Waiting

By Dawn Crandall

People who don’t know me might not realize that I signed my three book contract with Whitaker House when I was (finally) six months pregnant with my first child. What they also wouldn’t know is that I’d waited twice as long to have a baby than to get published, and that they both, unfortunately, happened to come about at the same time.

Yes, unfortunately.

Or at least, that’s what I thought most of the last year as I was busier than I’d ever been in my life, launching my three eBook series from Whitaker House-all within my son’s first year of life. But now, as the first year of my author career comes to a close and the three books of my Everstone Chronicles series release as paperbacks this Fall, I’ve come to realize that maybe I should have been more trusting with my God-scheduled life.

One proposal. One chance. That’s all I had because I’d written my three book series out completely.

Even as I did so, I knew it seemed unlikely that my one proposal would make it through the “barrier” every yet-to-be-published author wants to break through. Especially when publishing house after publishing house-some which were quite interested in my manuscript-either closed their fiction line or merged with another publishing company. I waited two long years from the day I signed the contract with my agent until she informed me of the book contract offer. I had come to the point of wanting nothing more than to see my name in print, to the point that I’d completely given up on having children because I thought I knew what God wanted to do with me. It certainly wasn’t that He wanted me to be a mom. So what else was there? But then it kept not happening. Month after month. Year after year. And yeah, there were times I wanted to give up and never write another word.

Are you in this place of waiting? Are you waiting for the call from an agent-for representation or news of a book contract from a dream publisher? Hoping that the next stage in your writing career will be IT?

Well, let me urge you to enjoy whatever time you have at each stage… because there is no IT this side of heaven. No matter where you are in your writing journey, there will always be something more your heart yearns for. And yeah, you might feel down and discouraged because you don’t have some higher-up’s stamp of approval for everyone to see, and you might even feel that God must not be paying attention or doesn’t want to see your manuscripts published, but that doesn’t change the fact that He’s doing exactly what He sees as best for your life right now.

I can see this now that it’s all been laid out behind me in His will for my life. Can you see the ways He’s worked in the waiting periods of your own life?

Trust Him. Continue to trust Him. Are you writing for Him or for fame, recognition and attention? I know it’s a struggle, but when it’s all said and done, whatever we do, it should be for the Lord. No matter what stage of the journey we’re waiting in.

Dawn Crandall the author of The Hesitant Heiress, The Bound Heart and The Captive Imposter. She is a graduate of Taylor University with a degree in Christian Education, and is represented by Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary. Dawn is a member of Romance Writers of America, American Christian Fiction Writers, secretary for the Indiana ACFW Chapter (Hoosier Ink), and associate member of the Great Lakes ACFW Chapter. She can be found online at www.dawncrandall.blogspot.com and www.facebook.com/dawncrandallwritesfirst.