Again!

I believe the schedule of a freelance writer may just be the first thing I have found to which my work style is perfectly suited.

I have a predictable tendency to attack a new project with vigor and pursue it obsessively until I burn out a few weeks later. I think of myself has having manic phases, followed by recovery phases. One fine example is my half-finished book draft which was written entirely in the first 15 days of November during "National Novel Writing Month." Of course there is the intention of getting back to it, it's just that so many other projects have sprung up to distract me...

On January 9, I sent off a "hail mary" submission, hoping to propel myself past what I knew was going to be a challenging time for creative thought. Then Lulu arrived. I promptly forgot about said submission and sank into the long fog of new baby.

Surprise, my strategy worked! Earlier this month I received news that my submission had been accepted and would be published this fall, in the online portion of a prominent women's ministry magazine.

While there is no monetary gain from this particular success, the encouragement I gained from the experience renewed the spark of manic energy lying dormant within my soul. Despite the challenge of having my biggest kid home from school for summer break, I have discovered the will to press on in my pursuit of writing for Christian ministry.

Thanks to VBS and a baby that naps all morning long, I have used this week to compile a task list to carry me through the next month. Hopefully about the time I run out of steam, I will hear back from another publisher who wants my work, and the awesome cycle will continue.

By the way, my languishing half-draft from November's manic phase also led to something else. After hearing about my project, a mentor from college days passed my name on to another publisher, who in turn contacted me and offered me a paying assignment! So this week of quiet was also used to work on a series of essays for a Sunday School curriculum.

As one friend pointed out to me this morning, I'm living my dream. I'm not ready to quit my day job yet (hah) but it feels so right. Hurrah and thank you Jesus for showing me a purpose that is just right for the way you made me!