Finally! Your dream of becoming a published author has come true! You’ve worked hard, probably years, to reach this point. You want to share your excitement with anyone who’ll listen. Most people should be happy for you, but sometimes responses can be unexpected:
“Oh. I’ve never heard of that (magazine/publisher/imprint).”
“That’s nice that you write children’s books. I only buy Caldecott winners.”
Most people probably won’t be that blunt; but, still, some you thought would be thrilled for you will offer a polite but tepid response and take no further interest in your doings. But isn’t this typical? In most of life, people you thought didn’t care come out for you waving pom poms, while others you thought would be wildly interested disappear when something extraordinary happens.
Good news brings glad tidings about who’s on your team.
Consider the words Lenny Kravitz sings in Eleutheria: “My life is perfect because I accept it as it is.”
Don’t give any energy to hate. Learn from well-meaning and justified criticism. Revel but remain humble in earned praise, for it is fleeting.
Start Writing Your Book
This morning it is all too clear
that my body is in death’s employ,
but for the sake of all held dear,
today I will choose joy
because I’ve learned the difference made
by taking active agency.
I can’t deter the murder blade,
but I can live the best of me,
and in these days gone down to rust
and that grim good night,
I can rise ‘bove dust-to-dust,
not shine, but yeah, become the light
that overcame Good Friday’s doom
and dance with Jesus from my tomb.
Andrew, your are the light indeed. For so many. Blessings.
Sy, thank you for this. Today is shaping brutally, and your gracious words are indeed light, and a reflection of God’s face, for me.
Andrew, Thank you for the hope and joy that is set before you will fill you…Thank you that you steadfastly behold Jesus, keeping your eyes of faith where it pleases your Lord and is a testimony to us.
“Did you have all your marbles when you wrote this?” my father asked upon reading the beginning of my book. My heart was crushed. Especially since my book became a Literary Guild Alternate of the Doubleday book club, was excerpted in three editions of Reader’s Digest and got me appearances on the Today Show and 60 radio programs. God gave me the gift of writing. By His strength I persevere.
Wow, Anne, that’s amazing! Congratulations on your success! Hope your father has come around by now!
I’m already seeing this on a smaller scale. Thanks for the heads up that there’s more to come. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.
Thank you Tamela for such a reminder! This is so true for so many areas of life. To me this is often the test to determine who your true people are. But as with any season, there is a time…
This is a great reminder, and I love the Lenny Kravitz quote.
This is such good advice, thank you Tamela.
Thank you for sharing this. It is all too true. Our world is fueled by negativity when it comes to accomplishments of others. Many years ago, a gal in a critique group I belonged to gave me only complimentary critiques, but after I self-published the book, she rated it low on Amazon. I asked her why. She said because I didn’t get a New York accent right—all of two lines in the entire book. I mentioned it would have been nice to know that during the critiques. Finally one day, she broke down and confessed she had a terrible problem with jealousy. So because of it she tried to ruin me. So sad.