of my morning quiet times. He reminded me once gain that His thoughts are not my thoughts; His ways don’t follow my expectations; and His timing is perfect. Nothing I was doing could change those facts. Once again I realized that many of my struggles weren’t because of the enemy—they resulted from my own attempts to speed up His timing. And that had me fearing failure to please my editor and to produce a publishable book.

But the truth is I wasn’t ready to write the last two chapters in the book. Nor was I ready to relax and enjoy the reason for Christmas as I was seeing it as more a bump in the road, a distraction.

Don’t get me wrong. I desperately wanted to see my kids again, as I hadn’t seen them in person since May. And I desperately wanted it all to be perfect, without having to rush back for Roger to be at work (no vacation days) or having the book still to complete. The warring desires left me frustrated and confused.

However, the Lord had a different lesson for me to learn. He reminded me that He was still in control; He was still working all things together for my good and His glory; and He didn’t see the task of finishing two books in the next three weeks as impossible. My part was to relax, to still my spirit, and allow Him to be God.

He kept bringing to mind Mary, the mother of Jesus. When the angel told her she’d been chosen to give birth to the Son of God, the promised Messiah, she didn’t hesitate before saying, “May it be to me as you have said.” In spite of the obvious struggles she would have, she chose to submit herself to God’s control, and she trusted Him to go before her to smooth her way. Was it easy for her? No. But she remained submissive to His will and to His timing.

God reminded me that my only responsibility was to trust Him. No matter what obstacles appeared in my path; no matter what opposition I faced; no matter what. Period. Trust and obey.  And for Christmas week, I was supposed to put the book aside and concentrate on worshiping Him and having a great time with my family.

One more lesson in learning to be content with what He has given me. Especially when it wasn’t what I expected or thought I desired.

We had a wonderful Christmas, celebrating with my sister’s family in Nebraska. Kathy flew in from London, Randy and Nikki drove over from Colorado, and we drove up from Missouri. This year my brother and sister-in-law were unable to make it as they are full-time caregivers for her parents. But we were able to Skype with them—so thankful for the technology that allows for us to share moments like this.

When we returned to Missouri, I expected the Lord to tell me it was time to get back to work on Calming. (I really need to get those “expectations” under control!) But He didn’t. Instead He had me work on the book-for-hire project and bringing my prayer journals up-to-date on my electronic copies.

My birthday is New Year’s Eve, and I like to take that day or several days to reflect on the past year’s events and my personal spiritual progress. That leads into the upcoming year and what goals I believe the Lord would have me pursue. I don’t really make resolutions, but a brand-new year presents a blank slate that is waiting to be filled. Some of the events are already in place—like the releases of my first nonfiction book, Calming the Storm Within; my first fiction in April, A Shelter from the Storm in Sundays in Fredericksburg (TX); and the book-for-hire project, Encouraging Words for Women: Hope. Along with that comes a lot of marketing and promotion in various venues. Some is already in place.

At the end of November, my new author website went live. It combines my writing and editing services, and it will soon include a new blog and resource page for Calming the Storm Within. You can see it at www.marjorievawter.com. Many, many thanks to my friends Bonnie Calhoun, and Jon and Bruce at SKWD Ministries who made it happen!

I will soon have an author page on Facebook to go along with my personal page. And I hope to learn how to use Twitter more effectively in the next few months. So I have plenty to keep me busy in the months ahead. So many new things, new experiences. More opportunities to trust the Lord to provide and work in His timing and in His way.

The old year is past . . . the new is before me.   

And God is still the God of the impossible. Working His will and His plans and purposes for me, in me, and through me.

“Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward--to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.” (Philippians 3:13–14 msg)

New Website

Lots of good things have going on in the background as we finish up this year and look forward to 2013. First, since I have three books releasing next year—not bad for a first-time-to-be-published author!—I have a new website, Discovering Foundations of Truth.

