Scrapped to Stellar?

skiier-in-lime-green-going-down-slopeIt was a grueling experience.

At times I didn’t think I’d make it.

Have you ever been there?

At the start I felt the same mix of exhilaration and apprehension as when I faced expert level ski trails called Black Diamonds.

1) I can handle this adventure.  2) I hope I make it to the bottom in one piece.

My goals for the writers conference had been to improve my writing skills, find support among fellow writers, and gather professional reactions to my current manuscript. 

roller coaster
Twists and turns, rises and plunges took my emotions on a roller coaster ride. I almost started screaming at nearly midnight of my last night there. That’s when I found out my plans for the next day had to be scrapped. My ride was coming early.

Father, what are You doing? I pleaded.

I woke the next morning, packed, and went about tying up loose ends.

Frustration at the hotel desk when my credit card, after a month of problems and reassurance that everything was corrected, was denied for the second time. 

Frustration that I didn’t have enough mental energy to give to an important decision I’d hoped to make.

Frustration about arriving at the last session I’d be able to attend and finding it was already over.

Frustration over not being able to say good-bye to the new writing friends I’d made the night before.

It was enough to make me want to throw in the towel.

As I grumped my way to the front desk to await my ride, I started reviewing some of the keynote sessions. More than one veteran mentioned the emotional ups and downs to be expected in the writing life. Every speaker talked about seeking and pursuing God’s call on our lives. It was time for me to stop and take an objective look at my week.

Seven

 

I thought about the hopes I’d had at the outset. Though the manuscript was getting positive comments, I hadn’t seemed to be able to connect with any other writers … until the night before. Seven of us gathered in a circle of rocking chairs where we shared our work. It was a divine appointment. 

 

Yes, and there was that publisher I met with after breakfast as we walked between buildings. He expressed interest in seeing The Moab Years when the revisions are complete. He even took my business card and made a note on it.

I remembered how earlier in the week an agent and a critique partner offered encouragement and specifics about ways to improve my craft. 

Lori+meIn essence I’d been welcomed into a community that understands the way my mind works and wants to assist me in reaching the goals God has set for me.

Here’s a post by THIS award-winning author (and friend) who was at the conference. It adds powerful insights into that process that applies to writers and non-writers alike.

The week wasn’t exactly restful, but it sure was blessed. In fact, it was stellar.

1) I handled the adventure.  2) I made it through in one piece. 

God was with me all along the way. As a matter of fact, He knew the ending from the beginning. My visit to Asheville NC provided more evidence that trusting Him is always the way to go.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:5 

Has your life ever been filled with one frustration after another?
How has the Lord moved you along the learning curve in the midst of such trials?