Failure is not an 'F' word

By Wendy Parker | @ACWriters

Failure is not an ‘F’ word

Come again?

I said, failure is not an ‘F’ word

You may feel like a failure when you stand in the bookshop

Browsing through those endless copies of other people’s books

Feeling that familiar sense of hopelessness creeping over you like a well-worn overcoat

As you stand there, wondering if you’ll ever actually find those, “two steps forward”

In the publishing world, instead of, “three steps back.”

But take heart!

There is a reader out there, just waiting for you to stop throwing your own pity parties

And start writing that story that’s been buzzing around in the recesses of your mind

For what feels like an eternity

It’s time to have some faith and act on that dream that’s burning in your soul

If you’re 100% sure it’s what God wants you to

Go for it!

Never compare your writing to someone else’s, or you’ll start to question and doubt

And you’ll be asking yourself, “Is this really what I’m meant to be doing?”

Writing isn’t about grammar, punctuation or brilliant prose (although, it does help)

It’s about the sheer guts and determination of a person

Who is willing to bare their soul, for all the world to see

But, what if I try and fail?

I’ll feel like a failure…

…And then what?

Well, that thought alone will send fear into the fingers of any budding author

And bring to a halt any imaginative flow you have

Quicker than you can sharpen your pencil

Stop doing that to yourself!

Remember, failure is not an ‘F’ word, my friend

Ed Catmull, founder of Pixar and author of Creativity Inc. book

Talks about trusting the process of creativity

He says, “When we trust the process, we remember that we are resilient, that we’ve experienced discouragement before, only to come out the other side.”

Failure means you’ve actually gone further than all those other aspiring talents

Who, one day, maybe, if they find the time and energy

They will, perhaps, eventually get around to writing that book in their heads

Failure means you’re committed to your work

And you don’t care how many failures come your way

You’re not going to give up – ever, until you see success!

You showed a willingness to step out in faith

And take the next steps toward your dream of becoming a published author

And God will honour that

Writing takes work, it takes commitment and it takes courage

1 Chronicles 29:20 reminds us to

‘Be strong, courageous, and effective. Do not fear or be dismayed, I know that the Eternal God, who is my God, is with you.” (The Voice Bible)

Write something that will make those agents and publishers have no choice

But to sign you up

Failure is not an ‘F’ word

It’s the paving stones that make the path to your success

You are not a failure because you’ve failed a few times

O.K?

Come on kid, this is your dream

Take the leap of faith

And see what God can do!

Wendy xo

Wendy is a member of the Australasian Christian Writers Group and Christian Writers Downunder. When she isn’t shouting from the rooftops on how to discover the real you through listening to God’s voice, she lives in a quite village in the Southern Highlands in Australia. Along with her wonderful husband of 23 years, her incredible adult son, her beautiful teenage daughter and one spoilt chocolate Labrador, named Rose.

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