Discouraged Vent

1/30/2022

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

My son is a writer. He has four books currently published. He writes fiction novels that are, for the most part, family friendly. He has poured so much of himself into his work, as all authors do. He advertises them on all his social media outlets, and is beginning to go to conventions -- Covid permitting. He has sold a lot more of his works than I have of my first published Blooms study, but they are not yet "best sellers." Unfortunately, neither of us can even get many of our family and friends to support our work in this way, and we have both, at times, been quite saddened and discouraged by this lack of interest in our work. Even now, as I continue to write Blooms, I only usually have a few readers, and only one person who regularly comments. Thank you, Linda, love you. My husband and I have pleaded with family and people we know to help us promote our son's work, and to a lesser degree mine, but that call has largely gone unanswered. 

So, my son and I are both currently at a crossroads. I will not speak for him any further, but I will speak for myself here. I am losing steam in my writing. It is like being an athlete who has worked hard and trained, but has no one cheering them on when the big match or game comes. Think of that classic image of someone coming to the end of a race and winning only to hear crickets chirping in the background. 

My son is also an actor, and he knows what it is like to walk onto a stage at the end of a curtain call and hear thunderous applause. The audience not only supports the play and actors by purchasing a ticket, but also by the ovation that they give for a job well done. It is the same with any pursuit of art, be it painting, music, or the written word. They all need an audience to live outside the minds of their creators. This is what all artists live for.

Writing a book, to me, is nothing short of a miracle. I tell my son this all the time. The commitment of time it takes, the creativity, the hard work and revisions are all part of a literary birth. Most parents want to share their babies with others and have their little miracle oohed and awed over. Writers have that same deep desire for their work. To know that someone is interacting with your story or study and being entertained, challenged, or inspired is such a profound blessing. For fiction writers, it means your characters are alive in someone's world, and for non-fiction writers, it means that you have conveyed an idea or truth that has helped someone gain knowledge.  

In this blog, I reflect on the most read and important book ever written. It is truly the most important book in my or my son's life. It speaks truth deep into our souls and tells us how much we mean to its Author. Now we both need to seek out its wisdom and truth for our continuing journeys; for we know that our God will certainly never let us fall. No matter how others may disappoint us, He never will.