Dennis Lamczak, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
I’m not a gardener, but I lived in Indiana for most of my life, so some farm girl stuff sort of soaks in. My grandma could put a twig in the ground, and a tree would grow, but I somehow got the proverbial “black thumb.” Though I tried a vegetable garden a couple of times (not very successfully), I was never astute enough to begin some plants inside during the spring. (CLICK HERE if you’d like to know why you should start them in spring!)
#1 – Gardening/Publishing Require More Than Hard Work
I’d be much more willing to garden if it only involved putting a seed in the ground, dumping a cup of water on it, and returning in a week to harvest the vegetables. Sign me up!
Alas, gardening is so much more. It’s more than tilling the soil. More than planting. More than watering the soil, faithfully weeding and protecting the plants from pestilence and predators. Gardening is more than hard work. It’s an art. It’s a passion. And I don’t have it.
But I am passionate about Jesus and God’s Word. I love the Bible. I love reading it and studying it. I could research the words, the culture, the locations, the archaeological discoveries every moment of every day! Sometimes I jokingly say I only write novels to support my research addiction. Well, sort of jokingly. 😆
A 2021 survey of over 2,000 Americans revealed that over half believed they had a good idea for a novel. Of that half, only 15% started writing a book, and only 8% actually finished their book. (CLICK HERE to see more survey results.) If writing was easy, everyone would do it.
#2 – Gardening/Publishing Require the Creator’s Partnership
Since Indiana is synonymous with corn, let me illustrate with two “corn” pictures why the Creator is the essential Partner in gardening (and farming). Picture #1 was taken on the day of our daughter and son-in-love’s wedding. That year the Lord had blessed the corn crop with perfect summer weather! Dry enough to get seed in the ground early in the spring, rain soon after, terribly hot and humid for us poor humans during June, July, and August.
Our son-in-love is about 5′ 9″. Granted, he’s bending over to kiss his bride, but that corn is WAAAAAY taller than him, right?
The following year, Indiana experienced the worst drought in decades. Can you see the difference? Both photos were taken during August in Indiana–one year apart. See what happens when the Creator withholds rain? Even farmers with irrigation systems couldn’t sustain their harvest numbers in a drought of this proportion.
So it is with writing, publishing, and book sales. On some days, I sit at my laptop and the words just flow out of me. Other days, it’s like trying to wring out water from a dry cloth. I’ve found marketing and publicity to be much the same. Some of the books we’ve worked hardest to promote with pre-order sales, social media blitzes, and sale prices somehow fall flat. Other books sell like spring water in a desert with very little hype. My only explanation is the One who gave me the words in the first place. He gets ALL the glory!
#3 – Gardening/Publishing Require Advanced Planning
I’ve had so many people ask me, “Why can’t you write faster?”
Believe me…I wish I could! 😉
You might be wondering what I’m doing during these endless months BETWEEN my book releases. Well, like the gardener who plants a few of their plants inside during early spring to get the “slow rooting” seeds going, I’m busy with behind-the-scene tasks to prepare before release day! Brave: The Story of Ahinoam is Book #1 in the series of King David’s Brides, so I’ve also started plotting and writing Book #2 about Maakah (see 2 Samuel 3:2-5).
For those of you who follow me on Facebook or Instagram and answered my question about what sort of Bk #2 teaser you’d like to see included in Brave, here are the results of everyone’s comments!
To give you an idea of some of the writing/publishing tasks that will keep me busy all the way up to Brave’s October 1, 2024 release date, here’s a general list:
- monthly newsletter
- monthly blog post
- four scheduled social media posts per week (personally answering comments)
- personally answering daily emails
- May 7th release and promotion of The Nameless Ones (our 3rd indie-published short story collection)
- 3 more edits on Brave (line edits–April; copy edits and proof pages–end of May).
- brainstorm marketing & publicity for Brave with Bethany House.
- execute marketing & publicity plan for Brave:
- work with launch team to stir excitement for release
- write discussion questions
- write Bible study for YouVersion
- write prequel (free download for new & existing newsletter subscribers)
- publicity and interviews: podcasts, TV/radio, blogs, magazine articles, and live events
- write teaser chapter for Maakah’s story to include in Brave
- write Maakah’s story (100,000 words)
- send to beta readers
- revise
- send to senior editor by August 1st
Successful “Gardening”
Perhaps after reading how I’ve compared writing to gardening, you’ve seen similarities between gardening and your own life.
- To succeed at work, to strengthen family relationships, or to grow a church, we must work together with passion toward a common goal.
- But as Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, its laborers labor in vain” (NIV). Only when we partner with the Creator Himself do we see success that reaches into eternity. That’s the success that matters!
- Though I’m a creative that loves spontaneity, I’ve learned that much of life’s success comes to those who plan. It’s a bitter pill but good medicine for a less-stressful future.
Today’s Question:
- Which of the three “gardening” life lessons is the one you needed to hear today?
