Sharing the Process

A month or so ago, I was reading a book about marketing as an author. It was one of those “think outside the box” kind of books and I can’t for the life of me remember who the author was. It was a book in a display at the Ontario Art Gallery and I stood there reading through parts of it in the gift shop. I probably should have bought it but I didn’t so that’s that. Anyway, one of the things the author recommended doing as part of marketing was to share your ideas and process with others and to share what you are working on. I’ve been thinking about this for weeks now and I realize that for me to share my ideas and process as a writer, really means sharing my walk as a Christian because they are part of the same story.

So, here goes! First of all, the writing piece is one I thoroughly enjoy (except when I get writers block!). I find that ideas come to my mind when I am working on a project or going for a walk by myself. I guess this is mainly because these are the times when I am honestly talking with God and opening my mind to creativity. The Lord is definitely the inspiration for my writing.

I also found that I enjoyed the editing and publishing part of producing a book. Getting honest and critical feedback from my editors for “A Beautiful Pain” was so helpful and resulted in a better book. There were tasks for me to complete in this process that were quite outside my skill level (techy stuff!) but I was able to tackle them because I knew that God was there to help me. I could try new things trusting they would work out. And they did!

Now, the marketing part of publishing a book is one that I don’t love at all. Partly because it is outside my wheelhouse and partly, to be honest, because it forces me to look very honestly at myself, my motivations, my dreams, my fears. To be an author means to also be a marketer because books don’t sell themselves just by being out there in the world of a gazillion other books. In order to do what I’m good at ( writing, public speaking, encouraging) I have to do what I’m not good at  (putting myself forward and asking people for things).   

The reason for writing my book was to provide understanding and comfort to other grievers. It was to share the hope in Christ that I know we need to keep walking forward. In the end, the goal of selling the book isn’t about me but for God’s purposes. I need constant reminders of this because it’s easy to be discouraged when a month goes by and you haven’t sold any copies of your book. It’s easy to lose sight of the reason you are doing what you’re doing. It’s a lesson in humility and trust in God’s plan and timing. There have been times when I have focused on what’s not happening and neglected to be thankful for what is happening. I may look at my Amazon records and see little to no book sales for the past two months and forget that I have been provided the opportunity for an upcoming book launch at our local library. Or that I have made connections with other mothers who I have the opportunity to share with and be supportive of. God is working with me to focus my energies on the good things that I see taking place.

This process continues to force me to look honestly at myself and how I am aligned with God’s purpose for me. It requires me to do the tasks he has set before me and believe in his design and timing for my life. It is acknowledging that his ways are not my ways. At the end of the day it really means me being able to say, “Lord you do you and I will stop micromanaging!”

Ultimately, the marketing process of publishing a book may be the one I enjoy the least but it has also been the one where I have learned the most about myself and grown in patience and humility with God.

I do continue to write. I am currently writing a 30-day grief devotional. I went through my book, “A Beautiful Pain” and looked for themes in my reflections. There were a number of them and I took those themes and used them to develop a series of daily devotions. What I’m hoping to produce is a book that has a devotion for each day, with a black and white nature photograph and space for the reader to add their own notes.  My hope is for the reader to have a book that is not only helpful on their grief walk but beautiful as well. I have no idea where it will end up or how I will pay for the editing and publishing but right now what I hear God telling me to do is just keep writing. He will do the rest.