Attention to the Small Things
by Carrie Fancett Pagels
God gives us small things to test us. Don’t despise the small things in your writing life. This could mean working in a service position in your local group. Could mean a blog with few readers but that you faithfully work on. My first blogging was on ShoutLife and no one read my blog posts. Then a few people did. I was so excited the day that I saw 9 people had read my little post!!!
Don’t be “too good” to work on a small project. Or to have too little time for a newbie. I’m not saying to have boundaries, but don’t go into writing life with the notion that you won’t be one of those “worker bees” as I have heard some writers describe the very people who assist in their writing organizations!
I recently had a multi-published author ask me how I had connected with another well-known best-selling author who she hoped to contact—the question came from someone with a couple of dozen books out. Simple—the Overcoming With God gang asked the well-known best-selling author on our blog. We prayed first because we were a pretty small blog but our reviewers loved this person’s books and I loved her heart and testimony. And I got to meet her at a conference and spend some time with her. My little step, from God, was to ask for her interview. So sometimes that “little step” of swallowing your pride and risking someone might reject your request may result in an ongoing writerly friendship.
The main thing is to keep God at the center of your writing life and to do what He asks you. Pure and simple. He tells you to ask about guest posting on a ginormous blog—do it. He tells you to spend an hour helping someone whose writing is a 1 on a scale of 1 to 5—do it. For Him.
Faithfulness in those little tasks will result in God giving you bigger projects to work on for Him and His glory. And that’s what it’s all about.
Meet the Author:
Carrie Fancett Pagels (www.carriefancettpagels.com) writes “romantic” historical fiction. Carrie’s upcoming release “Return to Shirley Plantation: A Civil War Romance” is part of a multi-author anthology headed up by Murray Pura. Carrie is represented by Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary Agency and is owner/administrator of two group blogs: “Colonial Quills” (http://colonialquills.blogspot.com) and “Overcoming With God” (www.overcomingwithGod.com). Carrie was a psychologist for twenty-five years. She is a contributor to a nonfiction anthology God’s Provision in Tough Times by Cynthia Howerter and La-Tan Murphy, releasing in May 2013.
Facebook Author Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carrie-Fancett-Pagels/317053071710640?fref=ts
Facebook Personal Page http://www.facebook.com/carriefancettpagels
Twitter https://twitter.com/cfpagels
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/carriefpagels/
GoodReads http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5548131-carrie-pagels
LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=131454255&trk=tab_pro
I have an upcoming ebook releasing in April 2013. This is part of a multi-author anthology through Helping Hand Press. Murray Pura heads up this project and is also the editor. Contributors range from short story (7000 words) up to larger novella (25,000 words). As my husband has reminded me, this is not a full book length publication. But it is a start. And I will not despise the smaller things God gives me. For if I am faithful in the little things I pray I will be faithful in the larger.
Question: What about you? Are you a writer who has been holding out and are only interested in writing trade-length book projects? Ask God to show you if you should pursue shorter writing projects or other writing-related tasks.
2 Giveaways:
Carrie is giving away a packet of beautiful notecards depicting Shirley Plantation’s many charms and a PDF copy of Carrie’s upcoming release Return to Shirley Plantation: A Civil War Romance. Leave a comment answering the following question by next Friday to enter.
Question: What is one thing you wish Civil War romance writers would leave out of their books?
Carrie’s Soon to Be Released Books:
Cry of Freedom: An American Civil War Series, Volume 1
Return to Shirley Plantation
A Civil War Romance
Abducted against his will, Matthew Scott is conscripted into the Confederate army because of his Copperhead father’s political leanings. Injured at Malvern Hill, Matthew is taken by the Union army to Shirley Plantation in Virginia where he is tended by seamstress Angelina Rose, a freed slave. Given an opportunity to leave the South and start a new life for herself, Angelina remained for the sake of her sister’s orphaned twins who are still enslaved. Will Matthew’s return to Shirley Plantation settle a mystery concerning his father’s past? And help Matthew find the family he longs for.
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