"The vision is for an appointed time. Though it tarry, wait earnestly for it, for it will surely come."
(Habakkuk 2:3)

The world of publishing comes with a lot of rejection. The same as the entertainment industry. However, with each rejection I try or hope to take away something positive. Even though I am very disappointed again, it has gotten a little easier to take the rejection with a spoon full of sugar as in the words of Mary Poppins. Writing is hard work and a constant learning experience. One of my greatest challenges as a debut author is the fact that I do not have much in the way of platform. I have special interests and pet projects, but nothing in the way of what a publisher is looking for necessarily. It is frustrating to see famous movie stars and Broadway actors hit the market with bestsellers right off the bat. Granted, they've worked hard to get to where they are too, and they have that desired platform to offer a publisher. This is why publishers seek them out and approach them about book projects instead of the other way around, must be nice.

I love Julie Andrews just as much as the next person and her new book series is enchanting and I've no doubt—spit spot—charming. I understand that publishers are struggling with getting books sold in the thousands so they can keep their jobs and justify their existence. But the truth is, if I had come up with concept and idea of this kind of series, no matter how great it is, it most likely would have never been considered for publication by a traditional publisher and simply because of my lack of platform.

 An agent once told me that editors in today's industry do not do near the work that once was expected of them in the past. She said that editors have gotten lazy because the level of expectation has dropped considerably. Nowadays most of the work that an editor used to do for an author is expected to already be done by the author themselves before they even begin the submissions process. There is no more grooming time for talented debut authors. You have to be spot on or your not on at all. This is discouraging a lot of great writers to give up on traditional publishing all together and go into independent publishing on their own. 

Indie publishing was once considered the big taboo, but not so anymore. Yet even at that, many authors tend to get lazy; they don't have their work edited properly to insure a quality book. After all, it's just easier to take the cheap way out, right? Not! Every bit of time and money spent to better hone one's skills as a writer and to get their work properly edited will pay off in the end. It is always good to remember that if you do choose to self-publish, a traditional publisher might see your work at that point and decide to offer you a contract. If you are one of those lucky authors, then you will want to have put your best foot forward in the first place. Making the investment of time and money into putting out your best work will give any author a true advantage. Come along now—spit spot!

Lately, I've been very enthusiastic with learning about growing grapes and the process. My intent is not to start a winery, however that's a nice thought. I want to experience the satisfaction of growing something delicious and healthy. To do this, I will have to self-educate myself on the whole growing season, learn how to fertilize just the right amount at the right time, prune and trellis the vines, etc. There's a lot more to grapes than one would think. 

And of course the obvious question is what does growing a grapevine have to do with writing? Surprisingly, after thinking about it, growing anything is lot like writing. The whole process requires careful attention to detail and self-education, honing the craft is like pruning the vines, trellising the vines is like expanding your platform. Learning the perfect time to harvest your bounty is like timing a book release and scheduling book signings. And what will you do with all that jam and jelly or fresh grape juice? Depending on the abundance of your crop, will help you determine if you will have enough to sell at a farmers market or give away to family and friends. These are the same skills one will need to determine a target audience to market your book. 

Learning how to grow a garden or anything offers benefits all the way around for body, soul, and spirit. I am reminded of the Bible verse in John 15:5  " ... I am the vine and you are the branches ... " Staying with the process will produce much fruit. If you abandon the garden or your writing, it will be left to ruin with weeds, get overtaken by pests, and die for lack of water. What a shame to see all that hard work go to waste and be of no benefit to anyone. 

Here's the thing, patience is a must. The grapevines I purchased are already two years old, but even at that, I am told it will take another two years before I can expect to see any fruit. This is going to require me to pay close attention to the vines year round, making sure they are properly fertilized at the right time, protected appropriately, watered, trellised, and not overexposed to too much sun, which is a vital concern here in the south. Even though the vines require full sun, they only really need five to six hours a day. Here in the south, the days can easily stretch ten to twelve hours with heat indexes in the triple digits. That's enough to fry eggs and bacon on the pavement. That's also like getting burned out as a writer who's been slaving over a manuscript for years, editing, revising, and sending it out only to receive one rejection after another.  Sometimes, you just need to put a shade over it - stuff it in a drawer - and allow it sit there for a few days.  Eventually, a new day will come and when it does your manuscript will start to bud forth with new fruit and fresh perspective. 

Proverbs 11:2 “ ... with humility comes wisdom.”

We are given humbling experiences to hone our character much like we hone our skills as a writer. Some of us are born into humble circumstances to help us become better human beings. Those of us who are given a higher quality of life or are blessed with things: houses, cars, and all the things money can buy, must be humbled in other ways. Some of these ways may include addictions to drugs, gambling, alcohol or the like. These are like thorns in our sides, our weaknesses that follow us through life. They are used to hone the ways of humility into our personal character. They are given to us as gifts in order to remind us that we need God. To call bad circumstances a gift of humility may seem a bit of a stretch or even ridiculous to some of you, but please hear me out.

We are not just physical beings here on earth, who wander aimlessly without purpose. We are very spiritual beings with a strong sense of spiritual need and understanding. These physical thorns serve to remind of us of how fragile we all really are. Even the strongest man can get sick with a fatal decease that will ultimately kill his body. Yet, our spirit lives on and, depending on what state that spirit is in by the time we leave this world, will determine our final fate or destination.

When one has a child who suffers with addiction, yet you, the parent, may not have this problem, the experience serves to hone the character of humility into your own life as well. The embarrassment of having a child or loved one arrested and/or incarcerated or placed in rehab forces one to come down from his or her own pedestal so-to-speak, to get a grip on the same reality that many people must face each day, and to remember that we are all only frail humans.

This is why many of us suffer. This is why even Christians must suffer. Because we are so full of ourselves – so vain glorious, selfish, and prideful that not even God Himself can get through to us otherwise. He uses suffering to get our attention. He allows bad things to happen to us in order for us to learn and grow and become better and stronger people. It's been said that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. This is much easier said than done, but it is also true when we allow ourselves to see humbling experiences in this way. Going through a rape, an unsolicited or unwarranted incident that brings harm to you or a loved one, makes having to forgive the perpetrator(s) difficult to say the least and for many may seem impossible. Yet, Christ forgave us and paid the price for our incarceration of sin when he went to the cross and died for the sins of the world. God forgave all of mankind for killing His Son when Jesus' blood, the blood of the Lamb of God, was shed on the cross once and for all.

With this understanding, one may come to see humility as a gift, in whatever form it may come. No matter how unwelcomed, unfounded, or undesirable it may be, humility is here for a purpose, to make us more like Christ: more loving, more compassionate, more caring, more self-sacrificing and giving.

Such individual experiences provide inspirational writings that may then serve to help those who may be going through similar situations. Oh dear writer, be open to the Holy Spirit and what He is working in your life today. Be not afraid to write or to be vulnerable in sharing your personal experiences. They were given to you for such a time as this, for those who struggle to live today. 

What humbling experiences can you share with others today?