Starting a New Project

I’ve written a novel that I’m quite happy about the story and the characters in it. This idea for this novel sloshed around my brain for some time before I had the nerve to actually put anything on paper. I would write when I was home in between chores, church activities and various other aspects of life. It was fun. I can’t begin to describe the life it gives me. Since then I’ve had different people read it and the feed back has been positive. Now the process of putting it in someone’s hands to read it for the purpose of publishing is the part of the process that you just don’t know about. It’s the hard part.

I’ve read about how Frank Peretti got turned down for This Present Darkness, seventeen times before a publisher would take it on. Those seventeen other guys are kicking themselves for turning him down. Trying to gear yourself up for rejection is not an easy thing. It’s not a pleasant thing. So that’s where I stand. I’m actually sending it out, holding my breath and praying that someone would think its print worthy.

The title of this post is Starting a New Project and I’m getting to that. Ever since I finished this story, I felt like that was the only original story in my brain. So for the month of November I’ve decided to come up with a different post every day as a way of exercising my creativity. It’s helping. So far I’ve been able to. My hope is to start a new project by December.

I was reminded by the Lord how I wrote the first novel in the first place and I wrote about that in one of my other posts about creativity. It was God who inspired and moved me. I let Him take the driver seat. I prayed and allowed myself to touch His spirit of creativity and wrote from my spirit. Why am I sweating starting a new project so much? I don’t know. He does all the hard work.

I have a couple of ideas and I’m just going to bite the bullet and put them on paper. It’s a scary thing to do when your confidence is low, but doesn’t that give God so much more room to move on your behalf? It allows Him freedom to inspire you when you don’t feel you can do it on your own. Isn’t that what He’s there for? Isn’t He the one who placed creativity in us in the first place?

It doesn’t matter what it is that gives you life when you do it, the enemy wants to rob you of your joy. He wants to place doubt in you. Don’t let him. Turn to the Lord and let Him continue to grow that special gift He’s placed in you.

So Father, inspire me and encourage me. Show me I’m not a one note wonder. Cut back the lies of the enemy and place your truth in me.

© Nadine Z. 2006