Friends Don’t Let Friends Quit!

by Catherine West

If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably a writer. You may be just starting out or have been writing for many years. You may be published or you may still have that dream in sight. But I bet you know one thing.

This is a hard road.

My favorite book is Gone With The Wind. I first discovered it as a homesick thirteen-year old wandering the musty maze of books in the library at my boarding school in the south of England. It was there I was introduced to Austen and Dickens and Tolkien, and eventually stumbled upon what had to be the biggest book my hands had ever held.Gone With The Wind.

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Sometimes, #Writing is Hard

Award-winning author Catherine West writes stories of hope and healing from her island home in Bermuda. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or reading books by her favorite authors. She and her husband have two grown children. Catherine’s novel, Bridge of Faith, won the 2015 Grace Award. Her new novel, The Things We Knew, releases July 12^th, 2016, through Harper Collins Christian Publishing. You can find Cathy on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, Google+, and her AmazonAuthor page.

 

This one always makes me laugh.

Because sometimes? Writing is hard. And sometimes being a writer is harder.

Today, I hope to encourage you. You know who you are. You're sitting with your plane ticket or staring at a map wondering what in the world you're thinking . . . you're heading into Writer Land, ACFW in Nashville!!

And you’re just a little terrified.

Yes, it's a big writers conference. If you're used to hanging out with your dog and maybe your spouse on occasion, you're going out of your comfort zone. A little. But . . . ACFW is a blast. It really is. Writers, editors, agents, publicists¾four days of hanging out with people just as nuts as you. (About writing).

But it can also be a scary time. Especially if you're new to this business, and you're still a little starry-eyed over the whole thing. You'll get over it. And if you want to get over it quick, find the group of haggard-looking, glassy-eyed, worn out veteran writers and come talk to us. (We'll be in the bar).

Because writing is hard. 

I know. You want me to tell you all the tricks. How to not be nervous. How to blow an editor back from the table with the best pitch they've ever heard in all their two years of coming to conference. (Yes, most of them really do look like they just graduated college). You want to know how to find your way through a crowded (think salmon season and you're swimming in the wrong direction) dining room and land a spot seated right next to your dream agent or that one editor you've never been able to talk to without crying. You want me to tell you there's no reason to panic, no reason to be nervous or fret or throw-up a couple times before your appointments.

And I wish I could. But I don't have the tricks. I don't have a magic bean and I sure don't have the confidence I certainly should after years in the field. The whole extravaganza still scares the bejeebers out of me. I feel your pain. And I still get nervous too. I'd prefer to just hang out with my friends, and then hole up in my room and read and rest and rewind a little. But that defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

We need to get out there and find the ones just like us, shaking in their boots and wondering what they were thinking coming here. They're easy to spot. Slammed against a back wall, looking a little green. We need to find them and tell them, hey, you know what, you're here, that's amazing. You're amazing! And you can do this. And they might not believe you, but you just keep saying it until they do.

Because writing is hard.

And we need our friends. Sometimes they'll drag us across a room if they have to, because honestly, what fun is it really, plastered against a wall looking like you're facing down a firing squad? And maybe you don't even know for sure that this is your calling, that this is where you're meant to be. Well, that's okay too. But you're not going to find out if you don't get out there and start asking. Seeking. Listening.

And then when it's all said and done and you've done your best, you've put yourself out there, you've prayed and maybe cried a little, and hopefully laughed a lot, you wait.

This is the hardest part. Ask me how I know. 

But . . . trust. Believe. Do the work and don’t give up. Find a little extra faith for each day that comes. And then, one day, you'll know.

One day you’ll find yourself standing in the midst of a dream come true.

And it will be good.

Until then, grab on to your seat, buckle up and hold on, because it's a heck of a ride. But if you let in a little light, love and laughter along the way, it's a really fun one.

Go in peace, friends. Face down your fears and just do the thing.

Because you're awesome.

Are you headed to conference? Tell us how you’re feeling!

The Things We Knew

When their tragic past begins to resurface, can he help her remember the things she can’t?

After her mother’s death twelve years ago, Lynette Carlisle watched her close-knit family unravel. One by one, her four older siblings left their Nantucket home and never returned. All seem to blame their father for their mother’s death, but nobody will talk about that tragic day. And Lynette’s memory only speaks through nightmares.

Then Nicholas Cooper returns to Nantucket, bringing the past with him. Once Lynette’s adolescent crush, Nick knows more about her mother’s death than he lets on. The truth could tear apart his own family—and destroy his fragile friendship with Lynette, the woman he no longer thinks of as a kid sister.

As their father’s failing health and financial concerns bring the Carlisle siblings home, secrets surface that will either restore their shattered relationships or separate the siblings forever. But pulling up anchor on the past propels them into the perfect storm, powerful enough to make them question their faith, their willingness to forgive, and the very truth of all the things they thought they knew.

TWEETABLES: #Writing is hard. And sometimes being a #writer is harder. (Click to tweet)

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Why Catherine West Won't Quit #Writing

INSPY Award-winning author Catherine West writes stories of hope and healing from her island home in Bermuda. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or tending to her roses and orchids. She and her husband have two grown children. Catherine’s latest novel, Bridge of Faith, is now available on Amazon. Her next novel will release the summer of 2016, through Harper Collins Christian Publishing. You can find Catherine on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, Google+, and Amazon.

