Thoughtful About . . . Rejection

by | Jun 14, 2012 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized

 Now hope does not disappoint,because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 

~Romans 5:5

Rejection. In the writing industry it’s something we all face, and so it’s something that I’ve written about before. In fact, in February of 2010 I had another post titled “Thoughtful About . . . Rejection,” all about how the Love Finds You series turned down one of my contemporaries. It was still very fresh when I wrote that . . . so obviously I didn’t know that it would lead to them accepting my historical. Obviously I didn’t know that that was exactly what needed to happen, so that I got the grounding in the genre I love best. Obviously I didn’t know the disappointment wouldn’t last long . . . 
And that’s just the thing. We never know, do we? That’s why in Romans 5 Paul can speak so definitively of hope. We never know what’s coming down the road. No one does. But what sets those of faith apart is that we trust in the Engineer who built that road. We know that our tears  make us try harder–that trying harder makes us stronger. And that when we’re stronger, we can hope. (To paraphrase verse 3 of that chapter…)
The other day one of my good friends got some bad news. A rejection we really hadn’t expected, one that floored me so had to have been devastating for her. Now, as rejections go, it was a good one–the editor loved her, loved her writing, the book was just too similar to another title. And another editor had already asked her agent to send it over NOW. That’s good…but does it help in the moment?
A little. But, as someone who’s been there, I know well it doesn’t take the pain away, not even by half.
As I talked to my friend, I wished I had magic words to make it all better. I wish I could take a peek into the future so I could tell her how it all worked out. Wouldn’t that be nice? I mean, it would have been great to know, when I pitched an idea to one editor that got promptly shot down last spring, that I shouldn’t have shelved the idea, that another editor would love it so much that she’d break her own rules to get it picked up by her company. (That would be Ring of Secrets, by the way…)
All I could offer her was the usual. “You’re awesome. And this stinks, but you know, we just don’t know how it’ll end up. I know we thought this would be it, but since it’s not, it just means something else is. Maybe she’ll acquire another one. I mean, no one has ever bought the first thing I pitched them.”
That at least got a chuckle–it’s so very true! Each of my big releases was prefaced by the editor rejecting something else but asking to see more. And as an editor, I can attest to that phenomenon too. WhiteFire just acquired a contemporary title that was the second one I’d seen from someone. It’s a matter of matching.
And it’s a matter of picking yourself up when you fall down and saying, “Okay, well, what else can we do here?”
Never-ever is rejection going to be nice. But we do have a Friend who can peek into the future. And though He doesn’t often just tell us outright how it’s going to work out, He whispers His peace into us, if we pause long enough to hear it. And though sometimes we feel too weary to tread that road any longer, He’s there then too. With His arms stretched out, saying, “Then let me carry you, baby. We’ll get there together.”
Don’t give up. Keep striding, knowing that that bump produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. Knowing that that hope never disappoints–because it’s grounded in something that never shifts, never changes. Something that isn’t subjective, that isn’t a matter of opinion. 
It’s grounded in God’s love.

Remember When . . . Punishment and Praise Were Public?

by | Jun 13, 2012 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized

In my research for my Edwardian work-in-progress, I came across an interesting bit of information from the Manor House site. Apparently in some houses, the master doled out punishment and praise after morning prayers, when the entire household was gathered. As in, if you did something to gain his attention, be it good or bad, he would make note of it in front of everyone.
Can you imagine? I know it wasn’t done this way in every great house, but I found it so striking that I had to include it in my WIP. See, my heroine’s father is a recluse who considers the running of his estate his sole purpose in life–at least until he’s reunited with his daughter. 😉 When I imagine Whitby (who’s modeled after Robert Downey Junior–siiiiggghhhhh), I see a master who is very involved with his household, who views each and every one as of interest to the estate, and so of interest to him.
He’s a kind man, so is far more likely to dole out praise than punishment. I imagine most mornings after the household-wide reading from the prayer book, he dismissed the staff to their tasks without a word. But when someone has done something exceptionally fine, he would see that they’re acknowledged for it.
And if someone did something bad enough to gain his notice and warrant punishment–well, he’s just harsh enough to make an example of them. After all, his house will run smoothly, and it’s best that everyone remember that.
Though I’ve written this book a gazillion times now (okay, four or five rewrites now, LOL), this is the first version in which my heroine Brook has a father. I had to introduce his character this time in order to take care of some inheritance issues, and I’m so glad I did. I love his dry wit and cynicism, and I especially love the soft heart under the bristly exterior. It’s proving a lot of fun to determine who this guy is and how he would react to the plotline already in place. Having his whole life revolve around Whitby Park gives him an edge I’m enjoying discovering.
Of course, I get to explore the servant side of things too, and it’s also a lot of fun to think of how they would react to these public displays. Certainly they would fear–and resent–the punishment before their peers. But you know, it’s likely that even the praise could engender some resentment among them.
Oh yeah. This is gonna be a blast. =)