The guys at SKWD Ministries have done an awesome job with the design and teaching me how to maintain a website—what they use is SUPER easy! Something I value since my time is limited. I still have some tweaking to do and material/info to add, but it's a good start. It also includes my editing service and a link to this blog. 

My first nonfiction, Calming the Storm Within: God's Peace in Depression and Anxiety, will release in the first few months of 2013 from OakTara. This book comes from my experiences growing up with a father who would now be considered bipolar. Twenty years ago I was working, with the Lord's help, my way out of my own severe clinical depression. The idea to write this book came shortly after that. But I didn't get serious about pulling it together until about 15 years ago. In 2004 my agent, Joyce Hart, took me on and started trying to sell it. Don't know how many rejections or expressions of no interest we got on it then, but it was a ton! Very discouraging. Most publishers wanted me to be at least a licensed counselor but it would be better if I were a psychologist. But that wasn't the focus of the book, and after praying about it, we tabled the proposal. Then last year, I met Ramona Tucker, an editor/publisher at OakTara. She showed a decided interest in the book when I pitched the idea. Joyce sent her the proposal . . . and we waited. Lots went on in both Ramona's and my life. When I saw her at the Colorado conference in May this year, she remembered me and the book proposal. And I received the promise of a contract to publish this book. Wow! 

It has been interesting going back and writing/editing the material I already had. Some had to be updated since I wrote it at least eight years ago. I've taught the material in a small group Bible study, which provided much of the already written portion. I still have three chapters to complete, and the journey of getting it ready for publication has been challenging, interesting, and exciting. The Lord is already working good in those who are reading/critiquing the chapters as I get it done. Many more have expressed an interest in buying the book when it comes out. I don't know the exact publication date yet, but I will announce it here when I do know.

My first fiction also debuts this year in April. A Shelter from the Storm is one of four novellas in Sundays in Fredericksburg (TX) from Barbour Publishing. It's historical romance with a touch of mystery/suspense in it. Here's the blurb: Mildred Zimmermann, a nurse in World War I Europe, returns to Fredericksburg, Texas, which is dealing with an outbreak of Spanish influenza. Drawn into the hometown battle, Mildred opens her family’s Sunday house as an overflow to the small, overcrowded clinic. Death seems to plague those she loves, and she is determined not to allow herself to fall in love, afraid that man, too, would die. Nelson Winters, a newcomer to Fredericksburg and the protégé of the town’s doctor, succumbs to the flu, and he is placed in Mildred’s care. The war hero, rejected by his fiancée because he returned from the war crippled, both challenges and disturbs Mildred as she nurses him back to health. In order for them to have a future together, they must learn to accept their humanness and allow God to make them whole.

Finally, I have a devotional book on Hope in the Encouraging Words series from Barbour coming out next year. It's a work-for-hire project, meaning my name won't be on the front of the book. The deadline to turn the manuscript in is mid-January, so I've already started work on it. However, the bulk of the work will be after I finish Calming the Storm Within. 

God has been so good to allow me to realize my publishing dreams. I never expected it to come all at once like it has, but He doesn't usually work in the ways we expect. So many people have been instrumental in getting me here, and I know there will be many more in the future. We writers like to think this is a lonely occupation, and it is at times. But in reality there are a whole bunch of people involved in the making of one book. When I first realized what that meant, I wanted to give up because that meant I would have to "put myself out there," self-promote in other words. My shyness and natural introvertedness put up major walls. So I asked the Lord that if this was the route He wanted for me, He would have to open the doors, put me in the way of the people I needed to know, etc. And He did! It truly amazes me. 

I will still continue with my editing service as the Lord has made it clear that He desires me to continue. It will be on a much lesser level of projects than I've had in the past, but I look forward to those projects He sends my way. I'm sure there will be more new adventures ahead as I continue to follow the Lord in this writing/publishing adventure.    

So please go check out my new website here, and leave me a message through the contact form. 

Spiritual Thread

I've posted on this topic at The Inkwell today. Please check it out!

