Start Experiment: Round Two

Hello friends. If there's one thing I want you to know about me, it's that I believe in you. I mean that, too. I believe in you.

That's really all that's important. If you're curious, though...

I've had a love/hate relationship with writing for a number of years. I was blogging in '99 before the term was invented. I started a novel then, too. It fizzled after about 70 pages, leaving deep wounds that drove me away from the craft. A few years later I started to blog. And teach (developing my own curriculum). And more blogs (now I have 5, none of which are maintained regularly).

Round one of the Jon Acuff's Start Experiment found me in an interesting place. Way back in January of 2012 I taught a three week series in church. A few months later, God showed me that my next step was to turn it into a book. He gave me the outline. If that sounds weird to you, join the club. It sounded weird to me too. But it's true.

For a year and a half, I said no. Send me overseas, call me to love the unlovable, that's all fine. Just don't make me write. He kept thumping me upside the head, making it more and more clear that I'm supposed to write this thing. So I have been. As far as I know, the book is supposed to be 9 chapters. I tried to finish 3 for round one. Didn't quite get there, but I got really close. I made way more progress than I ever thought possible. I established some awesome habits thanks to the Experiment and the support of my new friends.

My advice, if you're interested...write. Disrupt your scheduled as much as you need to, just write. I'm a night owl that has been getting up at 5AM for the past 24(ish) days. That time is truly sacred. I have an awesome family that I love to spend time with in the evenings. I have a day job that doesn't relate to writing much at all. It's important to carve out and guard that precious time in the morning.

More advice...find people to connect with. It's a proven fact that dreams can die of loneliness. Be as interested in someone else's dream as you are in yours. You can't fight for someone else's dream, but you can feed it and nurture it along. When you do that, you'll inexplicably discover your own dreams transforming rapidly into reality.

Brace yourself for awesome. You can do it. I believe in you.