From Edie: Discover how to navigate the highs and lows of the writing journey with resilience, gratitude, and perspective. Encouragement for writers in every season.
The Roller Coaster Writing Life: How to Stay Encouraged When the Highs and Lows Hit
by Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites
Do you ever feel like your writing journey is a roller coaster? I certainly do.
Recently, my husband and I flew from South Georgia to Colorado Springs for an interview about our newest book release. We packed for Colorado weather.
Well, we thought we did. But, boy did we overpack!
When we mentioned the unusually warm weather to a native Coloradan (it was two degrees warmer in the mountains of Colorado Springs at that moment than it was in our hometown in Georgia), he laughed and said, “Well, what we say in The Springs is, ‘If you don’t like the weather at this moment—wait fifteen minutes. It’s bound to change.’”
And guess what? He was right! The thermometer took us on a roller coaster ride—from temps below freezing to short pants hiking weather to comfortable in jeans and long sleeves—in just three and a half days.
But speaking of waiting fifteen minutes and changing—my husband and I happened to travel to The Springs, as we’ve learned the locals call it—on the weekend when Daylight Savings ended. We’d planned to keep our bodies on Georgia time because we thought it would be easier on the other end of the trip to avoid jet lag.
We decided to stay up until midnight Georgia time, which would actually be somewhat early for my usual bedtime and slightly later than his typical bedtime. Yet we wanted enough sleep to make up for the past several nights of less than six hours each night. However …. we knew we had to factor in the “fall back” extra hour we’d get.
For the life of us, our exhausted traveling brains couldn’t decide what time to set my phone alarm to get eight hours of sleep.
That taxing brain activity seemed to set the tone for our roller coaster time spent in Colorado. And it seemed to continue.
Our interview took place Monday morning with Focus on the Family’s Jim Daly and John Fuller. Talk about a writing high for the two of us! Less than six hours later, an email announced a retraction from a publisher—one that seemed like a contract was “in the bag” and forthcoming.
My excitement from the interview waned slightly, but, just as I often tell fellow writers, I reminded myself “it’s not a rejection—it’s a redirection.” And I prayed. A prayer of thanksgiving for the opportunity to take part in the interview and a request for guidance on the manuscript now rejected.
The roller coaster ride didn’t end with the email, though. When I woke the next morning—5AM Colorado time, 7AM Georgia time after Daylight Savings Time ended, but 8AM on the hotel room microwave that didn’t update—I had a Facebook message from a “friend” I barely know personally.
“Btw my husband and son have read your Bible Bedtime Stories book given to us when he was born 2023 … they finished it last week for the 3rd time!! It’s been sweet to watch my husband and son read each night before bed!! Thank you!!!”
She went on to say, “It’s been a blessing. You have no idea how many nights I thought we were failing at parenting and to know our son wanted to read about Jesus in that book made my eyes cry tears of joy also! God’s faithful and always shows up when we need it. It’s been so beautiful to watch my son and husband and to know we’re keeping God in our home. Keep it up. You’re changing lives!!”
WOW! Cue the tears, right? I wept with joy when I read her words.
We chatted a bit via “direct message,” and then she sent me a picture of her son holding our newest release, Children’s Advent Stories for Bedtime, and said she couldn’t wait for her husband and son to start that one, too.
Shortly after the chat, my husband and I traded the roller coaster for an airplane ride that took us back to Eastern Standard Time. As I watched my phone update when we landed, I couldn’t help but change the native Colorado philosopher’s words to fit the writer’s life: “If you don’t like the journey at this moment—wait fifteen minutes. It’s bound to change.”
What about you? Does your writing journey sometimes feel like a roller coaster?
TWEETABLE
Julie Lavender, along with her co-author hubby, celebrated the release of their newest book at the end of October. Children’s Advent Stories for Bedtime, published by Penguin Random House, is a follow-up to her book, Children’s Bible Stories for Bedtime. It’s her prayer that children will fall in love with God’s Word with each treasured Bible story.
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