by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted

I have received more emails in the last three months from writers who feel they are at the lowest point in their writing career. They feel like they’ve made a mistake choosing writing as a career. I’ve been there, and I fully understand this “spot.” In fact, I’ve uttered those words, “I don’t think I’ll ever be published.” So, as you read through this, don’t assume it’s coming from someone with a silver spoon in her mouth. Instead, hear my heart. I’ve been there. Every writer experiences these same frustrations, but the difference between becoming published or not comes down to your determination to overcome the obstacles.

Here are three syndromes that every writer faces and every writer must overcome.

Everybody rejects me syndrome

Oh, brother. This is a hard one. I would begin by saying that, at least today, writers receive emails, unlike my past, when these suckers came via U.S. Mail and were printed and signed on company letterhead. Most well-published writers over fifty can pull out a folder of hand-signed rejection letters. At least with email, you don’t have to hold it in your hand. Rejections are hard. We work diligently to turn out the best product we can, and then it goes unnoticed. I would encourage you to flip the table and look at the other side. Rejections are rungs on the publishing ladder. Writers need them. They serve as a gauge of our learning and of our execution of the craft of writing. These “no’s” help us to see there is work to be done. They become the ribbon that flies from the end of the baton a runner carries.

I ran the mile relay in high school, and when our coach was training us, he tied ribbons on the baton. The reason was simple. As we ran, our arms pumped back and forth, and the ribbon was visible. It flapped against our arms and sometimes in our faces. The coach’s point of this exercise was for us to realize that watching that ribbon flap was taking our eyes off the goal. Our eyes needed to be forward and focused on the goal. It taught us that when our arms were high enough to see the ribbon, we were not getting the full force of the push. Our arms needed to be close to our bodies, with the swing low, so the push’s power could aid us. Rejections are the force in the push. We can’t focus on them, but we use them to push forward with our most incredible force. And if it makes you feel any better, I have friends who have written a slew of books, and they still get rejections. This is part of the writing world. If you focus on the negative, you’ll never move forward. If you look at a rejection as a rung on the ladder, a ribbon on the baton, you’ll take that challenge, look ahead at the steps you still have to climb, and know each one gets you closer to the goal. Rejection is good.

[tweet_box design=”default” float=”none” inject=”#Writing #BRMCWC #Writinglife”]Three Writing Syndromes Every Writer Needs to Overcome by @CindyDevoted on @BRMCWC[/tweet_box]

Should I write syndrome?

This one gets me every time. It’s that point where our wheels are spinning in the mud, and the woe-is-me syndrome sets in. Writers begin to question if writing was a mistake. I must not be any good. Maybe my spouse was right, this is ridiculous!

It’s time to take a reality check. Take out a sheet of paper and label it “Things I have Accomplished.” Now, start to list the things you have accomplished as a writer—for example, wrote an article for Guideposts. Wrote a monthly column for a website. Wrote the church newsletter. Used writing as a storytelling method for kids, wrote monthly or even weekly for a small newspaper, and had a devotion published on ChristianDevotions.us. Your list will begin to grow. Suddenly, the question of whether I should write changes to look at how God uses me. When you feel the should-I-write syndrome coming on. Make this list. And FYI, of course, you should write.

The” trophy syndrome”

Almost every writer dreams of having a book published. After all, that’s one reason we write. But it’s essential to put that dream into perspective. It’s a goal, a desire, a wish, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but you cannot let the trophy of a book cloud your ultimate goal —to be a writer. Of course, it’s wonderful to receive a contract, to have your dream become a reality, but it should be the love of the craft and the desire to write the best you can. When you focus on this, your writing improves to the point that a contract for a published book becomes the next obvious step. I’ve sat across the table from writers year after year, who presented me with the same book. They’ve stalled. It’s the trophy syndrome. They want that book to be the one. Often, they tell me, “God told me to write this book.” Well, let’s look deeper at that comment. I never disregard that God has given a story to a writer. I know He does. However, being commanded to write a story doesn’t guarantee it will be published. Sometimes, and this is the hard part—sometimes that book God has called you to write may be for you and only you. Be obedient. Write the book, but do not let the trophy get in the way of the reason this book was written.

There are times we write for 1) personal need, realization, and growth or 2) to learn the craft. I have five completed novels on my shelf that will probably never see the light of day. Why? Because they were stories, I needed to help myself work through things in my life or in the lives of a loved one. They were stories given to me for a purpose. Stories to impact me and help me learn to write well. With each one I wrote, my writing and knowledge of the craft grew. The key is to be obedient. Write the book God has given you, and then learn to trust the timing to Him. Don’t focus on the one when God is probably nudging other ideas into your head. How do I know this? Experience. And here’s how.

In 2022, a friend who worked for a small publisher came to me with a request for a novel I’d written years earlier. He’d read it and wanted to take it to his publications board. The book was nowhere near ready to submit to a publisher, so I rewrote it and added what I’d learned about the craft. My agent took the book and sold it immediately. Coal Black Lieswas released in 2024. God had placed that story in my heart years ago, but 1)even when I thought the book was ready, it wasn’t. 2) It wasn’t the right time. I wanted that story to be published, and as it went through the submission process, rejection after rejection followed. So, I moved on. Six years later, I was able to make the story what it needed to be, and then God’s timing fell into place.

My point is that the desire to see that book published became a trophy for me at the time. That was all I wanted— a contract and a published novel. I got stuck wanting that trophy. The book was shopped and rejected, but only in God’s timing was it brought back from the archive, rewritten, and brought to fruition. Sometimes we have to let something go, move past, accept that we were obedient to write it, and then let God do what He does best. We begin the next project in obedience, and the trophy comes when God’s timing is right. It’s always a blessing and a surprise when we succeed on a project.

It is hard to hear some of these difficult things, but learning to put your wants and desires in perspective benefits you and can lead to a long, prosperous career writing books, newspaper and magazine articles, and a multitude of other successful projects.

Yes, you should write! No, you aren’t a bad writer! Yes, you will be successful when you learn to keep producing quality work. You are a writer. Hard work and patience are what lie ahead. Now, write. You can do this.

Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conference teacher. Having served for a number of years as a managing editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and Ironstream Media, Cindy now works as a mentor, coach, and freelance editor. She is the co-founder of Writing Right Author Mentoring Services with Lori Marett and the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Cindy is also the co-founder of Christian Devotions Ministries and www.christiandevotions.us, as well as www.inspireafire.com. Her devotions are in newspapers and magazines nationwide, and her novels have become award-winning, best-selling works. She is a popular speaker at conferences and a natural encourager. Cindy is a mountain girl, born and raised in the Appalachian mountains, where she and her husband still reside. She has raised four sons and now resorts to raising chickens where the pecking order is easier to manage. You can visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com or www.wramsforwriters.com.