Blog - Page 206 of 207 - Katie Ganshert

Rejection

Posted on March 8, 2009November 7, 2011 by Katie Ganshert

Rejection is a part of life. It happens to everybody at one point or another. And it most especially happens on the writing journey.

Recently, I got a rejection letter from an agent. About six weeks ago, this agent asked to see a partial of Through the Storm after reading a query I sent her. On Thursday, I got home from work and found a message in my In Box. It was from her. I didn’t click on the message right away. I took a deep breath and just sort of stared at it. For a second, I allowed myself to dream. I opened her email and discovered my dreams would have to wait. She said my first sentence was passive and that my writing wasn’t better than her current clients so she would have to pass. Despite her respectful tone, it still stung. The air just sort of swooshed right out of my lungs. I felt deflated. Rejection is part of the industry. But it’s not a fun part.

For whatever reason, I’ve been putting all this pressure on myself. Like I’m racing against some sort of nonexistent time clock. And all the while, I was squeezing on tighter to this dream I have of getting published. As I stared at the rejection, God loosened my hold and reminded me to take a chill pill. God’s going to do His thing. And wherever He decides to lead, my only job is to draw near to Him. Getting published isn’t going to complete my life or give it purpose. God’s already done that.

I just read something about how Stephen King’s first four manuscripts were rejected. He finally got a contract for his fifth novel. He was offered a $2500 advance for it. The book was called Carrie.

Question: Does anybody know anything about either architecture or organ donation? I need to know a lot about them both for the purposes of my WIP.

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An Offering

Posted on February 22, 2009November 6, 2011 by Katie Ganshert

Can I just say I love mornings? I love them so much, I sometimes consider getting up at 3 AM just to have a longer one. But that’s a little over the top, isn’t it? There is just something about waking up to a new day. The quiet, stillness of the morning shouts of God’s compassion and mercy. I bet if a doctor took my blood pressure in the morning, it would be wonderfully low.

Mornings are quiet. I wake up with no alarm, because I despise alarms. I reach under my bed and grab my Bible and my journal and I meet with God. I lay down all my praises and burdens and struggles and requests and through the process, I feel like a new creation. And after my quiet time, I write. I make tea, I grab a bowl of cereal (unless my husband decides to make me oatmeal with blueberries… yummm), and sit in front of my computer and write. Mornings are a very spiritual time for me. I have no problem being a Godly person in the morning… before the day starts.

But the day always has to start, doesn’t it? And then I just plummet off a cliff. I go from seeking God, to seeking myself. My checklist, my desires, my impatience with others, my way, my feelings, my time…. ugh. I despise selfishness. It is this little mustard seed inside me, waiting to take root and grow and grow until I’m trapped so far inside the branches of it that I can’t look outside myself. Being a mother really changes things. Because I think a lot about Brogan, and what kind of message I’m sending to him. Words mean nothing when our actions don’t back them up. I might tell him not to be selfish, but when he gets older, what will he see in me? A selfish mother? I hope not.

In the writing world, we call our current projects WIP’s, which means “work in progress”. Lately I’ve been contemplating buying a shirt with WIP on the front. I am most definitely a work in progress. I want my mornings to spill over into my days. God has blessed me so abundantly. A family, a home, a church, a job, a hope, a gift and a passion for writing Christian fiction. What kind of servant am I being if I don’t pour out these blessings to others?

My heart’s cry is this: May my life be an offering…

Question to ponder: If you were to wear a sign or a shirt that would identify you in one or two words, what would it say?removetweetmeme

An Unhealthy Attachment to Characters

Posted on February 7, 2009November 7, 2011 by Katie Ganshert

As a writer, ending a book is incredibly satisfying and sad all at the same time. Satisfying for obvious reasons, but sad because it’s saying good-bye to people who have consumed my mind for so long. Yes, I know they aren’t “real”. How can I get all worked up over something I made up in my head? Well, that’s just the thing. Sometimes make-believe can become more real than reality. When my book ends, their world ends. And to me, that is a sad thing. Perhaps I could avoid this whole mess if I came up with an idea for a series (it would at least be prolonging the inevitable… because every story’s got to end at some point).

I love meeting my characters. They pop out of nowhere. I’ll see an elderly guy at a grocery store and something about this person strikes a cord – and a whole new character takes shape in my mind. One time, I saw a young, blind girl at church holding hands with who I assumed was her dad – and oh boy, did the ideas start rollin‘. Doesn’t that sort of make you wonder if you’ve ever been the spark that ignited a character in a writer’s mind? Weird, right?

To me, first meeting a character is like a really awesome first date with that guy who always made my tongue a little dry and my knees a little weak. It’s such a honeymoon. I fall in love with them almost to the point of obsession. (I have a very obsessive personality. Just ask my husband about Sims and hermit crabs and he’ll tell you all about how obsessed I can get with certain things.) It’s one of my most favorite things as a writer – creating characters. And right now I am more than a little pumped about the characters in my newest story.

Fun Writing News: I am so stoked about my current work in progress. This will be my third novel, and I think it’s going to blow my other two out of the water. Or at least I hope so. I don’t have a title for it yet – which drives me slightly bonkers. So if you happen to have any titles floating in your head that you wouldn’t mind putting up for adoption – I would more than gladly take them into my home and love them like my own. In its most raw form, the story centers on a relationship between two estranged best friends – and that’s all I’m saying. So if you think you can work with that – I’m not kidding – send the titles this-a-way.

Question to Ponder: If your life were a novel, what would it be titled? Ooo – that’s kinda fun!removetweetmeme