By Cherrilynn Bisbano @bisbanowrites

I am a fish, at least that is what my dad said. My parents worked at a private lake. At the age of four, my father threw me in the water over my head to teach me to swim. (I do not recommend his methods). I mastered all the strokes and even sat in on life-saving classes at the age of eight. 

 “Help, I have a cramp!” Bob, a member of the lake yelled as the class practiced CPR on a mannequin.

“Cherrilynn, go get him before he drowns.” Mike, the life-saving instructor said.

“I’m not qualified yet, I’m just a kid?”

“You can do it, Cherrilynn, we all just ate lunch,” Mike said. 

“Yes, go get him, you can do this,” the class said.

I swam the 150 yards out to Bob while the class watched.

 I approached Bob in a proper manner, from behind, told him I was going to bring him to shore.  

“You are just a kid,” he said as he splashed in the lake.

“Yeah, but I‘m all you got, Bob. I am going to grab you by the head, under your chin, and hold your shoulders, you relax.  I can swim you to shore.”

“You’re that strong, Cherrilynn?”

I thought I saw a smirk on his face.

“I can get you to where you can stand.”

I encased his head and neck in my arm and swam him to shore.

Everyone cheered and clapped for me.

Bob and Mike high fived.

I soon learned that Bob never had a cramp, but they wanted to show me I could save a life, no matter what age, as long as I had the technique and confidence.

Do you feel like your drowning in your writing career?

Do you feel you’re not qualified to be published?

Let me throw you a life preserver of truth. No one feels totally competent as a writer. 

“By the time I was fourteen the nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it. I replaced the nail with a spike and went on writing.” -Stephen King 

“I love my rejection slips. They show me I try.” – Sylvia Plath

“Rejection has value. It teaches us when our work or our skillset is not good enough and must be made better. -Chuck Wendig

“I admire anybody who as the guts to write anything at all.” -E.B. White

Even famous authors know that cramps are inevitable when writing, but they don’t stop. They continue to learn and grow. You can too!

Don your life jacket and apply the techniques you know. Gain new skills as your head stays above water. Soon you will master the stroke of the pen and the shore of publication will appear.

God called you to write and he will equip you. Don’t wait for perfection, no one is perfect. God desires you to use the knowledge you have right now to write for his Kingdom. Perhaps God will use your writing to rescue a lost soul.

Remember, the evil one will try to drown you, so here are some verses to keep you swimming.

“But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.”

2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NIV)

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;

And confirm for us the work of our hands;

Yes, confirm the work of our hands.

Psalm 90:17 (NASB)

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,

Nor will the flame burn you.”

Isaiah 43:2 (NASB)

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.

~ 2 Chronicles 15:7

I’m cheering you on from the shore. Remember, God is there to grab you before your head goes under. Just like he did with Peter.

What part of writing causes you cramps? Join the conversation.

Cherrilynn Bisbano is a coach, editor, and partner at The Write Coach Team.

As former managing editor of Almost an Author, she helped the website earn the #6 spot on the Top 100 best writing websites for 2018 by The Write Life and Top 101 Websites for writers with Writers Digest.

Cherrilynn is a speaker with Women Speakers. Her topics include leadership, book proposals, and the Bible and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers ACFW.

She is a two-time winner of Flash Fiction Weekly. You can find her published in Southern Writers, More to Life (MTL), Christian Rep, Christian Voice, Refresh and other online magazines. Cherrilynn is a contributor to Selah nominated, Breaking the Chains, Heart Reno, and Chicken Soup for the Soul-Miracles books.

Cherrilynn proudly served in the Navy and Air National Guard, earning the John Levitow Military leadership award.  She lives with her eighteen-year-old son, Michael, Jr., and husband of 21 years.

Cherrilynn loves Christ, Chocolate, coffee, and Cats.