Stephen Covey wrote, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” I write because I like to write. That is the main thing about my writing.
Do I want to get published? Of course, because that will be an affirmation of the main thing, my writing. But if I don’t enjoy writing and if the wait for an agent or publisher to respond puts me in misery, then I have forgotten the main thing. I write because I enjoy writing.
Randy Ingermanson wrote that one should only start considering themselves to be a writer after they have written a million words. When I first read that, it seemed too daunting. But now, that I have passed that milestone, it’s not so much. You understand I assumed he didn’t mean that all one million words should be perfect, great, or brilliant. Just that the words are written.
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that writing is the main thing in my life. We all have various facets to our lives. But within those facets, what is the main thing?
What is the main thing in my spiritual life? Love God with all my heart, soul, and spirit, and love my neighbor as myself. What is the main thing in my family? Love them with the love of the Lord, and protect and serve as to the Lord. What is the main thing in my work? To complete my work as unto the Lord. What is the main thing with my writing? To enjoy this gift from the Lord and give it back to Him.
So I remind myself to wait on the Lord, not a response from an agent or publisher. Let it be in His timing. Take joy in rejections because they only happen if I have written something. They only happen if I have kept the main thing the main thing as a writer.
May your life be full of the main things.
What is your main thing? Are you keeping the main thing the main thing?
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