If you live in the Northeast Georgia area, I'll be at the Festival of Authors in Lavonia, Georgia tomorrow, Saturday April 27. I'll be signing books from 10 until 1 in the Gazebo downtown or in the Depot if raining. Would love to see you there.
When she first read her article to us, we knew it was something
special, and obviously, the editors at Angels
on Earth did too. Just out in the May/June edition, you may read it online here.
One of my great joys has been seeing various members of our
writing group reach goals toward which they’d long worked. Some laboring on
screenplays or novels have made progress, and we celebrate their
advancement toward long-term success. For those penning nonfiction, we applaud their
courage when they muster the courage to press send on an article or devotion, and then have the privilege of rejoicing with them when a piece makes it to
print.
To that end, a member of our group, Mary Hansford, recently received
news her article, “A Blessed Bee Sting,” was accepted for a national
publication, Guidepost’s Angels on Earth
Magazine.
“Laugh with your happy friends when they’re
happy; share tears when they’re down” (Romans 12:15 The Message). It’s a privilege to travel with other writers who have similar
dreams to mine. We gather, share life, talk about our writing, and pray
together. We rejoice over acceptances, grieve over rejections, and encourage
one another to keep going when the fulfillment of dreams is deferred.
Through all of this, God works.
The writing path is most often a long and
rocky one, but it’s a much better journey when we share it with friends. So, if
God’s ignited a passion to be a writer in your heart, find a group with whom you
can navigate the sometimes murky literary waters.
From my favorite of all writing mentors,
Madeleine L’Engle: “…it takes time and energy and considerable pain to
give birth to even the most minor of stories. The life of the artist is as much
a life of discipline as that of the physician or the missionary. It makes
incredibly austere and difficult demands. Are you willing to make the
sacrifice? Don’t’ worry if you’re not. There’s nothing wrong in being a Sunday
painter. Not everyone who writes is called on to make this work a vocation; but
if you feel that you are called, than I can promise you great joy as well as
conflict and pain.”
Whatever your calling, just know the joys
as well as the sorrows are more blessed in the company of others.
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| Writers Maria, Paula, Mary, Carole, and Beverly |