Never Give Up - The World Needs Our Stories - Kelli Stuart

The World Needs Our Stories

by Kelli Stuart


It took me a decade to write my first novel. Really, it took longer than that, but "a decade" is such a neat and tidy way of saying it took an extremely long time. From the day I typed the very first word of my first draft, to the day the book finally landed on bookshelves, was seventeen years. More than a decade for those who are good at math. I'm equal parts proud of how long it took me to write this book, and a little embarrassed. Really, when you think of some of the most prolific writers, and their abilities to pump out great books every few years, one novel in seventeen years isn't something to brag about. I try not to dwell on that, though, because what good is comparing my journey to anyone else's, right? 

This book took time because I refused to rush the story. It is historical fiction, set in World War II Soviet Ukraine, which meant sifting through mountains of propaganda in order to find out the truth of those days. It required me speaking with over 100 former Soviet veterans, listening to their stories and feeling the emotion of what they experienced. I needed to get this story right, not only because I wanted to present the reader with a factually accurate historical fiction novel, but also because I wanted to honor the people of Ukraine, who's country was the central focus of the novel. I also got married, moved across country a few times, had four children, and worked as an editor/ghostwriter/blogger in those years. There weren't copious amounts of spare time from which to draw. In the end, however, it didn't matter because when I finally finished the book I knew it was right. I had taken my time, and I'd written a book I could be proud of. 

Had I pushed it through ten years ago, it wouldn't have been the right story. I needed to live a little, to experience life and the world in order to really tell the story as it needed to be told. There is a feeling of urgency in the writing world. We all know that there's nothing new under the sun, and that we're simply looking for new and fresh ways to tell the same old story, but still...we don't want to be left behind. It's true that some writers are prolific. Some people have a lot of words, and somehow they manage to organize all those words into book after book, story after story, and I applaud them for it! Others have, perhaps, an equal amount of words, but putting those thoughts together cohesively takes a little more time. One isn't better than the other as long as neither gives up. I wanted to give up on my book multiple times over the years. I was certain I wasn't cut out for this fiction writing thing. I tried over and over to convince myself to just walk away. Be a mom. Be a wife. Be a blogger. All those things were fine. Yes, those things are fine - they're wonderful, in fact - but I had a story, and I needed to tell it. For this reason alone, I couldn't begin another book project in all those years. I tried to put the novel aside and work on different ideas, but it was as though that one book had occupied all the brain space available, and there was no freeing up space unless I finished. 

Finishing was only half the battle, though, because after typing The End, I needed to find someone who would read it. And so began the arduous process of finding an agent, and then a publisher, and once again fighting the urge to just walk away. "Fiction is a tough sell." I heard this line over and over as I pitched my book. Apparently in my "decade" of research and writing, fiction faded into the shadow of non-fiction. According to my pile of rejection letter, the masses had spoken, and fiction was the red-headed stepchild of the literary world. Still there, but treated mostly as an annoyance. Now, had I been willing to turn Hitler into a vampire, and throw in a few zombies, I might have gotten this show on the road a little sooner (and don't think I didn't consider it). But again, the integrity of the story forced me to wait, to be patient, and to refuse to give up. Fiction may be a tough sell, but the power of story is never going away. Story is the vehicle from which all of life can be revealed. From the very beginning of time, story has been the way that we've communicated. There is great power behind story, and so we the storytellers can't give up, no matter what the popular market tells us. Putting in the time and effort to tell the right story in the right way is a daunting process. Of course we'll want to give up at times, because writing is hard. But we cannot quit telling stories. So I'll keep on writing and you will, too! Whether the book takes six months or a decade-ish, let's agree not to give up on story, okay?

Because the world needs our stories, and we need to believe that.

 Kelli Stuart is a storyteller at heart with an affinity for languages, travel, and history. She is fluent in the Russian language, and spent over a decade researching the effects of World War II on the former Soviet Union. Kelli’s first novel, Like a River From its Course, is an epic story of war, love, grief, and redemption set in World War II Soviet Ukraine. It released in June 2016. Kelli lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband and four children.
Purchase Like a River From Its Course today!

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Top 5 'Must Haves' on a Writer's Desk

There’s a lot of interest about writer’s desks, like they’re some sort of holy shrine or something, especially those belonging to the big names. Stephen King is featured with his feet kicked up on his desk on the cover of his book, On Writing. I’ve even seen pictures of author’s desks pinned on Pinterest. Some are tidy. Most are not. 

