It's a Roller Coaster Ride!

I just adore author Terri Blackstock, don't you? I mean, even before she graciously shared a fistful of marvelous tips for our book, Grit for the Oyster: 250 Pearls of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers, I fevorishly devoured every one of her novels and craved more.

Imagine my surprise when I recently got to the end of Terri's wonderful suspense novel, Double Minds, and found an afterword that seemed to be meant especially for me and well, ... and you!

I'd like to share an excerpt with you, fellow aspiring writer. When you get discouraged in the midst of your writing cycle that sometimes seems to lead nowhere, be encouraged. Even giants like bestselling Terri Blackstock experience the same thing.

Here's Terri Blackstock on the writing life:

"I think one of the things unique to the writer's life is that we do seem to be on a roller coaster. I finish a book! Hoorah! Everything's wonderful. Then I send it off and wait. Time passes. My spirts plungs. It's the worst thing I've ever written. Why, oh why did I send it when I did? I start scouring the newspaper for real jobs. Then I get the call."

"They Love it and are really goingt o publish it. Yes! Life is grand! Woo-Hoo!"

"Then I get the revision letter. It's horrible. They want me to rewrite the whole book, change the title, and think about a pesudonym. They hate the plot and think the wrong characters die. Oh, they want me to add a dog and a baby. "

"I plunge again as I try to pick up the pieces that are salvageable. But then it occurs to me how it can be done, and hey, that dog really does add to the suspense, and the baby will be worth a few boxes of tissue, so yahoo, I'm up again as I send it off."

"But then I can't pay my light bill, and the checks are starting to bounce, and that check from the publisher never comes. So I plunge again."

"Finally, I get paid and dance around singing, 'I'm in the money!' Then I write a check to Uncle Sam, pay that late light bill, my late insurance premium, and wonder how I'm going to make it on what's left over until the next check. "

"Spirits take another dive."

"That's the writing life. But I love the roller coaster. It's the ride God gave me, and doing it for the Kingdom of God is a privilege."

Well said, Terri. You're one of my heros.