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Waiting can be SO hard, especially if all you do is…well, wait. But you don’t have to let waiting wear you down. Guest Cara Grandle shares great ways to use your waiting time well.
Cara Grandle is a historical romance novelist who writes about the early settlers of the Pacific Northwest. Think trappers and loggers and scroungy-backed woodsmen. She is represented by Bob Hostetler and The Steve Laube Agency. Cara is the host of a podcast called Life Caraphrased and she leads the author4TheAuthor writers group on Facebook, home to 190 writers. Together they’re pressing back on busy and making a space for their dreams.
Key Quotes
What the deep means to Cara…
For me right now, the deep as a writer pretty much has to do with this great waiting, and finding my balance inside of it. And finding my hope inside of it…And it’s not easy. It’s not for the faint of heart, this thing that we signed up for. It’s actually very hard.
I’m still not published. I’m still waiting, and it’s been just shy of five years.
About waiting…
For me the waiting is not just waiting. It’s the learning and the waiting well. It’s the figuring out who I am before the Lord as a writer, even when the industry hasn’t caught up to the fact that God has a plan for me.
About hope…
Hope is a feeling. Hope is required in order to believe that you’re doing the thing the Lord has called you to do. What’s necessary for hope as a writer is to be able to picture your own success…That’s why Scripture says when hope is deferred the heart is sick, but when dreams come true at last it’s the tree of life.
Even if it doesn’t seem like…opportunities are lying out before you, don’t despise the season of building hope. It’s okay to dream. It’s okay to paint the future. It’s not ego. The Lord is good at balancing the inside of the human heart.
About validation…
My validation comes from Him…and His plan for my life. Contracts and all those opportunities that I’m dreaming about are seasoning to the meal of my validation with Him. He is on time and ahead of time and fully preparing me for the best future for me.
What to do while waiting…
It’s important for me to remember that I don’t have to wait for these grand schemes to come together before I can move into the plan He has for me. It’s right now. It’s every day.
[It’s in] little acts of obedience. The Lord gives you little tiny assignments, and those will lead to a greater success in the long run than any kind of effort I scheme on my own.It’s making sure you don’t lose your family in the name of your career. It’s making sure you don’t sabotage your sleep or your health in the name of your career. And it’s figuring out what your routine looks like and what you can sustain and maintain when the contracts do come in. It’s all of that kind of stuff. Those learning experiences take time.
Scripture for the long wait…
“Don’t give up. Don’t be impatient. Be intertwined as one with the Lord. Be brave, courageous, and never lose hope. Yes, keep waiting, for He will never disappoint you.” Psalm 27:14 The Passion Translation
About expectations…
My dreams and my expectations for what I think the Lord plans have been for me all through the years pale in comparison to what actually turns out. His provision for me, His supply for me, His plan and path for me as a writer will be more than my best imagination…He knows my best future.
Final words of wisdom about being in the waiting room…
Do not do it alone. Find your company…You’ve got to be around people who understand that you’re trying to do this whole writing thing on top of an already full and busy life. And it’s intense. What happens is that when you do go through hard times, the deep waters, someone else won’t be in the deep waters and they’ll be able to say things to you that bump you out so that your times that are struggles will be shorter.
Good company. That’s my advice.
We want to hear from you!
Have you been, or are you now in a waiting time?
What tips can you share to use waiting time well?
Tweetable
Writers, are you in waiting mode? Don’t let that wear you down!
I appreciate these well written words of practical, livable words for ‘waiting’ seasons. I am sure Cara that you will be published soon if this is your standard of writing. Because it makes me want to read more.
Love the Psalm 27 quote, can feel my balloon rising as I read it.
Thank you
We’re delighted you enjoyed the notes. Keep that balloon high!
Good stuff. 🙂 Glad to know I’m not alone in the waiting.
Shannon, every writer is in waiting mode at some point, so no, you’re definitely not alone. 🙂
Karen, thank you. Seems the days I have time to write, the words won’t come. The days I don’t have time, words are everywhere. Guess I’m just impatient. 🙂 The podcast keeps me encouraged.