Word of the Week – Reckless

by | Jun 11, 2012 | Word of the Week

My 4-year-old boy just decided to take the wheel of their little mini John Deere Gator the other day, so you can imagine my inspiration for this week’s word. 😉
Reckless is one of those that always confused me as a kid. I mean, why was it reckLESS when you were indicating that people were apt to wreck? 
Of course, I knew there was that missing “w”…but still. For years it made me shake my head, and I rated it up there with “inflammable = flammable.” (Yeah, just try puzzling that one out without the help of the etymology! LOL.)
As it turns out, it is indeed mere coincidence that reck and wreck are homonyms and carry meanings that can be so opposite. Reck is from a very old Germanic word that means “care, heed.” So since the days of Old English, reckless (or its original receleas) has meant “without care or heed.”
Wreck, on the other hand, is from the Old Norse wrek, which for centuries had ONLY ship-wreck meaning–flotsam, that which washed up after a ship went to pieces. It wasn’t until the 1700s that “wreck” was applied to any remains of a thing ruined. As a verb, it has carried the meaning of “ruin or destroy” since the 1500s.
So there we have it. Two totally different roots that happen to end up with identical sounds in modern English. Solely to confuse school children across the English-speaking world, I’m sure. 😉
Thoughtful About . . . When You’re Called

Thoughtful About . . . When You’re Called

by | Jun 7, 2012 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized

The advent of summer vacation means that, even though I’d love to be out with my parasol promenading through nature a la the Claude Monet painting here, I’m glued even more to my computer. Trying, trying to get caught up on writing, editing, and design. Trying to get organized. Trying to do what needs to be done and still help the kids have fun.
But you know, there’s always conflict. And when there’s conflict with my kids, I inevitably come away feeling terrible. In short, every time I say “No, I can’t,” and my wee ones pout at me, I feel guilty.
It’s tough. Being a stay-at-home-mom is tough on its own (am I right? Eh, eh? Can I get a “hallelujah”?? LOL). Being a stay-at-home, work-from-home mom sometimes stresses me to the point of banging my head against my desk and pleading with the world for five minutes of SILENCE. Which, of course, then makes me feel guilty for not having enough patience…
But here’s the thing. Moms very rarely have the luxury to just be their kids’ playmates. If I weren’t glued to my computer, I’d be gardening or making homemade pasta (my friend just posted pictures of doing this, and I had one of those “Oh, if only I had time!!!” moments) or making bread or picking up messes or scrubbing spots from my carpet or doing laundry more than once a week (ahem) or… you get the idea. I’d be keeping up with other projects. There’s a reason kids used to run rather free, when it was safe for them to do so–because mothers always have responsibilities.
It happens that my writing-related responsibilities take the priority over organization or homemade-this-and-that-making. And while it’s harder to get the kids involved in it (as opposed to baking, say, which they help me with), I really try. They’re often right beside me, painting or coloring or writing their own stories (okay, not Rowyn yet–but he’ll pretend).
But still, I need some quiet work time. Our current set-up gives me one day a week without the kids. One day–and I often feel guilty over it. I try telling myself that I have no reason to, that it’s not unreasonable, that I need it. Yeah, that never works.
Then I hear that little whisper. I was called to be a mother, yes. And I love my children in ways I never imagined I could love. But I was also called to serve the Lord through the written word. To write books. To help found a publishing company. And those callings require the sacrifice of my time. Daily I have to pray for insight in how to balance it, and if I’m at my computer at all, my kids will say I spend too much time there, LOL. But there it is. If I believe this is my calling, I need to do what needs done to achieve it.
Now, I’m not saying we don’t all run the risk of neglecting one thing in order to pursue another. Sometimes we go too far. But we also all need to be aware that when we are doing what the Lord wants us to do, that’s going to open us to attack. And so we’ll feel jealousy. We’ll feel discouragement.
We’ll feel guilt.
I need to remain forever aware of my kids’ needs and put them, without question, first. But I also need to give them to God and remember that a happy child isn’t one who has her mother’s undivided attention, she’s one who has learned by example to seek after the Lord. My seeking, my obedience, is here. At my desk. With my Bible on my right (and another on my left, and two more on the shelf above me…), my computer under my fingers, and my kids dashing in and out.
Do you ever struggle with balancing the multiple things God has called you to do? Ever feel guilty over it? How do you deal with that?

~*~

On an unrelated note, we finally started a Facebook page for WhiteFire Publishing! (http://www.facebook.com/WhiteFirePublishing) If I haven’t invited you yet or you haven’t found it, please go “like” us! =) And check out that beautiful line-up…

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