There’s something about beginning a new novel that always humbles me. 

I forget, every single time, how inadequate I feel when I first sit down to write. I start each project with so much excitement—designing the cover, researching the time period, fleshing out my characters—and then… I face the blank screen, and terror sets in. 

Maybe someone else should write this story. After all, it’s a really good story, and I would hate to mess it up. But nevertheless, I steel my resolve and start typing.  

The Messy Middle

The more I type, the more certain I become that I’m totally blowing it. My points are everywhere, the consistency is tragic, and my characters feel wooden.

I think to myself… I can’t do this. 

But I keep writing. I refuse to give up. 

I edit again, and again, and again—and ever so slowly, a story begins to take shape. Almost like the birth of a child, the tears and pain of it all belong to its conception. But before you know it, you have this beautiful thing you’ve created—something no one else on earth could have made. 

It’s beautiful.

It’s a masterpiece.

And it’s all yours.  

A Gift from the Creator

It’s a gift that God Himself has given me. It brings me so much joy that I almost feel guilty calling myself an author. 

And just like when I gave birth to each of my children, I forget how painful and frustrating it was in the beginning. Because when I finally hold it in my hands—when someone leaves a glowing review, when I win over even the fiercest critic—all I can see is the beautiful thing God allowed me to create. 

Until, of course, I start the process all over again. LOL.  

Keep Chasing the Dream

What I want to tell you is this: don’t give up. Keep chasing your dream.

No one on earth can do it the way God has called you to. 

We all get scared. Don’t let that fear rule you.

You were created to be so much more than your fear tells you that you can be.  

🩵 What dream has God placed on your heart that feels too big or too scary right now? Maybe it’s time to take that first step anyway.