Encouragement and Advice for Writers by Carole Schutter

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but life got in the way. We often have many roadblocks on our way to achieving our goal. How we deal with those roadblocks makes the difference between success and failure.

Awhile back, I drove through Colorado reflecting on how I felt like a failure in my mid-fifties. In some ways, I would have been considered a success. I grew up in a 900 square foot house where I lived with two of my siblings (the third was yet to be born), my mother and father, my grandparents, my aunt, and for some of that time, another aunt and uncle. We all lived in three bedrooms and one bath. I didn’t know we were poor because everyone in my neighborhood was just like me.

TV, the movies, and books showed me that the world could be different. It was filled with beautiful people, wonderful homes, fancy cars, and perfect parents. I yearned to be a princess but I was poor, plain, and as my father constantly reminded me whenever I told him what my dreams for the future were, I was an Asian girl in a white world. However, I had a mother who told me to shoot for the stars, I might get the moon.

Raised in church, I prayed as a child would. I wanted to grow up to be beautiful and rich. I was too young to know what a ridiculous request that was and I trusted God more than my father. I thought anything was possible with God.

I got the mansion and the prince not once, but twice. But that was just surface stuff. My life was a tragic mess. I needed to focus on something else. So, I began to focus on my childhood dreams of being a writer. By now, I had experienced so much of life; I knew I could write with conviction and passion.

The world will tell you that you have to make it while you’re young. The world will tell you that there are some things that are impossible. An ugly child cannot grow up to be a swan. It is impossible to succeed if you’re over fifty. Just because you want to write a screenplay doesn’t mean it will become a movie. After all, only 1.1% of all screenwriters ever get a movie. It takes a miracle to succeed as an author.

If God puts a dream in your heart, never give up. Too many people give up just before they receive their miracle. And just because there were land mines on your path of life, it doesn’t mean that you won’t reach your goal. It just means the victory will be sweeter. Determine that your setbacks will turn into comebacks. Remember that rejections are just part of the game. Don’t let people and circumstances get you down. Encourage yourself if there is no one there to encourage you. Never give up. Never give in. Remain open and alert to opportunities and the people you meet. Keep your eyes on the goal and not on your circumstances. Receive your miracle within and it will manifest itself in your life.

Believe in the God who believes in you and wants you to succeed.