Why We Don’t Quit

“I can’t do this anymore …”

I wonder if you’ve said that lately. Or at least thought it.

I have. And sometimes it’s true. Sometimes it’s really how you feel, and you don’t know what else to say. But the minute the words are out, you know you don’t really mean it. You know, despite the insurmountable odds, the closed doors and the brick walls that seem too high to scale … you can do this.

Let’s be honest. Writing is one of the hardest jobs out there. For many of us, the journey to publication is a dream we’ve held for years. We write because we love it, but we also long for the opportunity to share our work with the world. And some days that goal seems lofty. Some days you tell yourself it’ll never happen. And some days, well … you know what happens. Life takes over.

And the words won’t come.

I remember a time a few years back where I quit. I quit writing because I quit believing in myself. Rejection after rejection convinced me I’d never be any good at this thing, never get an agent, let alone one day get to hold my own book in my hands. The easiest thing to do would be to shut down the computer. Besides, my kids needed me, my husband needed me, and there were a lot of other things going on that demanded my attention. I was emotionally drained, discouraged, and ready to pack it in.

Have you been there?

Maybe that’s how you feel today. Maybe you think that walking away is easier. It’s not. Not if you really believe you’re called to this thing. Not if you know that God has given you this incredible gift – the ability to weave words into beautiful tapestries that touch the hearts and minds of readers and give them joy, hope.

So … we don’t quit.

But how … how do we write when we’re in the midst of battle? Surrounded by hard circumstances and situations we can’t control … how … when it’s all we can do to get out of bed in the morning … how?

I’ve heard that desperate cry in my head more times than I care to share. Trust me, I know. I know how hard it is. But I also know you can do it. And I can too.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

This used to be my biggest downfall. I’d be too worried about what people would think if I told them how I really felt. I refused to ask for help when I needed it most. Not anymore. Now I know the first thing to do when I’m in that hard place, is to reach out. First to God, but then to that trusted group of friends¾your prayer warriors, your confidants, your A-team¾oh, I hope you’ve got one of those. Because I have to tell you, when you’re in the midst of the storm, you need all those arms around you.

One day at a time.

Do what you can. Nobody says it has to be perfect. You just have to show up. Show up and write. Clear your mind of the clutter and see what comes out. If you’re on deadline, obviously you need to keep going with that story, but if you simply can’t … then just write a blog. Write a piece of flash fiction. Poetry. A letter to your grandmother or great-aunt. Anything. Just write. And don’t tell yourself you can’t, because you know that’s not true. Try setting a goal, even if it’s only a paragraph. Tomorrow it might be page. And then a chapter. Believe it’ll come.

Be good to yourself.

Take breaks. Go for a walk, work-out, watch a movie, go get some coffee with a friend, whatever you need to do to find joy. Because staring at a white page on the screen in front of you is no fun. And we want this to be fun, don’t we?

Remind me why I’m doing this?

I say this a lot. And my wise friends will answer, “Because you can’t not.” And it’s true. I’ve tried. Each time I want to give up, quit and never write another word, I get that yearning, that unrest in the pit of my stomach that says I’ll never be truly content unless I’m writing. I know now part of the reason I can’t quit is because this is who I am. I’m a writer. God made me this way. He’s given me the talent and He’s put me on this path, and provided amazing gifts along the way. How dare I try to refuse it!

Imagine a family, poor, hard-working, who want nothing more than to see their son succeed - he’s a straight A student and all his teachers tell them he’s capable of doing whatever he sets his mind to, so they save every penny they can, and finally have enough money to offer him the ability to attend college. And he turns around and tells them, “No thanks, I’m just going to roam the country aimlessly, pick up odd jobs when I can … it’ll be good.” You know?

Don’t refuse the gift.

Yes, there will be difficult times. We’re not promised cake and ice cream every day.

  

But we are asked to persevere. To be faithful. To be filled with faith and confidence, even when we feel empty inside. Do what you can today, trust God for tomorrow, and don’t ever, ever give up.

Have you wanted to quit lately?

  

Bridge of Faith

Two lives taken down different roads - one enduring love - one shot at starting over. If only they believed in second chances.

They say you can’t go home again. Sometimes you don’t have a choice.

After the death of her second husband, Julia Connelly is finally free to live the life she’s longed for. Free from twelve nightmarish years in an abusive relationship. Free to begin again.

Julia takes her two children back to her family home in Vermont, hoping for peace and healing. Instead, she encounters Reid, her high-school sweetheart—the man she eloped with at eighteen—who then abandoned her two months into their marriage, with little explanation.

        

Popular news correspondent, Reid Wallace, has his own problems. After an assignment in the Middle East goes horribly wrong, he ditches his career. He’s not sure what comes next and returns to his hometown seeking answers.

Confronting his past was not in the plan.

Seeing Julia again sends him into a tailspin, prompting even more questions. Like why the only woman he’s ever really loved still possesses the power to bring his world to a screeching halt. Why her haunted look makes his heart ache. Why he ever left her in the first place.

And why her twelve year-old son looks just like him.

They say you can’t go home again. Sometimes it’s the only place you’re meant to be. 

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