{Deep breath}
OK.
I haven't really said anything about this to anyone, so I'm a little nervous about bringing this up.
Oh boy. Here goes: Girls, I am in the process of writing a book.
Well, actually I'm writing a book proposal, which is not quite the same thing but hopefully it will be the precursor to a book.
I've wanted to do this for a long time, but y'all know how I am about multi-tasking. I can barely focus on one thing at a time, let alone several. Needless to say, progress on my manuscript has been slow. By the time I put in a day of work and add activities like grocery shopping, cleaning and "life" stuff, PLUS blogging in the evenings, I've been plum out of energy and inspiration to work on my writing project.
I started looking ahead to the coming months and have come to the realization that I really need to carve out dedicated time to accomplish this - and the sooner the better. I feel like I need to get my first chapters and proposal polished and perfected before summer rolls around, so I can then focus on finding a publisher and/or an agent. This is all new territory for me and I am honestly very unsure of the process.
SO.....
What I'm going to do is take a break from posting daily Small Things for the month of April. This will free up 1-2 hours a day that I will put toward my book goal, and give me some freedom to let my imagination run. Now, I LOVE LOVE LOVE writing blog posts each day so it kills me to step back for a few weeks....but I need to get some creative control and this is the only way I can see to do it well. sigh.
I have two favors to ask of you.
1. Will you pray for me? This is new territory for me and frankly I don't know what I'm doing. I need divine intervention.
2. Will you stick with me? I need some cheerleaders and encouragers that will tell me it's ok and that I can do this. And I don't like feeling needy and insecure...but that's the truth. I need you. The end.
I can't tell you how much I would appreciate you doing these two things for me!
Now, I guess you might like to know what my book is about since I'm asking YOU to sacrifice for it?
Well first off, it is non-fiction, taken right out of my own experience.
My book is about motherhood and life and survival...and a stray donkey named Flash who interrupted everything and became a catalyst for life-changing discoveries that rocked my world. Right when I was in the middle of a big fat failure, this stubborn, buck-toothed character landed in my driveway and showed me that God speaks in unexpected ways and is infinitely mindful of His children...you and me. Oh, Flash has charmed me with his two-inch eyelashes and soft brown eyes, but more than that, he's reminded me that God uses ordinary things in extraordinary ways, and that when we open our eyes to the simple truths in front of us, He can do something spectacular in our lives.
Even as I write this, I am listening to Flash bray obnoxiously in the pasture. Please remind me to tell you about his latest girlfriend/baby mama...a very cute little pony who showed up last week and fell in love with my shabby guy. Yes, if nature holds true, there will be a mini-mule arriving next spring. But that story is for another day.
Please pray for me and stick with me? At the end of this month I want to have the first three chapters done and a sparkling proposal to show for it. Then will be up to God to do the rest.
I'll post some updates here throughout April, and as always, you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook.
Love you, Rachel
PS Is there something YOU are working on that has a high possibility of failure, just like mine has? I'd love to walk the high-wire with you....let me know how you are working through your fears and what gives you courage! {shameless plea for hand-holding}
