Today, I’m sharing a few more life lessons that I learned in the six years it took me to write my first novel, “The Price of Blood.”

These lessons can be applied to other careers besides writing, as well as to life in general. I hope that, even if you aren’t a writer, you will be able to take some things away from this post

1. Everyone has a story

This is something that I’ve seen outside of writing in the real world. As a pastor’s daughter and a Christian, I’ve encountered many people who have much more to them than meets the eye. You truly never know what someone is going through… even the most put-together, smiling person could be struggling.

There are so many things in someone’s past that shape who they are today. There are so many things going on in the present that affect how they live their lives. While people should not let their struggles hold them back, those struggles will still change them.

Everyone has reasons why they do what they do. Why they think the way they think. Why they react in one way or another. These reasons do not justify wrong actions, but they do explain them.

As a writer, realizing this truth helped me to create more dynamic characters. I came up with backstories, childhoods, thinking patterns, and much more to flesh out their roles.

While many of my characters are not perfect, I try to make them as realistic as possible. People are complicated. They do the right things for the wrong reasons, and the wrong things for the right reasons. I want to create an accurate portrayal of mankind that I can contrast with the steadfast goodness of God.

So look around you. See people as individual souls who God created and loves. They may not be doing everything right in their lives—they might be doing mostly wrong. But I guarantee you, they have a story. And as a child of God, you have the opportunity to show them the love of Christ and to tell them of the One who can redeem their story.

2. Don’t give up on God’s plan for you

I’ve known for a long time that I was meant to be a writer. But, I must admit, there were times when I doubted it. When I stared at a blank page, the words wouldn’t come. When I didn’t write for weeks or even months.

God reveals His will to us through His Word and His Holy Spirit. And when we know what that will is, we should do it with all our might… no matter what circumstances, or other people, or even our own feelings will try to tell us.

I knew I was called to be a writer, and that’s what kept me going when I didn’t feel like writing.

There are many things in life that we don’t feel like doing. We don’t feel like going to work today. We don’t feel like being nice to someone. But our feelings do not change reality. God gave us commands in His Word, and we need to obey them, whether we feel like it or not.

On top of this, there might be many things that we don’t feel are true. We don’t feel like God loves us. We don’t feel like God cares about us. We don’t feel like He’s there.

These feelings, too, cannot change what is true. God promised that, as His children, there is nothing that can separate us from His love. He proved that He cares for us by sending His Son to die for us. He promised that He will never leave us or forsake us.

So even when everything—even your own mind—is telling you otherwise, what God says is true. We need to believe Him. We need to trust Him.

Don’t give up on God’s plan, even when you can’t see results or proof. He never gave up on us, and He never will.

3. Growth requires change

I mentioned in my last post about how we shouldn’t ignore our problems. And it’s interesting, because we all know that we need to grow. We all know that we haven’t arrived yet.

So why is it that so many times we refuse to change?

I knew that, in order to publish my book, I needed to grow as a writer. And yet I wasn’t willing to change anything. I didn’t want to get rid of anything, I didn’t want to add anything… I wanted the book to stay the same.

But to refuse change would have been to refuse growth. So, finally, I began to look at my book and find the things that I needed to change.

There’s a saying in the writing world that says “kill your darlings.” This basically means that, sometimes, the parts you need to cut are your favorite parts—the parts that you enjoy and love.

Isn’t this so true in real life, as well? Often, the things keeping us from growing are our favorite things. Those guilty pleasures, bad habits, and fleshly desires.

God calls us to deny ourselves and to align our will with His. He wants us to want what He wants… He wants us to kill our darlings. In order to grow to be more like Him, we need to sacrifice those beloved things that are holding us back.

You may have met people who lament about one problem or another, or complain about a lack of growth. But when they are presented with a solution, they don’t want to take it. This is because they want to grow without having to change.

So in your writing—or just in your life—find those things that are keeping you from growing. Find the things that are holding you back… even if they’re things that you hold dear. Ask God to show you what He wants you to change. As you submit to His way instead of your own, He will help you to grow to be more like Him.

4. Dreams require discipline

Anyone who thinks that being a writer is easy and fun has never been a writer. Don’t get me wrong, there are aspects I enjoy, but easy? Fun? Not necessarily.

While “The Price of Blood” was my favorite book to write so far, that didn’t make it any less difficult. I mean, it took me six years to finish.

I’ve thought of my writing for a long time as a career, but I realized a few years into writing this book that I didn’t treat it like my career. There were so many other things that I prioritized more—things that I put pressure on myself to accomplish.

I had to consider how important writing was to me. And when I thought about it long enough, I realized that I needed to begin taking it more seriously.

So I cut back on some other hobbies in order to make time for my writing. I also began to schedule when I would write, and set aside times strictly for writing. This change resulted in a lot more productivity and consistency, which allowed me to finish the book at a faster pace.

Whatever it is that God has called you to do, it’s going to take work. Life isn’t all fun and games—even when you’re in the will of God.

But how seriously do we even take the will of God? Do we just take it or leave it whenever we want? Do we set it aside when we get busy? Do we dabble with it when we have the time? Do we see it as optional?

If you know what God wants you to do, then do it. Do it in His strength, but do it. Make time for it… set aside time for it. Pray over it. Stay up late for it. Get up early for it. Invest money in it.

It might not be fun, or easy, or even mildly pleasant at first. But dreams don’t always come without work. That’s not the point of a dream.

The point of a dream is that it’s worth working towards.

5. Live for reasons, not results

This is a tough pill to swallow as a writer. You want results. You want your book to be the best ever. You want tons of people to buy it. You want it to be well-received and well-reviewed.

But, at the end of the day, if I as a writer live for results, I will be disappointed. No matter how many copies I sell, someone else will have sold more. No matter how many people love my book, there will be someone who dislikes it.

So then what’s the use? Why be a writer at all?

Because, to me, writing isn’t about results. Would I love to become a bestselling author? Of course. But that’s not why I write.

If you read my previous blog post, you might be scratching your head a little. Didn’t I say I wrote to change the world and make an impact?

Well, yes, I did. But I want to do that in order to spread God’s glory. And that is a reason, not a result.

Even if one person reads my book, they will have heard about Christ. Even if no one read my book, I will have written it for God’s glory.

There are going to be struggles and disappointments in life. There were times in my writing journey that I despaired of ever writing anything worth reading. There were times when, if I wrote for results, I surely would have quit.

That’s what the Christian life can feel like sometimes. We want to see people saved, and come to church, and grow. We want our loved ones to know Christ. We want to spread the gospel far and wide so that everyone will hear.

But if we live for results only, we will become discouraged when there are none.

God created us ultimately to glorify Him. So if we are fulfilling that purpose, we are living the best life we could possibly live. We can rejoice and be encouraged by the fact that our lives are not dependent on results. We do not live for God to earn His favor… we live for Him because His favor already shines on us. We live for Him because He redeemed us with His blood.

And when we live for this reason, we can trust that God will provide the results as He sees fit.

I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit more about my writing journey and that you were blessed by the lessons I’ve shared. You can buy my book, “The Price of Blood,” on Amazon or through the link here!

Comment below a life lesson your career has taught you!