Waiting With Purpose

by Stephanie Cardel

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him…” ~Psalm37:7 (ESV)

To me, the most difficult part of being a writer is all the waiting. At least, that’s what drives me mad. Not writer’s block. Not how competitive it is. Not rejection. Waiting.

You put yourself out there and wait for critique, then an agent’s response, then an agent’s read through, then the call, then the contract. After more revision and waiting for the agent to read the revision and prepare the proposal, you finally get your work submitted to publishers and wait some more.

But when my inner Veruka Salt starts screaming, “I want it now!” I take a step back and think of Joseph. He was given dreams that showed his parents and brothers bowing down to him. He trusted in those dreams when he was thrown into a cistern and left for dead, when he was sold into slavery, and when he was falsely accused and imprisoned. He waited and trusted and never doubted that God was with him and would bring about those prophetic dreams.

He even forgave his brothers because he knew it all had to happen the way it happened and in God’s perfect timing in order for God to be glorified.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ~Genesis 50:20 (NIV)

My seventeen-year-old main character in my YA Christian contemporary This Isn’t Shakespeare dreams of being a professional dancer. Fear and doubt grow in her heart. She listens to the world and makes bad choices. Ultimately, she turns back to God, trusting in His timing, knowing His will for her life is what’s best—whatever that looks like.

As Christian authors we have big dreams of touching people’s hearts with our stories. But publishers are reluctant to take on books with tough issues. This makes the waiting even longer. It took over ten years to get a contract on This Isn’t Shakespeare. But the original secular version of the story is not what God wanted me to publish. It took a lot of time and a lot of revising to get the right story at the right time to the right publisher.

We wait and hope in the Lord, looking forward to His returning in glory. That is kingdom waiting. Glorious waiting. We know it’s coming. It fills us with joy. But this worldly waiting on our author journey can be so discouraging. We can’t let it steal our joy.

When our dreams align with God’s will, we can be sure that He is working in us and through us. Even if it’s taking a lot longer than we hoped. My advice is to be like Joseph and find a way to stop asking, “Why is this taking so long, Lord?” and start asking, “How can I glorify God in the waiting?”

1) Pray that God will be in your story and you’re telling the story He wants you to tell. If we aren’t pointing to Jesus with the gifts He has given us, then what’s the point?

2) Become a better writer every day. There is so much competition. Make sure your writing stands out. Get critique. Go to conferences. Learn the craft.

3) While your manuscript is on submission, write something new. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Maybe the agent already has a manuscript on submission similar to yours. She may ask, “What else do you have?”

4) In order to be productive, give yourself deadlines, make checklists (outline chapter three, revise chapter one, write 500 words today), enter contests with deadlines.

5) Read good, award-winning books in your genre.

6) Work on building a platform. Unfortunately, having a platform helps get you an agent and helps get you a publishing contract—particularly in the Christian market.

7) Trust in God’s timing.

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” ~1 Cor. 10:31 (ESV)

I can’t grow in my faith or in my relationship with God if I’m focused on my writing career and how discouraged I am instead of prayer and Bible study and God’s will for me. God’s timing is perfect. I am where I’m supposed to be. I will glorify God in it.

Stephanie Cardel lives in middle Tennessee and writes hope-filled stories with flawed characters who find redemption. She is the founder of Lighthouse Literary and Make It Shine editing services. When she’s not agenting, writing or editing, she’s usually curled up with a good book or playing with her grandchildren. Visit her at www.lighthouseliterary.com or www.stephaniecardel.com.