by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted

Rather than writing this blog post more formally—the “do this, do that, avoid this” way. I wanted to get down to the transparency of writing. It’s a new year, and hopefully, we are all geared up and ready to roll.

The expectation is that we have tons of ideas, loads of time, and zero interruptions. Not to mention that this is “our year.” We’re going to receive a contract, we’re going to sell xxx dollars in articles, and the world will love our writing. Come on! We all want that.

I spoke with a conferee at a conference recently who said amid her tears, “This business is filled with land minds. I can’t see them until I step on one.” That took me back a bit because the more I thought about it, the more I had to agree. The writing industry is filled with land mines, and so is every profession we choose to seek. The professional world, or our personal worlds, are not ice skating on perfect ice. Those figure 8s they used to make skaters do in the compulsories had wiggly lines. All right, enough of the comparisons.

My point is that a writing career isn’t all roses. It’s downright hard work where the payout may be months or even years down the road. The question is, is that a reason to quit? Of course not. You don’t stop cooking meals because you burn the toast once. You pop new bread in the toaster and go at it again. Writing is hard because it requires commitment, time, and perseverance. It demands patience, grit, and the ability to start over and over and, yes, over again. What causes us to forge ahead is the love of the craft. We just “love” writing. It is who we are.

Something about being creative brings a particular pleasure to us—a peace. We feel that sense of accomplishment when we turn out a novel or an article. If it makes the cut to be published, there is a sense of pride and determination to “do it again.” The “do it again” gives us the urge to move forward.

So, here’s the transparency part for me. When other authors are receiving three book deals, I get only one. They seem to be every two years apart, so building a lasting readership is hard. It’s like starting all over again. Despite my activity to keep a platform going, readers want work now, not two years from now. And though they may love my books, they forget me if I’m not in their to-be-read stack every year. This means I reinvent the platform wheel every two years. I grow frustrated, and sometimes, I wonder if there will be another contract as I close out the next novel.

All that to say, I am not a quitter. I don’t quit because I love what I do. It’s never something I regret. I’ve learned my weakness is fear. I teach a Bible study twice yearly, and I’ve been very open about my fears with my study group. I was a fearful child. I was never mistreated, and to the best of my knowledge, I never had anything horrible happen to me. It’s just my personality. As I grew into an adult, I’ve learned to overcome much of that fear, but I can’t lie. There are times when my fear tells me no. No, you won’t have a new contract. No, you can’t write another novel. No, that idea will never fly. No. No. No. I think part of this is the introvert in me. Those extroverts I know never seem to experience this (maybe they do; they just never mention it because they’re too busy being outgoing.)

I can’t tell you that you’ll be successful as a writer. As I teach the craft of writing, I can’t guarantee that you’ll be the next huge author. I can’t guarantee you’ll sell the next article. Find an agent or a publisher. I can’t tell you if your self-published book was a winner or an error. I can’t. If you think that is possible, then you are placing expectations on me that I simply can’t deliver. I know because I’ve put those expectations on others and then realized I can only study to improve the craft I love. And I love writing. The point is we continue to do this thing called writing because it is part of who we are.

Fear can do a lot to our mental psyche. For some, it will drive them ahead, but for others, it will bring them to a complete stop. Wherever you land in this crazy business, stop and be grateful. I’ve learned over the years that I can’t look at my peers and expect to be them. It’s unrealistic. They are who they are in the writing world. It doesn’t mean they are better or I’ve missed some critical writing advice. It only means I am different than them. I could have quit, but perseverance is in my blood.

I’d not be published if I believed every lie my fear poked at me.

One final story. When I began writing, I met a few friends who were much more advanced in their writing than me. I was beginning, while one or two of them had just received contracts. I love them all dearly, but I sat with them and had them refuse to include me in their critique group. They said, “You’re not ready.” Now, before you judge them and call them mean girls, don’t. I knew I wasn’t ready, and though it hurt my feelings not to be included, I understood I couldn’t add to their more advanced critiques because I’d not learned the basics yet. (A good lesson for critique groups to learn in how NOT to be a critique group. The newbies learn from the well-seasoned.) I walked away thinking, learn the craft. I was the last to be published in that group seven years later. Now, here’s the truth. Two of those writers stopped writing. Two have forged ahead with nice work and promising careers, while three of them—piddle. In other words, they quit trying to be published or learning the craft and are happy to write on the side. This slow learner has six novels on the shelf and a couple of non-fiction books. Persistence pays off.

My fear continued to tell me I could not be as successful as many of those people when my perseverance and determination made my humble career incredibly successful. How do you measure success? It’s by the number of books on the shelf. Success is found in the reward and happiness of your labor. Are you happy with your accomplishments, whether they are books on a shelf or things you write for newsletters? Are you happy? Whether with huge success or with the contentment of turning out work, happiness denotes your success.

My motto: learn the craft! My mantra: Hear only that which improves. Work to be the best you can be. My success:Writing to please the Father and only to His glory, not mine.

As you walk into a new year, make it that—new! Don’t let negativity stop you in your tracks. Find your motto. Discover your mantra and, in all things, offer praise to the Father, who knew that you could be a successful writer long before you were born.

Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conference teacher. Having served for a number of years as a managing editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and Ironstream Media, Cindy now works as a mentor, coach, and freelance editor. She is the co-founder of Writing Right Author Mentoring Services with Lori Marett and the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Cindy is also the co-founder of Christian Devotions Ministries and www.christiandevotions.us, as well as www.inspireafire.com. Her devotions are in newspapers and magazines nationwide, and her novels have become award-winning, best-selling works. She is a popular speaker at conferences and a natural encourager. Cindy is a mountain girl, born and raised in the Appalachian mountains, where she and her husband still reside. She has raised four sons and now resorts to raising chickens where the pecking order is easier to manage. You can visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com or www.wramsforwriters.com.