Saturday, January 31, 2009

Irony????

An update on my publication status. I received an acceptance on a magazine article yesterday, followed by a rejection on a short story today. That makes three articles sold, but no fiction.

The articles are all personal story pieces. One is pretty much a devotional based on a personal experience, one is a story of how God touched my life during a crisis, and this latest is a mothering story.

I find it funny that I'm selling my real life. Yet, I can't find a home for the fantastical stuff I'm making up.

I grew up thinking of reading as an escape. I wanted outrageous stories. I never read historical fiction or romance because it was too "real life." Give me magic and unicorns, bad guys who can shape-shift, aliens and dragons. Real life is everywhere--I read to experience what's beyond all that.

But I decided to write personal stories because I've been through some pretty tough things. I prayed that God would use those experiences to reach people who need to know someone else has been there, and that God is there for them, too.

OK, so maybe there is no irony here. Hmmm...God is using my writing, just not the writing I expected Him to.

1 comment:

tyeager said...

It's harder for me to write personal stories, but it seems that people thirst for testimonies. God uses our lives to bring encouragement to others. I haven't sold mine yet, so your courage exceeds mine I guess. Fiction provides escape, which is fun. Enjoyment is great, and part of the design God plans for us. Fiction can also convey truth, and provide dual benefit. It's great that your life stories allow God to draw clear paths for others, so He is working thru your writing NOW. That is the measure of success, isn't it? I am looking forward to purchasing your fiction for my kids to read, though. It takes much longer to publish fiction, it seems, but God's timing is, like everything else He does, perfect.