Pushing Through Growing Pains

By Kariss Lynch

I found out I was pregnant with our first child two months before my fourth book baby was set to launch into the world. Needing mental energy to finish editing Heart’s Cry and having no physical energy in the first trimester was quite a doozy. However, the more I pushed through and the further we have traveled in this pregnancy journey, the more I have realized that creating and “growing” a book baby takes similar patience, persistence, and preparation.

1. Like growing a child, writing a book takes persistence. 

Even if you write on a timeline with a deadline, the process of writing and completing a perfected manuscript is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes hours, days, months, sometimes even years of contemplating the idea, plotting, planning, researching, and then setting fingers to the keyboard and watching the story come to life. You pour your heart and soul into what you are doing. You invest time, energy, and great effort. Every persistent step brings you closer to your goal.

2. Like growing a child, rewriting and editing takes patience.

Anything in life worth doing requires hard work and patience. I would love to tell you that I crank out the perfect manuscript after the first draft. But if I believed that, I would be lying to myself, you, and ultimately doing the reader a grave disservice. Rewriting and editing take patience and a critical and discerning eye to address the problems and inconsistencies so that the end product shines. There are growing pains associated with pregnancy. There are growing pains associated with anything in life worth doing. But the end result is worth the struggle, and so we patiently press on until we have spent time fashioning every sentence and paragraph with care. I love the analogies in Scripture that refer to us as God’s masterpiece, and I love knowing that He knit us together intricately. As creatives, I believe God gifted us with a little piece of Himself to create beautiful pieces that bless, encourage, and bring delight to others. Even as you wrestle through the edits, you are creating a masterpiece. Don’t grow weary!

3. Like growing a child, preparing to launch your book takes preparation.

Just like family and friends lovingly help set up a nursery or room for a new child, so we must prepare to launch our books into the world. And just like we delight in the children in our lives, so we can delight and share in the book we have worked hard to create. We can build a team, design social graphics, send emails, and partner with bloggers to share our stories with the world. I often struggle with this step. But we share about what we love, and others do the same. There is a way to do it graciously, humbly, and with great gusto. You worked hard! It’s okay to share the good news and celebrate and invite others into the process.

The writing analogy doesn’t just apply to pregnancy. All good things that we work for involve persistence, patience, and preparation. When you hold that final book in your hands, you will know it was worth every minute spent laboring and creating. And then you march on to the next writing idea, because the world needs the stories the Lord has placed in your head. Write with confidence. You’ve got this, friends!

Kariss Lynch is the author of the Heart of a Warrior series and loves writing romance about characters with big dreams, adventurous hearts, and enduring hope. In her free time, Kariss goes on adventures with her own personal handsome hero, explores the great outdoors, and tries not to plot five stories at once. Connect with her at karisslynch.com, or on Facebook, Instagram, or Goodreads.