Romantic Elements in Our Writing

This month, the ACFW Colorado bloggers are writing about romantic elements. To see my post on working the "Great Romance" into our stories, go here.

Character Creation

Yesterday my characters for my new novel finally came out to play. (Only a writer will truly understand what that means.) And I found out so many fascinating things about them. Including the fact that my hero doesn't open himself up to strangers! Ooookkaayy! LOL But he finally made an exception. Nice of him.

I've been doing a lot of reading about character creation. Yes, a little OCD on the subject right now. But I am a recovering perfectionist. The internal editor is very hard to turn off. However, I've read good things from everyone who has tackled the subject.

However, I wanted to point out one book in particular that has helped me the most. Jeff Gerke's Character Creation for the Plot-First Novelist. You can find it here. Learning about the personality types and finding one that fits my heroine, hero, and antagonist (they are truly different) revealed a whole lot of ways conflict and friction between the characters, inside the characters, and through their spiritual journeys can play out in the story. It opened a whole new world to me.

Jeff's method has many questions to answer throughout the template, and then leaves space for summaries of each section. At the end you're ready to write all you know about that character from his/her point of view. At first I felt overwhelmed looking at the template as a whole, but as I worked yesterday, I found that it really did free me up to write as each of those characters. So cool!

And of course I'm already figuring out what works for me in this method and what other things I need to incorporate into it in order to make it work for me. That only emphasizes the fact that as writers we are all unique in our approaches to writing fiction. It reinforces the wisdom in learning from many different writers to see what works for them. Then I can determine what works for me and throw out the rest.

Now back to meditating on plot twists and conflicts while I clean house today.

Is Good Grammar Important in Fiction?

Okay, maybe that's not a good question to ask an editor and former high school English teacher. LOL But it has come up several times in the last few weeks, either from clients or statements made in my hearing or even in my reading.

The short answer? Or at least my take on it. Yes, it matters. But . . . I'm not saying that everything in a work of fiction needs to be grammatically correct. The writing book I'm currently reading is Dwight Swain's Techniques of a Selling Writer. This is what he has to say about the importance of grammar:

"To keep rules in proper perspective, violate them by design only.

"That is, make them tool for manipulation of your reader's emotions. If that takes sentence fragments, non-punctuation, stream-of-consciousness, and one-word paragraphs, by all means use them. Winston Churchill blazed the trail for all of us when he spoke his mind to the purists who insisted that no sentence end with a preposition: 'This is one rule up with which I shall not put!'

"So, deviate if you must. But do it with malice and by intent, not accident.

"And, most of the time, stay within the rules. Your readers will feel more at home that way."

And so will your editors. *smile*

Do know the rules of grammar: punctuation, sentence construction, word choices, etc. Because when you know the rules, then you can break them . . . effectively.

Check out this for a humorous, yet serious, approach to this topic.

From the Inside…Out: Discover, Create and Publish the Novel in You!

Monday I mentioned that My Book Therapy blog took a writer step-by-step through the process of writing a novel. Since then that material is compiled into book form that is now for sale. Following is more information about the book, including the introduction and an excerpt from the book. I've included the link at the end when you can go to buy it. Remember you can win a free copy in one of the two contests I included info. Please check Monday's blog post for that as well.


Have you always wanted to write a novel, but didn’t know where to start? This book is for you. With proven techniques, easy to understand explanations and practical steps, From The Inside. . .Out will teach you how a story is structured then take you through the process of creating and marketing your novel. Topics include: Character-driven plotting, How to HOOK your reader, The elements and flow of SCENES, How to build STORYWORLD, Secrets to Sizzling Dialogue, Proven Self-Editing techniques, Synopsis and Query letter writing, How to manage your writing career. . .and everything in between! By award-winning authors Susan May Warren and Rachel Hauck


Introduction page:
If you’ve always wanted to write a novel…This book is for you

We all have goals, right? Dreams, desires, hopes that have been niggling at us for years. For aspiring authors, it’s the dream of writing a novel. You’re a writer if every time you hear an interesting job description or read a compelling story in the newspaper, you think, hey, that would make an interesting premise for a novel. You’re a writer if, when you get introduced to someone new, you can’t help but ask about their lives and can barely resist the urge to take out a pen and paper and jot down some notes. You’re a writer if, when you’re reading a novel, you occasionally take a breath and say, wow, I want to write like that. If you’re a writer, this book is for you.

