Don’t Run on Fumes.

It is easy to get to the point we run on fumes. Life is busy. Expectations are high. The world seems to be spinning off its axis. At times, nothing feels normal. Days go by and we wonder what we’ve accomplished or how we got from A to B.

My first novel, Cutty has not been published. Cutty sits in the catacombs of my hard drive and backup systems, patiently waiting. I had high hopes for Cutty, but then reality came along and I learned getting published was no small feat. At least not as easy as I had thought when I decided to write full-time.

Cutty didn’t really get to see the light of day because after finishing it and learning of some of its shortcomings, I sort of fell out of love with it. I think the two and a half years I spent on it had taken a toll. A publisher at a conference suggested I spend time on something I felt drawn to and give Cutty a break. So, I did.

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I’m now on the tail end of editing my second novel before pitching it to agents. Return to Restless Creek has gone through several edits, advice and encouragement from a writing coach, and review by about a dozen beta readers. I’ve compiled all the comments (about 700 if you’re curious) and am fighting against myself to make the edits.

In the middle of my struggle, I got back comments from a contest I’d entered earlier this year. I had submitted a one-page synopsis and the first five pages of the novel. Out of the three judges, comments were generally positive and encouraging except for one judge. Here is what that judge said.

“The writing is clean, but I have no idea where this story is going or why. ☹ What is the goal (of the whole book)? There’s no conflict—Junior isn’t conflict, it’s subservience.

I want to like all the stories I read, but I just don’t understand this one, and that fact makes me feel bad.

The writer has good command of punctuation and grammar.”

Even sandwiched between “the writing is clean” and “the writer has good command of punctuation and grammar”, the real message stung. Especially since they had a one-page synopsis. I had not heard a similar comment from anyone about this book to date. As I moved to address comments from my beta readers, what ran through my emotion-driven heart was, Why continue making all these edits if readers won’t understand the goal of the book anyway?

You may understand how I felt if you’ve ever been running on fumes and (pardon the cliché) someone added the last straw. That’s one way Satan gets us. He waits for us to get to the point of giving up and adds to it. He knows what triggers that for each one of us. For you, it may be one more ailment. Or one more bill. Maybe it’s yet another well-meant, but poorly timed expectation. You might not want to hear the question, “So, how is xxxxx going?” ever again.

As difficult as it is, I opened my latest draft and placed my hands on the keyboard for several reasons. My writing group encouraged me. Other writers who do not know me shared their stories. My wife gently prodded, “You’re not going to quit on this.”

And most importantly, hope came from God’s Word. That is what I want you to lean on along with me. This didn’t come to me by way of miracle. I simply read it as part of my daily devotion. Charles Swindoll, in his book, Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back¹, reminded me of God’s call to Jeremiah. When God informed Jeremiah He had appointed him as prophet, Jeremiah balked, complaining he was only a youth.

God wouldn’t let him off so easily. His message for Jeremiah was the same as it would be for us.

“‘Do not say, “I am a too young”. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 1:7, NIV)

I want to encourage you in whatever you are dealing with (or will be dealing with in the future). Keep going with me. Together, let’s persevere, relying on the Creator’s strength when we find our own waning.

Feel free to share your favorite Scripture or word of encouragement. Someone may need it.

Today’s feature photo comes from a “photo-a-day” challenge I pursued several years ago. The photo inspires the topic. For me, the posts challenge my creativity, writing discipline, and dependence on God for His message. My prayer is that you find hope in God’s Word, and that you’ll share your hope with others.

¹ Swindoll, Charles R., Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back Persevering Through Pressure  (Thomas Nelson, 1997), 130.