How I Got Here, Part 17

Happy Monday. I’m continuing to post from Mount Hermon Writers Conference. A couple of my regular blog readers are here—Becky and Rich. This is why they’re not commenting at the moment. They’ll have to go home on Tuesday and read the last 5 days’ worth, so they tell me.

I could play a little trick on ’em. Delete the last 5 blogs. Confuse ’em like crazy . . .

Methinks I shall continue with my tale instead. Good grief, it’s only day 17 now. You’d think by this time in the story I’d be published, published again and on the bestseller list.

Not.

I left the story on Friday with me being a changed person. And my writing changed. Now I just had to tell my agent.

So I did. Intimidated as all get out, but determined. It went something like this. (Imagine timid little voice.) “Um, hi, Jane. You know that manuscript for sitting on that editor’s desk? The one I’ve worked so long to sell? It’s uh, kinda, well, I don’t want to sell it anymore.” Insert cough here. “And, while we’re talking about it, you know those producers who were interested in film rights for Color the Sidewalk for Me? See, it’s like this.” Cringe. “I don’t wanna sell that either.”

Duck, cringe some more.

Well. God had gone before me. He’d prepared the way for this particular conversation. Just as He’d prepared the way for my entire 8-year journey so far. Jane said, “Fine. Write what you need to write. Christian fiction? I can sell that, too.”

I took another look at Cast A Road Before Me, thought it was ready. Sent it to Jane.

And then I waited. Again.

I’ll digress here a moment to say that I really believed at this point things would happen quickly. After all, I was now on God’s page. (Pun intended.) I was writing stories with the message of salvation interwoven within. All God had been waiting for was the turning of my heart and attitude.

Right?

Well, yeah. He had been waiting for that. But . . . maybe I now faced new hurdles. Like learning a new market. What did I know about writing Christian fiction?

I got the manuscript back. Jane’s bottom line: “Sorry to tell you this manuscript is not yet ready for the Christian market.” Main problem—I had “dusted on” the Christian message rather than really weaving it into the story. “Try again,” said Jane.

Let me get this straight. Eight years now. Heart turned around. And I’m supposed to do another rewrite?

I didn’t quit that day. I was now on a path I had to follow.

But I did kick a cabinet. Hard.

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Read Part 18