I remember the day when I decided to write a novel. I was in Siberia, in the middle of a solemn and icy winter. I had four children, all under the age of six, and my husband was gone, again, planting a church. I had read everything in the house at least twice and decided that my own imagination could do at least as well as one of the books I’d devoured in a day. (Boy, did I have much to learn!) I sat down at the computer and said, “I’m writing a book.”

That’s about as far as I got. Because once I actually sat down and stared at the computer, I HAD NO IDEA HOW A BOOK WAS PUT TOGETHER. Where did I start? How did I develop characters? What’s my point? And most importantly – how did I get it from my brain to the computer and into print?

It took me a year of writing, first on Saturdays, and then every day. But I finished my first book. (To all who think that then I ran out and found a publisher – not! 4 books later…)

What I learned through that first novel was that:
1. Writing a good novel was harder than I thought, and I needed a lot of work.
2. I love to write and was willing to make the journey, whatever it took.
3. Even if I never got published, God could use my writing journey for good in my life.

A writer’s life is solitary, hard work, fraught with rejection, frustration, and even envy. BUT, if you look at it as another way that you will grow and experience your world, then it’s a journey that is ripe with rewards.

This is the book I wish I had when I first started. It’s because of those years of angst and study that I started My Book Therapy, a blog about how to write and a fiction editing service to help writers along the way. Because, see, I was in Siberia. As in RUSSIA. Alone. Just me, some novels, and my imagination. I wished I had a reference guide, something to organize all the information I needed in one place, maybe a step-by-step journey, and a companion/encourager to help me complete my dream. Sure, I had writing books, but they made the process so…complicated. I knew it had to be easier. Inside Out is MY writing manual – what I developed and now use to create stories. It’s my successes, my systems…and my secrets. And, as a bonus, you also get the perspective of Rachel Hauck, my pal and My Book Therapy partner, thrown in to add another rich perspective. It’s the manual of writing the books we know how to write.


Excerpt:

*****

Four Keys to a Writer's Life

As you prep for our journey, I want you to start exercising! We're going to get in shape! Work off the dust of our minds and tighten the flab of our daily schedules so we can utilize the writing time we have in our days.

Writing is much like every other discipline. It takes commitment. After all, as much as we'd like it to happen, those books don't just download from our brains automatically! It takes nurturing. Did you know that your brain has a well of words for each day, and you need to replenish those words after you use them? It takes time (something we're going to figure out how to get!), and it takes a game plan.

Let's start with Commitment. The fact is, writing will take you away from your family, your health club, your church, your social groups, your online gaming, your Sudoku, your television…you get the drift. There are costs. The keys to keeping those costs in line are:

1. Priorities
2. Balance
3. Perspective

Writing should ALWAYS come after spending time with God (that's also the nurturing part!) and rarely above family and church, but sometimes it does come before workouts and social life.
My friend Judy Baer (writing coach, extraordinaire) shared this illustration with me once: “Stand on one foot and balance. You can’t stand perfectly still, but rather, you have lean to different sides to keep your balance.”

Writing and life should be like this -- different sides require attention in different waves. If you are to invest in writing, then know that you might have to give up other things. Don’t worry—it’s not forever!. But for a while. If you were training for the Olympics, you'd have a training schedule, and it would ramp up when you had specific events to meet. Take a look at your life and see if you can carve out one hour per day, or three per week to invest in writing. Then, put that on your calendar in RED. It's an appointment. Be there.

