Loved reading your post-lent thoughts, Sarah! I feel challenged to keep this perspective in mind when it comes to my own “content mining.” This balance of writing for an audience is tenuous—we want people to read our work but also don’t want to forget the humanity of our readers. Numbers growth is fickle and it’s exhausting to try to play the game to attract publishers. I so respect your care and attention to the why behind your words 🤍
Thank you, Sarah! I feel that writing tension so often. Even now as I want to distance myself from platform-building, the temptation to play the numbers game is still there! It's so nice to know I'm not alone.
Your toes were sweating? Wow, I definitely didn't mean to do that to you! Lol! I am glad to hear what came of your writing hiatus and I'm glad we can met in real life! And yes, I've been reading all those articles you've mentioned too. Definitely more to think about!
Loved this! While I consider myself a reluctant writer, I often find myself mining my life and experiences for content. Balancing the tension is so very hard and I struggle. I love long walks with friends, coffees and the opportunity to sit and pray with someone, and of course spending time with the Lord. I dont want to write out of fear but out of a sense of awe for the gift we have been given. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
"Over the years, I’ve become so used to mining my own experience for content, that for a minute just living my life felt like I was doing it wrong." So many of your words here and throughout this post resonated with me. Thank you so much for sharing, Sarah! In it with you!
What shimmered most for me was your insight on presence without promotion and experience without content mining. I have a book coming out on supporting children’s spiritual formation, and I keep facing the temptation to (1) escape my children so I can write about them (Lord, have mercy!) and (2) cannibalize our family moments for their potential as book content. I was just thinking this morning that the challenge for those who write about gardening, or parenting, or prayer is to experience deeply the subjects they write about and only to pick up the pen when that experience fills the well to overflowing. You’ve put it beautifully here. Your Lenten fast sounds like a deep learning space. Thanks for sharing this.
Hi Grace, thank you for your encouraging words, it's nice to know I'm not alone in feeling this way! Your book sounds relevant and so needed. I think you really voiced that tension well: needing to deeply experience our subject matter without immediately exploiting it for content, and instead waiting until our well is "overflowing"!
I’m so encouraged to see all these conversations happening around Christian publishing. As an aspiring author who also works in the industry, I sense a shift coming, and I hope I can do what I can to encourage it. Thank you for boldly doing your part as well by refusing to contort yourself for the sake of an unhealthy relationship with publishing.
Hi Sarah, I found this through KSP’s restack of this article. Just wanted you to know that my heart goes out to you with the social media publishing thing. I’m not really aspiring to be a published author, but I have a lot of online writer friends who are and the hoops they have to jump through to be social media ready for their book proposals surprised me. Almost to where I feel it compels an aspiring author to use social media unwisely…and yet, that’s the game!
Hi Mel! Thanks for your kind words. Walking away from social media felt like I was sabotaging my own writing career, but I'm really glad I did it! (I think there are other authors who seem to be able to use social media well/wisely but I'm not one of them!) It wasn't until I stopped writing altogether during Lent that I realized how obsessed I had gotten with growing my platform in other ways.
I was in a group of Christian women writers for a while and this is a constant theme that keeps creeping up. You are not in the minority about your feelings but in the majority. The struggle is real! I’m in the process of writing something about this very topic. Btw, I agree with you on Instagram, fun for daily life, difficult for self-promotion.
I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the issue! I think it would be great if the majority of us started pushing back against the industry. Maybe someday!
Loved reading your post-lent thoughts, Sarah! I feel challenged to keep this perspective in mind when it comes to my own “content mining.” This balance of writing for an audience is tenuous—we want people to read our work but also don’t want to forget the humanity of our readers. Numbers growth is fickle and it’s exhausting to try to play the game to attract publishers. I so respect your care and attention to the why behind your words 🤍
Thank you, Sarah! I feel that writing tension so often. Even now as I want to distance myself from platform-building, the temptation to play the numbers game is still there! It's so nice to know I'm not alone.
You are not alone. It sounds like you had a very fruitful Lent. May your Easter season be filled with delight and wonder.
Thanks for your encouragement, Katie! I wish the same for your Easter season!
