Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
In the past several years, the winds of change have swept through my life. Seasons have come and gone, leaving me wondering what is next. As a rule, I don’t like change, but I’m learning that God brings seasons into our lives for a purpose, and that purpose is always good.
During the last 5 years since I released my debut novel, I switched careers, married my best friend, and became a father. It’s been the most wonderful and difficult years of my life.
James said the “trying of our faith worketh patience.”
Trials have not been scarce in my life. Some were definitely self-inflicted, but some seemed to come from nowhere. It’s hard to see it in the moment, but God was working for my good, strengthening my faith and making me more like Him.
Last month my father passed away. His passing was bitter-sweet. In some ways, I lost him 20 years ago when he first became ill, but he is still sorely missed. I rejoice, though, knowing he is with the Lord, fully healed. Before he died, he charged me with bringing the message to the people of God’s mercy and grace. I intend to do exactly that through the written word.
Rudyard Kipling said, “If history were told in the form of storytelling, it would never be forgotten.” I think it’s the same with truth.
Hello Editing!I finished writing my latest manuscript on February 8th. After essentially taking a 2 year break from it, it was refreshing to push through and write “The End”. |
After celebrating, I took the time to read through the manuscript to get a sense of the overall feel of the book. Because of the size and scope of this book, I contemplated splitting it in 2, but I finally decided for a stronger story, I needed to keep it as 1 coherent story.
Next, I summarized each chapter in 3 or 4 sentences to see in a glance what each chapter contained. This was a crucial step for me, and I found whole scenes that detracted from the book instead of strengthening it.
As I read through the manuscript, I made notes of what I needed to work on. Now, I’m in the midst of making those big-picture changes to tighten the story and clarify the theme. I plan to wrap up this phase of editing in the next month and send it off to my editor.
I need to boil my story down into a few words and refine what my book is actually about. That will help me craft a stronger story, but it’s also key in marketing.
I still have a long road ahead of me to get it ready for publication, but I’m excited to finally be making progress again.
To whet your appetite, here’s a snippet of the book:
