From Edie: Lynn Blackburn shares how Christian writers can find peace when the writing life doesn’t go as planned by trusting God rather than publishing outcomes.
Finding Peace When the Writing Life Doesn’t Go as Planned: The Fruit of the Spirit in Publishing
by Lynn H. Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn
Fruit Under Pressure—Deadlines, reviews, comparison, the silence after you hit send. We’re on month three of a nine-month exploration of what it looks like to live out the fruit of the Spirit as we navigate the pressure system of publishing.
Every time I check the news, my email, or social media, I’m inundated with bad news related to the publishing industry.
An author with a long-standing track record is dropped by his publishing house.
An entire Amazon category is taken over by AI-generated books.
An imprint announces they’re folding.
An author is attacked, falsely and unfairly, on social media.
The way to publishing success, never a straight line, has gone full-blown bonkers.
What’s an author to do?
How can we, as Christian authors, live in the peace that we have through the power of the Holy Spirit when everything around us is chaos and confusion?
I’m so glad you asked. Fair warning: You may not like the answer.
Because I’m not going to give you the Sunday School answer. I’m not going to tell you that if you persevere then your publishing dreams will come true. They might not. And if they don’t, peace can still be yours.
While we know that God doesn’t promise us an easy path to all we’ve ever wanted, far too often, we live like that is exactly what He’s done.
Deep down, we have this belief that if God has called us to something and we’ve answered the call, then not only will He bless our endeavors, but His blessings will look the way we think they should.
Sorry. But no.
When I attended my very first writing conference in 2010, the amazing DiAnn Mills told the class I was in that just because God has called you to write doesn’t mean He has called you to publication.
I’ll wait while you read that again.
Go ahead.
Maybe give it another pass?
Has it sunk in yet?
Because that’s a hard truth right there.
After 16 years in and around the industry, I can confirm that DiAnn is correct. I’ve seen incredibly gifted writers who came so very close, only to have their book shut down in committee, not just once, but multiple times. It’s heartbreaking and frustrating for everyone involved and is one of those places where peace feels elusive.
How do we make it make sense?
I have no idea. I’m not sure we can on this side of eternity.
I’ll tell you what I do know. I know that when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were ready to go into the fiery furnace for their refusal to bow to an idol, they proclaimed their full faith and trust in their God. They had all faith that He could save them. But they didn’t know if He would.
And His choice, to save them or not, changed nothing for them. Their faith, their confidence, their peace wasn’t based on whether or not God saved them from a painful death.
They knew He could if He chose to, and they believed that if He didn’t choose to, then His plans were still good and still the best for them.
And so they were obedient to God’s call without expecting God to spare them.
You see the parallel, right?
Our peace on this journey can’t be based on agents, contracts, sales rankings, and contest wins. None of that lasts. None of that is guaranteed.
Yes, God could choose to make your publishing journey easy. He may choose to give you contracts and sales and longevity.
But peace is found when we lean hard into the truth that our obedience is not based on what God chooses to do, but on who He is. When we focus on keeping our hearts and minds fixed on Jesus, on the One who has called us and on the One who is working all things for our good and His glory, then we can have peace regardless of our circumstances.
Right now, I have a contract, an agent, a fabulous editor, and an amazing publisher.
But none of that is where peace is found because it could all be gone in a blink.
What won’t be gone no matter what else comes my way?
Jesus and His peace that passes all understanding.
Wherever you are on the journey, I pray you lean hard into the peace He offers.
Grace and peace,
Lynn
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Lynn lives in South Carolina with her husband, children, and an overprotective goldendoodle. She writes her novels in between homeschooling, parenting an adult with special needs, watching her boys play baseball, and teaching at conferences. You can follow along with her real-life plot twists by signing up for her newsletter at LynnHBlackburn.com and connecting with her @LynnHBlackburn on social media.
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