Blogging Vs. Writing

So, my friend, Carole -- who is also a writer -- twittered something yesterday that I absolutely agree with...
She was talking to a friend of ours (Donna Frank) who has written several books.
She mentioned to Donna that she had not written on her book lately, but that she had been doing a lot of blogging.
Donna responded with:
"Well, yeah, blogging is instant gratification. Sitting down and writing your book isn't; it's work and very delayed gratification."
What a profound truth!
In the past, when I was blogging more faithfully, I really struggled to make time for my book. There was this constant (albeit, imagined) pressure to post here, regularly and often.
When I recommitted to finishing the task God has given me (now, TWO books!), I found it harder and harder to come here and blog.
I couldn't figure it out at first, but there was an uneasy suspicion that I was somehow "cheating" on my book by blogging.
Now, that might sound weird if you are not a writer, but it's true!

Time issues aside, I found that I became more and more possessive of my analogies, stories, and musings. If something was really good, it would go in the book. How could I put it here?
There's always a fear that something you write will be stolen or misused and there's a deeper fear that you will "waste" all your good stuff on the blog.
So, what happened was I would go weeks without posting or I found myself alternately writing either really preachy stuff or "fluffy" stuff (which I loathe, by the way) here on my blog. I wasn't just selling myself short; I was selling you -- the reader -- short.

Carole has blogged about this struggle as well.

Yeah, I know; I'm totally neurotic to be obsessing about this, but to hear another writer (published author, no less!) surmise it so well was somehow comforting to me.
So, I can either focus my time on the calling God has placed on my life (my writing/my books) or I can worry about what other people think about my blogging.
Truthfully, I think it's a no-brainer. ;)

Something Bigger Coming...

Yesterday, I met with two very dear friends who also happen to be writers.
We have made a commitment to one another to hold each other accountable, to pray for one another, and to support one another through this crazy process of writing and publishing our books.
I always come away from our meetings refreshed and enlightened and highly motivated to write.

One of these friends is going through a time of testing as changes she didn't anticipate begin to take place. As she sat sharing her concerns with us, I had a very clear glimpse of what God is doing in her life... It seemed fairly obvious to me that He is moving things around -- shifting her responsibilities and priorities -- because He is about to do something bigger.
Much bigger.

While she was fretting that the impending changes were ominous for her "vision," it suddenly became apparent (to me) that the opposite was true.
These changes would actually make it possible for her dream to become reality!

And then it hit me:
How often do I do the same thing... worry about something that isn't going like I planned only to later discover God's hand was in it all along?
Why is it so hard for us -- for ME -- to remember that God sees the bigger picture?
He knows what lies before us and He sees the path's end even while we are still very near its beginning.
Why can't we trust Him with the vision He has given us?

I am speaking more to myself here, than to my friend.
While encouraging her with these very words, I felt a nudge in my own spirit.

When God gives you a vision -- a task, a mission, a purpose -- your only concern should be obedience to that task.
But so often, we take the burden upon ourselves of making the dream a reality.
This was never part of His plan, yet we act as though "if I don't do it, nobody will."
We forget that God is in control and no matter what obstacles the enemy places in our path -- as long as we are faithful to what we have been given -- God will bring it all to completion.
It may not be in the time we allotted and it may not come about just as we envisioned, but if it is truly from God, He will make it happen.
When we come across detours or roadblocks, we shouldn't falter. Perseverance and unwavering trust should be our standard response.

I write this here as a reminder to myself the next time I start to worry and fret about writing my book proposal and sending those query letters... it's not my job to publish this book.
I have only been given the task of writing it.
It's up to God to do the rest.
(whew!)

So Much to Say, So Little Time...

I really need to get a laptop.

My OWN laptop.

Being out of town for nearly 2 weeks has done nothing for my writing commitment. I need a computer I can take with me so I can write wherever I go. Of course, the laptop I really want is a bit pricey. I have had my eye on a Mac Book Pro for some time now. I'm starting to think that I should get the smaller one, though, so it will be more portable. And it's about $1000 less than the one I have been drooling over.

My goal is to sell enough on eBay in the next couple of months to purchase it along with the software to make it compatible with my PC. Clay and I are well on our way to becoming debt-free so I don't want to use regular income to make this purchase. I would love to pay for it entirely from eBay earnings.
We'll see.

Arkansas was good, but it went by so fast and I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to see or for as long as I wanted to see them. Despite being there 12 days, I found myself wishing I had another week. Even so, it's good to be home.

Despite my lack of notebook, I did manage to get *some* writing done while I was gone. I purchased a small, spiral-bound journal and used it to make notes as they came to me and to organize my chapter topics. It is my goal to have the book finished (or nearly so) by the end of July.
That may sound ambitious, but I need to focus solely on writing, eBay, and my family this month. Everything else will have to wait.

Oh, and exercise. I have really neglected working out these past few months and I can feel it. I have more energy when I exercise regularly. Besides that; I am stuck. I've lost 87 pounds, but I have stalled out there. Perhaps if I start working out again, it will get things moving.

I could go on and on here about all that has happened over the past couple of weeks, but I think I'll just end it here. There's never enough time to say all that I want.
Besides, my book is calling...

Blogging Blues =/

Yes, I know it has been 5 days since my last post.
I'm sorry; I truly am.

Sometimes life gets SO busy and hectic that I hardly have time to catch my breath.
This has been one of those weeks.
The irony is that I never stop THINKING about blogging.
Even when I can't get here every day to write, I'm constantly blogging in my head.
I realize that doesn't help you -- my loyal readers -- one bit, but I just wanted you to know that I haven't abandoned you!

Sooo many things to blog about, but I always feel like if I can't spend an adequate amount of time writing about the subject then I shouldn't write at all. So all these great blog ideas just float in and back out of my brain because I can't find the time to formulate a reasonable thought.

Things I wanted to blog about this week, but didn't:

*The awesome impact of last week's message by guest speaker, Craig Groeschel
*Hillary's win in Ohio and Texas (meh), Obama's disappointing results (sigh) and Huckabee's leaving the race (wahhh).
*A shout-out to my new blog addiction: Ragamuffinsoul ; this guy is a trip. And his wife is really cool, too. Their blogs always leave me laughing or thinking -- 2 of my favorite things. =)
*Senseless gang shootings in L.A. -- time to watch Boyz N the Hood & Dangerous Minds again: Two movies everyone should watch (be warned; there is a fair amount of language in both)
*The joys of LASER TAG and why EVERY person over the age of 30 should try it at least once!
*My on-going antipathy toward pseudo-intellectuals who think they are smarter than everyone around them, but never bother to find out the least bit about the very people they scorn.

See what you missed out on?

Has Anyone Seen My Lunch Box?!?

Guess I'll have to take down the Christmas tree now...

I put off doing so until January 10th every year.
Some years, I don't feel like I really enjoy the tree and lights until the holidays are completely OVER. Everything leading up to the big days is so hectic, I don't slow down until it has literally, passed me by. This was definitely one of those Christmases!

This weekend, ELEVATE starts back up for the spring semester. We have a mandatory retreat on Friday and Saturday and then classes resume on Tuesday. The month off was nice, but I'm kinda ready to get back into the swing of things... Even though I have had a bit more free time on my hands, my creative juices don't seem to be flowing as well. I almost think my chaotic life might be beneficial to my writer's repertoire!
So bring on the new year & the new semester. I think I'm ready.

Now where did I put that pocket protector...?