You Can't Stop Delivering A Baby Once Labor Begins

Hello, friends!  I'm not doing much on my blogs right now, and the title explains why!  I'm "having a baby"!  No, not a baby baby.  A book!  I'm finishing a project which has really gone quickly.  But there is still a lot of work to do.  This is a childrens' "chapter book" (it seems people use this term to differentiate it from a "picture book"), for elementary school readers.  I don't think I'm qualified to give an exact age range, as it depends on the child and their reading level.  I have left some "big" words in to help develop thinking skills and encourage building a vocabulary.  The book will have a Glossary at the end.  This is one of the things that feels like "work" to me, compared to just writing a story.  It's things like this that make me wish I could afford an assistant.  Maybe someday!

My husband's been a great help in reading, editing and making great suggestions.  He is also helping me with the research when needed.  At this point, we are going for publisher status.  Reason being, it's easy!  All you have to do is buy ten ISBNs and that isn't so expensive as you might think.  That gives us the benefit of being listed by the big distributor in the industry, with books available in the warehouse for the big sellers such as Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.  I think that's awesome.

One of the things that bothers me is this phrase going around: "shameless self-promotion"!  To me, this goes hand-in-hand with a really strong leaning in the USA towards socialism, and even communism.  The attitude seems to be that "selling is wrong" and "if you're rich, you owe me some."  Well, I'm wondering then why anyone buys anything!  That is total hypocrisy if you ask me.
I could reeeeaaaally go on, but let me get off my soapbox.

I'm not out to get rich, but if I happen to get that way while I'm doing God's will, then it's for the Kingdom.  How could anyone send money to Haiti, for example, if there was no one with any riches?  I would rather bring some miracles over there anyway-- that is heavenly riches I think, and I'd rather have that.  But God's given me a desire, maybe even a burden, to write for children, and adults too eventually.  How will they be able to read what the Lord gave me if I don't get it printed and distributed?  How will anyone know there's a book if I don't tell them?  There are too many people waiting around to "be discovered"!  That really is an attitude of entitlement.  I have heard the Lord speak very plainly that I am to WORK it!  Take what I've got and do the work to get it to who needs it and wants it.  And since there are opportunities available to do it "indie" style, I opt for that: it's quickest, most lucrative, and it gives the Lord the most freedom to take it as far as He wants. 

So, if you think I'm shameless about my self-promotion (and it really isn't about myself, because I couldn't do the things I do without the Lord's inspiration and constant help), maybe I am.  Shameless that is.  Because I don't need to be ashamed of something that isn't wrong.  Social guilt is not true guilt-- I learned that in psychology class!  I'll promote God and what He's doing any day, even if I happen to be part of what He's doing. 

A word of encouragement for you:
If you've got something in you, start doing it.  Don't give up when it gets rough.  When you get an inspiration, let it incubate and grow.  Protect it, nurture it.  Don't abort it with doubt and neglect.  And when it's time to go into labor, be willing to drop everything else and push that baby out.  Don't give up when you get tired.  Go to the Lord for strength.  He will give you what you need to carry through.  And then, when your baby's born, clean it up, wrap it up and keep it safe and secure.  Watch over it and feed and until it's grown, and you can let it out into the world to do its work.

What To Do At Low Tide

I'm at a low ebb right now, after a long period of high creativity. It happens, I think, to everyone. I'm sure you've experienced it, and if you're like me, it's a very uncomfortable place to be. Maybe you've felt drained, empty, or even burnt out. Sometimes it feels like depression. Whatever the causes and accompanying sensations and thoughts, the outcome is the same: low creative output.

Here, I simply enjoy the long walks on the beach, so to speak, listen for the distant voice of inspiration, pick up a few shells, rest, and know that, inevitably, the power to create will return like the tide of the ocean. And just about as suddenly as it went out.

Since I draw my life and inspiration from one Source, Jesus Christ, I take the opportunity to get extra rest in Him, let Him do whatever work He needs to do in me, and do the ordinary daily things in life that have to be done. I enjoy my family and close friends, I get some healthy creative input, I spend extra time in the Word and in prayer, and I wait for His life to well up in me in a greater way. And I resist the temptation to fall into sadness and disappointment, or shame and condemnation, because I'm unable to do everything I think I need to do.

So, I just want you to know I haven't quit on my blogs or anything, I'm just in that low tide place, enjoying the quietness and refreshment of a spiritual getaway.