Nurturing: Your brain needs a steady supply of new words, spiritual nourishment, research facts, and good writing to keep it fresh and ready to put prose on the page.

Spiritual Nourishment: Writing is largely a spiritual event. You are connecting on a thematic level with your reader, and that happens in the spiritual realm. Sure, we access many of these metaphors through emotion, but looking past feelings to their deeper meaning and sources helps broaden your understanding of your book, your character’s journey, and most importantly WHY you are spending time writing this book. Make a habit of spending time soaking in God's Word, or a devotional book like Streams in the Desert, or whatever form of spiritual food you need for your diet. I like to read theology books, but sometimes a great devotional book puts my spirit into the right frame to see beyond myself, to tap into the bigger picture and inspires me to write.

Research: make it your goal to keep up with the world. Technology. Medicine. Trends. Don't be afraid to use the Discovery channel for interesting plot ideas! Know what’s happening in culture and politics. Read biographies, current, and past – you’ll be inspired with new story ideas. Subscribe to Reader’s Digest and National Geographic. (At least TiVo the channel!) To communicate to our world, you need to understand it.

Read Up: Fill your mind with great writing. Start your writing time reading the Psalms, or perhaps a book of poetry. Read the classics, yes, but also make it your goal to read in your genre! Most importantly, find authors that are better than you and soak in their words, analyzing why they are fabulous. Feeding your mind and your soul will give you the materials you can draw from as you create.

Time: This is one of the hardest areas for new writers. Most of us don’t have hours in the day to wait for the muse to find us. We have thirty minutes after supper, or perhaps three hours on a Saturday morning.

Here's a few strategies for maximizing that time:

1. Plan ahead for your writing time and get your family to help you protect it. I have a sign on my door that reads, “Cry Me a River.” In short…they’d better have a good reason to come through that door when it’s closed (only if there’s blood or fire is the general rule). When my children were young, I always had an open door policy. However, I asked them to respect my time, just like I respected theirs. That meant that I spent time with them first – reading, helping with homework, fixing dinner – whatever they needed. I also involved them in the writing process. If they allowed me to finish a chapter, we’d celebrate with something fun (yes, there was a lot of ice cream in those early days). And I promised that when my first book got published, I’d take them to Disney World. I kept that promise. Enlisting your family’s help will free you from guilt AND give them an opportunity to share in your victories as you write. Make them your partners.

2. Keep a notebook of ideas that will invariably come to you as you wash dishes, walk the dog, clean the bathroom, drive to work, sit in a boring meeting, or even in the middle of the night. Sometimes you can't dash to your computer to put in that perfect sentence--so put it in your notebook. You'll have a collection of words and sentences to jumpstart your creativity when you sit down to write.

3. Don't clean up your writing space mid-project (okay, I know, that sounds like a messy person's excuse but...) if you simply walk away from your computer after you finish a scene, you'll be able to slip right back into it when you come back. I always suggest having a special room to write in so you can close the door, even if it's a section of your bedroom--something I did for years. I had a little garage-sale chair with a pile of books on the opposite side of the bed--my little alcove. But, if you can't find a separate space, invest in a little basket to throw all your writing gear in (research books, etc), and then set it somewhere where it won't be
“reorganized” (as my husband calls it!). Keeping your research handy helps you maximize your time when you sit down and dive back into your story.

Finally, you need a Game Plan, and I'm not talking plotting versus seat-of-the-pants writing here--I'm talking about a little journal that you keep AFTER your writing session. Write down any thoughts you have for the next chapter, as well as your goal for the next writing session. Maybe you want to go back and revise the previous chapter or fix certain words. Maybe you need more research. Maybe you just want to plow ahead, but have notes for revisions.

Keeping a journal of your writing time helps you focus on each writing session without having to ask, "Now, where was I?" This is especially true if a week or more has gone by in between writing sessions.

