9 Comments

I don't usually read short pieces like this. I had no intention of reading this one. I don't even know how I came to have it. However, after reading the first two sentences, I could not stop reading it. It tells a story with such flow that it would require more effort to stop than to continue.

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Hello there, I have not written a novel, but I do understand the part about a piece of writing that takes on a life of its own. Glad you finished it. I enjoyed your essay so I can put your book on my list of things to read. Thanks for sharing.

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I bought your book on my kindle. It is such a compelling story! It's been a while since I've read something like this - something that makes me continue reading to find out 'what happens next'. Definitely not a predictable one.

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As someone who recently became a caregiver and recently rediscovered my vocation of writing, this is so accurate and so encouraging. Thank you for sharing.

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An insightful description of the creative process of writing a first novel and causes me to want to read it.

I relate the essay to my first and only Christian novel (Starting Over In the Past). The story took over my life, even going to sleep at night. I shared it with two people before choosing a self-publisher; I saw the statistics and didn't try a regular publisher.

The end product was pleasing, and for a few weeks I felt ecstatic. But only a few friends bought the book on Amazon. I knew nothing about marketing. The publisher required more funds to tell me how to do it myself. Eventually only the publisher made money. After some sold or I gave them away, I stacked the rest in a closet as a forgotten monument to my creative impulse. They've been untouched for five years along with the page on Amazon. I rarely think of my book until a self-publisher calls for me to resurrect the "Past." I hang up.

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This is great. I'm working on a first fiction project myself and your insights are spot-on. Thank you!

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Excellent essay. I was swept up in your creative process and inspired to press on in my own. Thank you!

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This is is a challenge for me to persevere in my own writing, thank you very much!

Excited to read your book!

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I am four years deep into writing a novel, and it is so encouraging to know that these things do not need to be churned out in one to two years. To know that there is an indefinite amount of time that is open for the Lord to use my ink stained fingertips to write for His glory. I hope one day my novel becomes “no longer mine in any real sense.” Thank you for these words!

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