Regardless, everyone wants a peek at a writer’s desk. And so I ask…what’s the big deal?!

Desks generally have four legs and a flat surface. There’s usually some kind of chair in front of them. Random office supplies are likely to be stationed on one corner or another. Scouring a picture of an author’s desk and then replicating it at your house isn’t going to make you a better writer.

Or is it?

I propose that there are some items wannabe writers could and should attain that reside on every successful author’s desk.

A Drawer Full of Humility

One of the great things about writing is that the possibilities for learning and growing in the craft are endless. Truly great authors realize they don’t know it all and continually polish their craft. And even the biggies get 1 star reviews, which tends to sag the ol’ pride sails in a quick-slap hurry.

Learn to be humble.

Perseverance Paperweights

Finishing manuscript after manuscript takes dogged determination. There’s not a whole lot of glamour in parking your behind in a chair and typing away for hours on end—but that’s what it takes. Toss your preconceived notions of effortless storytelling into the nearest dumpster. It’s work.

Learn to be persistent.

Compassion Dispensers

Isaac Asimov, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Harriet Beecher Stowe…these are just a few names of some of the superstars who took the time to mentor writers who weren’t as far along on the literary journey as themselves. No matter what stage of the game you’re at, there’s always someone who’s newer to the trade than you are—someone who could use a helping hand.

Learn to reach out.

Professionalism File Folders

No one likes a whiner. A diva. A perpetual eater of sour grapes. Most people don’t prefer cotton-headed-ninny-muggers, either. While it’s true that writing is a solitary pastime, when your work does begin to sell, you’ve got to be a team player. Communicating with agents and editors should always be with a respectful tone.

Learn to be accommodating.

3-Ring Binders Full of Patience

Whether you’re waiting to hear back from your first-ever query, or already have several books on the shelf, patience is indeed a virtue. And it’s not something that falls by the wayside even when you’re a NY Times bestseller. Even big names are waiting for royalty checks, sales figures, the next contract, etc.

Learn to be enduring.

If you’re missing any of those 5 ‘Must Haves’ on your desk, take a tip from this author…get them. It’s not about the physical décor, it’s the interior. Yours.

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas…professionally, however, for the past 10 years. Her latest release, UNDERCURRENT, is available by Risen Books. You can find her at: Writer Off the Leash, www.mmgriep.com or on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.

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On the Road to Publication Be Sure to Pack A Lot of Patience!

When I received my first contract last year, it came almost seventeen years after I began my journey toward publication. Was it easy to wait all those years? I wish I could say yes, but it wasn’t. It’s never easy to be told your story isn’t ready yet, or to comethisclose to a contract and have the publisher’s line shut down. Those are just a few of the roadblocks I ran into along the way. It’s enough to lose your patience.

Over the years, as I had to exercise patience in the long wait, I learned that like a muscle becomes stronger when exercised, the ability to be patient becomes strengthened in the waiting.

Using the word patience, below are listed the things that helped me to endure until the wonderful day I got THE call.

P is for persevering.

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going is an old cliché with a lot of truth. From the outset, we have to determine to be in it for the long haul. I’ve met authors who after pursuing publication for a couple years gave up and self published or stopped writing altogether. If writing for publication is your calling, determine you will do what it takes for however long it takes.

A is for abidingness.

I don’t know what I would do without sensing God’s calling to write, and His daily presence to assure me that I’m within the scope of His will. He tells us to abide in Him and He will abide in us, and He gives us all we need for life, the life He’s called us to live. If He’s called you to write, then He will provide all you need for the writing life in His due time.

T is for teachability.

Even many of the most published authors take writing workshops at conferences. When I look at the stories I wrote seventeen, ten, or even four years ago, I see how I’ve grown the craft. We can’t move up the scale to being a publishable writer if we don’t take those writing courses, read craft books, and practice our writing until our fingers bleed all over the keys.

I is for insistence.

Don’t ever settle for mediocre. Insist on doing better next time in a writing contest, or wowing an editor who rejected your idea last year at a conference, or taking a rejected manuscript and making it better.

E is for endurance.

A form of the word patience in the Greek translates to patient endurance. The King James calls it long suffering. I think that’s an apropos description to describe years of waiting for publication. There were times when I asked God if I misunderstood His intent on my life, and every time He would allow something positive to happen, like a request for a full manuscript. So I kept on pursuing.

N is for nuts and bolts.