Now, for all of you who have little children and think, "Hey, I don't even have time to wash my hair—I can't possibly find time to write,” my words to you are, well, let's see, greasy hair versus seeing your dreams come true. You can wash your hair when your kids go to school. No, I'm not that bad! I like clean hair, but I well remember the days when I typed with my children on my lap, or stayed up late with my laptop while my husband snoozed beside me.

He sure woke up when I got that first contract.


*****

Join me on the journey and learn how to write the novel in you!
God bless you on your writing journey!
Susan May Warren
Founder, www.mybooktherapy.com


Link to buy the book: http://stores.lulu.com/mybooktherapy

Character Development

Character development is an interesting process for the writer. And like so many other areas in writing craft, the new writer kind of has to work through several different methods to learn what works for them.

I'm taking an online writing course (well, lurking is probably the better description!) on writing the thriller. Before we introduced ourselves to the class, we were to take the Meier's-Briggs personality test in preparation to creating our own characters. The idea is that if you understand the complexities of your own personality it will be easier to create complex characters for our books. It's not new: Angie Hunt does this and recommends it in all her writing classes. Actually I first took the test after completing a Nangie clinic at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference a couple years back.

(I'll have more on CCWC and Nangie clinics on Thursday this week, so come back to visit then. in the meantime, check here to see a brochure and see the information for this year's excellent line-up.)

Both of the times I've taken the test, I've tested out as an ISTJ (Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging), very strong on the first and last elements, especially. Then I Googled ISTJ and found a description that totally blows me away with how accurate it is!

So I encourage you to check this out for yourself: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm

It doesn't take long. Then leave a comment telling us what your personality type is, according to the test, and how accurate the description is!

God is good to create each of us with unique personalities and character traits. This put me in awe of Him that much more when I finished the evaluation.

Daily Bible reading: Tuesday, March 4—Exodus 36–38; James 4

Overcoming Fear of Failure

Saturday, my October issue of The Writer landed in my mailbox. I glanced through the articles and the Breakthrough column caught my attention: “Children’s Book Author Overcame Fear of Failure.” Since this is a fear that slows me down often, I thought I’d read it to see if there was anything of value for me.

It seems that this author always had the dream to write but because she was afraid of failing, she never started writing . . . until her father died. She says, “Amid my grief there was a thought I couldn’t shake: If I died tomorrow, my biggest regret would be never trying to become a writer.”

Her statement got me to thinking. If I died tomorrow, what would be my biggest regret? Not having a book published wasn’t the first thing that popped into my mind. Maybe because of my biblical worldview. Instead the only way I could put it into words when I was discussing this thought last night with my husband was to recall the words from an old hymn: “Have I Done My Best for Jesus?”

I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus,
Who died upon the cruel tree?
To think of His great sacrifice at Calv’ry!
I know my Lord expects the best from me.

The hours that I have wasted are no many,
The hours I’ve spent for Christ so few;
Because of all my lack of love for Jesus,
I wonder if His heart is breaking too.

I wonder, have I cared enough for others,
Or have I let them die alone?
I might have helped a wand’rer to the Savior,
The seed of precious Life I might have sown.

No longer will I stay within the valley—
I’ll climb to mountain heights above;
The world is dying now for want of someone
To tell them of the Savior’s matchless love.

[Chorus]
How many are the lost that I have lifted?
How many are the chained I’ve helped to free?
I wonder have I done my best for Jesus,
When He has done so much for me?

The thought of disappointing my Savior and not hearing the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” is the thing that keeps me fighting the fear of failure—in every area of my life, not just writing. Because He has called me to be obedient, surrendered totally, to His purpose and plan for me. And that includes so much more than writing and editing.

I believe He has tasked me with this method of getting His message of salvation and love to a world that is seeking for meaning in life. And my fear of failing the God who loves me so much to sacrifice His Son for my sin is stronger than my desire to have a book published. I will continue to live my life in a way that brings glory to Him, whether I write, teach, or edit, whether I am ever published or not.

Psalm 116:12 says, “What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me?” Therein lies the key to overcoming the fear of failure.