I resonate with you on many levels, friend. It’s always so good to read you. May you have a blessed Easter season ♥️
Thank you, Paola! I'm glad it resonated with you, because that means I'm in good company! I hope you have a blessed Easter season as well!
Your toes were sweating? Wow, I definitely didn't mean to do that to you! Lol! I am glad to hear what came of your writing hiatus and I'm glad we can met in real life! And yes, I've been reading all those articles you've mentioned too. Definitely more to think about!
Haha, it wasn't you, it was all me! And I love thinking and talking about this stuff with you!
Loved this! While I consider myself a reluctant writer, I often find myself mining my life and experiences for content. Balancing the tension is so very hard and I struggle. I love long walks with friends, coffees and the opportunity to sit and pray with someone, and of course spending time with the Lord. I dont want to write out of fear but out of a sense of awe for the gift we have been given. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
Thank you! I think it's natural to write out of our own experience, but it is certainly a tension. Wishing you the best on your own writing journey!
"Over the years, I’ve become so used to mining my own experience for content, that for a minute just living my life felt like I was doing it wrong." So many of your words here and throughout this post resonated with me. Thank you so much for sharing, Sarah! In it with you!
Thank you, Becky! I'm glad it resonated with you and I'm glad to know I'm not alone!
Sarah, found you through @paolabarrera 😄
What shimmered most for me was your insight on presence without promotion and experience without content mining. I have a book coming out on supporting children’s spiritual formation, and I keep facing the temptation to (1) escape my children so I can write about them (Lord, have mercy!) and (2) cannibalize our family moments for their potential as book content. I was just thinking this morning that the challenge for those who write about gardening, or parenting, or prayer is to experience deeply the subjects they write about and only to pick up the pen when that experience fills the well to overflowing. You’ve put it beautifully here. Your Lenten fast sounds like a deep learning space. Thanks for sharing this.
Hi Grace, thank you for your encouraging words, it's nice to know I'm not alone in feeling this way! Your book sounds relevant and so needed. I think you really voiced that tension well: needing to deeply experience our subject matter without immediately exploiting it for content, and instead waiting until our well is "overflowing"!
Sarah this is GOOD. Thank you for these thoughts!
Thank you so much, Alicia!
A very interesting perspective. I agreed with many of your points. I too don't find the traditional publishing industry very appealing anymore.
Thank you, Kate!
Yeah, you're so right, Sarah. 'I think it looks like freedom,' too ...
Thanks, I'm glad you think so too!
You bring up things here that every writer needs to ponder. Thank you.
I hope every writer can be honest about what they're hoping to get from a traditional book deal!
I’m so encouraged to see all these conversations happening around Christian publishing. As an aspiring author who also works in the industry, I sense a shift coming, and I hope I can do what I can to encourage it. Thank you for boldly doing your part as well by refusing to contort yourself for the sake of an unhealthy relationship with publishing.
I, too, am encouraged by authors who have been calling out the broken systems within Christian publishing. I hope you're right about a shift coming!
Hi Sarah, I found this through KSP’s restack of this article. Just wanted you to know that my heart goes out to you with the social media publishing thing. I’m not really aspiring to be a published author, but I have a lot of online writer friends who are and the hoops they have to jump through to be social media ready for their book proposals surprised me. Almost to where I feel it compels an aspiring author to use social media unwisely…and yet, that’s the game!
Hi Mel! Thanks for your kind words. Walking away from social media felt like I was sabotaging my own writing career, but I'm really glad I did it! (I think there are other authors who seem to be able to use social media well/wisely but I'm not one of them!) It wasn't until I stopped writing altogether during Lent that I realized how obsessed I had gotten with growing my platform in other ways.
I was in a group of Christian women writers for a while and this is a constant theme that keeps creeping up. You are not in the minority about your feelings but in the majority. The struggle is real! I’m in the process of writing something about this very topic. Btw, I agree with you on Instagram, fun for daily life, difficult for self-promotion.
I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the issue! I think it would be great if the majority of us started pushing back against the industry. Maybe someday!
Let’s form a coalition 😂😂😉.
I'm IN, haha!!
Christian publishers and agents are the only ones who demand a platform. Not sure whats up with that. Trad published.
.
I've heard similar things! So maybe there's hope with other routes to publishing!