by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted

Though taken out of context here, I think the words from Romans can apply to us in any situation.  I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. (Rom. 7:15 NIV)

Every writer faces decisions in their writing career. Some are difficult, while others are simple. After all, isn’t that true in anything we do? The hardest thing about decision-making in our writing career is being sure the paths we choose are not simply a decision of want – a desire. Instead, our choices are based on prayer, study, and waiting. “But that’s not what I want to do. I don’t want to wait. I want to be published now.”

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with the desire to be published. We all have that desire. This hope is why we have become writers: to set a goal, work for it, and attain it – all noble things. The question becomes, why do our decisions matter if the goal is to become published?

It’s a fine line we walk as writers – especially Christian writers. When I attended my first writer’s conference back in the dinosaur days, I sat in a class Angela Hunt taught. She may or may not remember her advice. I’m sure she’s taught more than a few classes in the past twenty years, but I remember because I wrote her words down. At the end of the class, she asked if there were questions, and one man raised his hand. “What is your best advice for new writers?”

She smiled and hesitated, then sweetly said, “Make wise decisions. The world will offer you so many opportunities. Make wise decisions.”

I wrote that advice down, and though I’ve seen Angela several times through the years, I’ve never thought to thank her. So, Angela, thank you for your wisdom, whether you remember it or not. It changed my life.

I recently worked with a private client spouting off lofty desires in her writing. One of those ideas was to move from the Christian market to the general market because the opportunities were greater. Nothing was wrong with that goal, but what hit me as sad was the opportunity she saw to make a fast dollar. Erotica. She’d pitched an idea to a publisher, and they asked her to send them a “steamy chapter” for consideration. So she did. She passed the test and received a contract. Her question was whether I would edit her work for this adventure.

I stared at her on the Zoom screen. I had a choice to make. She’d offered me a tidy sum to edit a 25,000-word manuscript. My dilemma wasn’t whether to edit it but how can I say no and guide her to making a wiser choice?

My choice was grounded in faith and how I felt God wanted me to live. Her choice, though lucrative, would more than likely ruin her opportunity to write in the Christian market again. Not to mention the sinful road she was about to embark on. This decision would follow her for the rest of her career, not to say how it would affect her family when word got out she was writing “sleazy.”

I thought about it for a moment, and Angela came to mind. “Make wise decisions. The world will offer you so many opportunities. Make wise decisions.”

I repeated those words to her and then asked if she was unwilling to do the work she needed to do to gain a contract in the Christian market. What motivated her to take this road over her original path? Of course, the carrot on a stick was the idea of a contract, and the chunk of change offered as an advance. Oh, and did I mention she planned to use a pseudonym? “No one will ever know it’s me,” she said.

I responded, “Then no one will ever know you were published, will they?”

 The choices we make in our writing career do make a difference. For some, the temptation to follow the world’s thoughts is enticing, and they’ll fall for the deception. Our family could use the extra money, but I think what Matthew 16:26 (NIV) says, What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?…

Writers hear my heart. This career, like many, is lined with disappointment, but it is filled with opportunity as well. Practice the four P’s – Ponder, Pray, Patience, and Pursue.

Understand that God’s plan “May not be a book on shelves of a bookstore. It may only be meant for the person next to you. When you understand that, accept it, and follow it, God will use you miraculously. – Alton Gansky”

Make wise choices in your writing career. The road may be bumpy and slow, but the wait is well worth it. Learn the craft and explore other writing avenues like articles, blogs, and websites, but always make wise choices grounded in your faith and beliefs. That is one decision you will never regret.

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.