We need to know more than how to write, we need to learn the nuts and bolts of the publishing industry: What editors are currently looking for, or what they are not so interested in at the moment. What are the market trends? How is digital publishing affecting the industry landscape and how might I adjust to that? We can never know too much about this ever-changing industry.

C is for courage.

We need courage to make ourselves known in the industry, and to develop our platform even before we publish. Where are our spheres of influence and how can we grow them? A budding author must become a known entity on the social media platforms. Make his or her name recognizable. For the more outgoing this isn’t so difficult, but for the shy it can require a lot of courage to do this.

E is for energy.

Hanging in there can take a lot out of us. For those with family responsibilities and a job outside the home, there is often little time for writing unless it is done in the wee hours. Learn what you personally need in the way of sleep and downtime and allow yourself to avail yourself of those times so you will have the needed energy to write. Pacing is important.

Even though I’ve landed some book contracts now, I still need to put these into play each day as I work toward a deadline or acceptance of a new book proposal. And I find that when I begin each day on my knees, God is always there ready to give me everything I need for the life of a writer.

Thanks for guest blogging at Novel Rocket, Pam! Here’s a blurb for her upcoming release THYME FOR LOVE…

April Love has always dreamed of being a chef.

But she didn’t expect her former fiancé

or murder to be part of the recipe for her new job.

When April Love signs on to be an in-house chef at an old lakeshore mansion in Canoga Lake, Wisconsin, she comes face to face with her long-lost love, the drop-dead gorgeous Marc Thorne. It doesn’t take long for their old magnetism to recharge, but how can she trust the guy who left her nearly at the altar eight years earlier? Her gut tells her something happened to Marc in between—something he’s reluctant to reveal.

When April’s boss is murdered, Marc is accused of the crime. Unless April can find out who really killed Ramón Galvez, her chances for love will end up at the county jail. But someone else is just as determined she not solve the mystery…and will go to any length to stop her.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

A native of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Pamela S. Meyers currently lives in Arlington Heights, Ill. She served on the Operating Board for ACFW 2005-2009, and is president of her local ACFW chapter. Her debut novel, Thyme for Love, released in 2011, and her historical that is set in her hometown, Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, will release in June 2012. She has published articles in Today’s Christian Woman, Christian Computing, Victory in Grace, and Ancestry. She is also a contributor in the compilation book, His Forever.

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False Starts

Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she lives with her husband, two Golden Retrievers and a six-toed cat. Her devotionals have won awards in Canada and the U.S. and have been endorsed by Mark Buchanan, Phil Callaway and Jeanette Oke.

Anyone who has watched an Olympic race has probably seen a false start. An over-eager competitor leaps from the starting gate a moment before the gun goes off. An official is usually quick to call the runners back to start again. Everyone feels the loss of energy, the sudden let-down and the need to immediately refocus and settle in for another try.

I was once in an old house that looked like a false start. Walls and windows had been knocked out and only partly replaced. A doorway had been sealed up with gyp-rock, but not painted. The walls in the kitchen too, were bare and unfinished. The man who owned the house obviously had big dreams and expectations at one time, but somewhere along the way he had run out of steam. He had started well but finished poorly.

It can often seem that our lives are made up of false starts. We graduate from school and set out in a direction we are sure will lead to success, only to find there is no future in it. We launch into a business venture we are sure will reap benefits, but find before long it is leading to financial ruin. We start a writing project but run out of steam before it’s finished, leaving us with nothing but spent energy. It can feel like failure.

Sometimes even our spiritual lives can seem like a series of false starts. We get enthused about prayer, resolving to spend hours at it, but after a while it takes all we can muster to take a few moments to concentrate. We determine to set aside a regular time for Bible study, and for a while all goes well, but life seems to conspire against us. That discipline too, is left in the dust. It feels like failure. Like the athlete who has just burst from the starting line only to be stopped short, we sometimes find we have expended all our energy but have had to go back and try again. And again. Like the athlete, we must refocus. We must persevere, with the goal in mind.

Perseverance is the mark of a winner. It is through perseverance that races are won, houses are renovated and books are written. It is through perseverance that spiritual growth also occurs. The writer of the book of Hebrews gives us the key - “... and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith...” (Hebrews 12:1&2) The goal in the spiritual life, is not to keep trying harder, but to keep focused on Christ. When we focus on Jesus, prayer becomes as natural as breathing and Bible study a joy. When we focus on Jesus the false starts don’t matter. It is Jesus who will perfect our faith.

Have you had a few false starts in your life lately? Don’t focus on the “failures.” Focus on Christ, “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross...”

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