A Writer's Journey

by Mindy Obenhaus I’m celebrating two milestones this month. Six years ago, my very first book was released. Gosh, that was an exciting time. After eight years, that dream I’d worked so hard to achieve was finally coming true. Holding that baby in my hands for the very first time was such a thrill.

Of course, achieving that goal didn’t mean I was done. Instead, I kept working, setting new goals. Which brings me to my second milestone. September 2019 marks the release of my eighth book. A brand-new baby that’s every bit as exciting as the first one. Writing is a journey. A long, excursion filled with ups and downs, successes and failures, joy and tribulation. A journey that will grow and stretch you, and take you to unfamiliar, sometimes uncomfortable, places.

The realization of these dual milestones had me asking myself what I’d learned since that first book was released. Here are just a few.

Keep moving forward – I worked on that first book for years, but a published author doesn’t have that luxury. If you want to build a career, you have to be productive. No longer can I afford to sit back and wait to see if a book is accepted. I have to move on to the next story. If I get revisions, I revise. If I get rejected I have to ask myself if what I had can be fixed or should I put my efforts into something new.

Be adaptable – In the world of publishing, change can lurk around every corner. Your editor sends you major revisions on your latest manuscript. Or worse, you’ve been assigned a new editor, or your publishing house has been bought out. Adaptability is key in the world of publishing. It’s part of that growing and stretching. Yes, it can be painful, but the good news is that it also makes you stronger, so when the next change comes along, you know you’ve got what it takes to tackle it.

Remember your calling – There have been times when I’ve felt led to write things that might make me uncomfortable. But rather than writing what God told me to write, I did things my way. The easy way. The way that didn’t bring me to tears and have me buying stock in Kleenex. And every stinking time I chose to go my way, I failed and had to rewrite.

God wants us to tell His story, not ours. And if we remember that, we can save ourselves a lot of stress and rewrites. Of course, this applies to life in general, not just writing.
Nowadays, my writing life looks a lot different than it did six years ago. I’m more disciplined. And as I look back on my journey thus far, I can see how I’ve grown. But it was a path I couldn’t have walked alone.
To celebrate these two milestones, I’m giving away a copy of my first book, The Doctor's Family Reunion, and my eighth book, Reunited in the Rockies, to one lucky visitor. Simply leave a comment telling me about one of your recent milestones to be entered. 

Three-time Carol Award nominee, Mindy Obenhaus, writes contemporary romance for Love Inspired Books. She’s passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren at her Texas ranch. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com