So here we are. The earth returns to approximately the same spot in space each January and begins a new trek around the sun. And we all say to ourselves, “This year, I’ll get it right.”
We’ve got a clean slate. A blank page. A new accounting register. And we’ve got plans to make the world work a little bit better. This year we’ll finish that novel. We’ll submit until our tongue bleeds from licking envelopes. We’ll walk step by step through Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method.
It’s a good time to remember Proverbs 21:31.
The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but victory rests with the LORD.
We all do our work. We all make our horses ready because good planning and goal setting is wise. A good plan can win the battle, earn more profit, and garner a larger audience.
But the victory and the glory will always belong to our Lord. This year, we can get it right. This year, we can work for his glory and not our own.
If you haven’t yet read my latest interview on TheHighCalling.org, check out what GRAMMY winner Ashley Cleveland and her producer/husband Kenny Greenberg have to say about the business of art. All work is a form of prayer.
As long as I’m thinking about the New Year, here’s an inspirational message I worked on with Howard Butt: finish stronger than you start. You might also be surprised by the New Year’s resolution I made last year. Write Less.
As for this year, well, I’m still working on it, but I plan on thinking big after a little inspiration from Michael Hyatt. I’ve always been interested in goal setting–which is what resolutions are really about for me. (I rarely resolve not to do something. Last year being a big exception.) 2006 was a year of encouragement and learning for me. For the first time, my rejections sounded like this: “Good writing. Not our market.” That is about the best rejection I’ve ever received. An agent has been helping me some. And I found new inspiration to revise and edit Into the Mountain.
That means, my most urgent resolution is this: Get up early until the book is done. If I do a chapter a day, this should take three weeks.
As John Gardner said, in On Leadership: “There is much to be said for the leader stating goals and expectations in the most explicit terms.” FDR announced a goal of 50,000 planes a year. JFK announced he would put a man on the moon within the decade.
Consider this my announcement that I’m going to get book contract this year. And I’ll start by finishing the last edits. I’ll try to remember to let you know my progress at the end of each post. Also, I’ll try to update new chapters on Entire Book In A Blog.
Into the Mountain Editing Progress: 15 of 40 chapters remaining.
{ 7 comments }
Go, Mark, go! I think I need to speak some of my goals out loud this year too. And I also need to remember that the battle belongs to the Lord.
I think writers may need to understand God’s sovereignty more than any other profession!
Mark
I love Prov 21:31. We have to make the “horse ready for battle” or the “book ready for publishing”, all the while, trusting that the “battle belongs to the Lord”.
When you get your book contract, I will rejoice with you and marvel at God’s goodness.
Charity and andre, thanks for the encouragement. It felt pretty cocky to make that a goal, but compare my goal to Michael Hyatts–to write a New York Times Bestseller!
I pray you do get a contract. You are right about the battle belonging to the Lord. I keep trying to remind myself to let him fight it out for me, I simply need to be obedient.
Why is that so hard? tee hee.
Thanks for your comment on my site. I’ve finally been able to give you a response. You have a great site. Look good.
Jackie
Funny, I have sort of the opposite resolution from all the “tongue-bleeders” out there. I’m not going to knock myself out with submissions, but rather take my time and see what comes. Silly, I know. But that’s it. That’s what I’m doing.
I’m just getting back in the swing of things and checked out your new site. It looks great! It looks like your horse is well fed and all saddled up, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy some great victories this year.
p.s. Thanks for including me in your blogroll!
Jackie, I’m with you on obedience being hard. It shouldn’t be. But darn it, I just like doing my own thing. Thank God for his grace, and I pray forgiveness for taking it for granted.
L.L., I go back and forth on the submissions issue. On the one hand, I figure I need to keep trying, staying persistent, persevering, yadda, yadda. On the other hand I get tired of rejection. At some point I think, this can NOT be worth all the effort. Certainly, it will not be worth it monetarily…
Patrick, your blog is great! You deserve to be listed there. And thanks for the encouragement about the blog. I still have some tweaking to do. The archives button still doesn’t work for instance. That doesn’t seem good!
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