Waiting on God: My Renewed Vision for My Writing

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Waiting on God’s Timing

As I wrote in a previous post, I attended the Story Embers 2024 Summit and took away many valuable lessons to help me improve as a writer. Still, perhaps the most important lesson was this: My writing belongs to God—I’ve committed it to Him for His use and glory. That being the case, He will use it as He chooses and bless it by bringing it to the audience he wants for it in His way and His timing. I no longer must burden myself with getting it out to the world as a bestseller and doing it right now. If I am faithful to work for Him, He will bring forth the fruit in His time.

That lesson lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. Until now, I’ve felt like a failure because I haven’t been able to find a literary agent to take me as a client and promote my book to traditional publishers. But I’ve gained a new perspective. My job is to write the stories God gives me to the best of my ability and work hard to promote myself and my writing—but the fruit of my labor is not in my hands; it’s in His. He will decide when, how, and by whom my work will be published if it ever is. He will find the audience he wants for it. And in the meantime, He will bless me by giving me the pleasure of writing it and gaining new knowledge and insight into God as I do it.

So, what does that practically mean for me now? How do I proceed with my “writing career?” The answer is: I’m not sure. I’m still waiting on God to guide my path and grant me his wisdom, as He promises in Proverbs. And it’s not easy. I get impatient. I want to be successful. I want to be traditionally published and have a huge audience. I want many things. Some of them are for the right reasons. Many of them not. But God knows what I need and, more importantly, what He wills. Thus, I wait, work, and do the best with what I know and understand right now, and God promises that when I am faithful, He will bless my faithfulness with fruit that advances His kingdom, not mine.

In the meantime, as I wait on the Lord, I work. I’m still editing and “perfecting” my manuscript, From Sackcloth and Ashes, a sample I will share in next week's blog post. I put perfecting in quotes because nothing we do is perfect. Only God is perfect, and I must constantly remind myself of that. I'm writing other novels and tweaking From Sackcloth and Ashes. I’ve finished the first draft of one and given it the working title of On Winnifred. I’ve also written the second draft of a novel I call The Sacrifice. What’s holding me back from progressing with these stories is that I need beta readers willing to read and critique them before I consider having On Winnifred and The Sacrifice edited. Editing costs money, which I do not have in abundance. The Lord will provide, but I can’t waste what he gives me without doing my due diligence with beta readers first. They are hard to find, and many are unwilling to read for free or reciprocate (they read and critique for me, and I do the same for them on their manuscript in return). If you are reading this and would be willing to beta read for me, please let me know in the comments below or email me at pauline@paulinejgrabia.com.

I’ve sent a second round of queries to literary agents for From Sackcloth and Ashes and have had no positive responses so far. But it’s still early. If I receive no requests for my manuscript, then self-publishing is available. It has lost a lot of its stigma in the past decade, and I estimate that most published authors either self-publish or have been self-published at some point due to the fierce competition in the traditional publishing industry. However, self-publishing comes with a cost, both in terms of money and time. It’s been compared to starting a small business by other authors who have successfully self-published. So, for now, I pray and continue to hope to publish traditionally and wait to see what God’s will is. Time and God will tell me if I am to self-publish or not publish.

Are you an aspiring author who wants to publish but is afraid to attempt it or having difficulties like I am? In the comments, tell me about your writing and your process of trying to be published. Do you have any advice for me? Let me know. I only ask that all comments and advice be kind and considerate. Next week, I will post the first chapter of From Sackcloth and Ashes. I hope you return for it.

Thank you so much for reading this post and visiting my blog. Please sign up for my newsletter for a monthly update about the website and blog and exclusive access to the material on my Subscriber Content page at www.paulinejgrabia.com. I am honored that you have taken time out of your day to read what I have to offer, and I will endeavor to continue to post blogs that are worthy of your continued attention. May God bless you richly.

Pauline J. Grabia

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