Overwhelmed? There's Help

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Do you ever get overwhelmed? I think most of us do from time to time. Right now, I’m working on all those things that must be done to market a book. Yes, I know. It hasn’t even been published yet. But here’s what I didn’t realize and maybe you don’t know either. The marketing begins the minute you have the idea for the book.

So, let’s consider that I’m about thirty years behind. That’s how long ago I began thinking about writing this story. I had no clue what marketing was back then. I had no clue I was a writer.

Writing Romance 

When I first started writing, way back in junior high school, I wrote romances. Ha. Believe me, I was the last person who should have been writing in that genre. I was actually one of those girls who was sweet sixteen and never been kissed. I wrote what I thought was a romance in junior high. My friends liked it. What did any of us know? We were barely thirteen.

Fast forward a few decades when I tried my hand at writing a real romance. This time I had a few years of marriage and motherhood  behind me. For my fortieth birthday, my husband sent me to a RWA sponsored weekend conference on Sanibel Island. We had just moved to Ft. Myers and Sanibel was only a few miles away. What a lovely gift.

I bravely sent off my pitiful excuse of a manuscript, typed on my electric typewriter (yes, it was before computers, not much, but before, don’t do the math). I had no clue what I was doing. The story wasn’t bad, but the formatting and all that other stuff was horrific. Let me change my mind and tell you, it really was bad.

Fast forward another child and a few more years and I walked into BRMCWC for the first time. I thought I was going to write picture books. I took the children’s writing track with Michelle Medlock Adams and Sally Apokedok. I learned so much from those two ladies. Things I never thought I’d know. I went home and I kept hearing that I was supposed to tell Josie’s story.

Josie's Story

There is a Josie in my book. But she isn’t the main character. She’s a subplot character. But in my real life, she’s my great-grandmother. Truth. And her name was Josie. No need to change her name, her first one anyway. She’s long since gone to Glory.

So, Josie and her story had been in the back of my mind for at least twenty years before I wrote the first word. But I should have been thinking about how I was going to market this book, even back then.

Here I am, months away from this book’s debut, and I’m learning to do all the things seasoned authors have been doing for years. It’s a big learning curve, believe me. The way we communicate changes daily. Think how often social media has changed in the past decade. What we did last year may not work this year. In other words, it’s an ever-changing, revolving door.

Coming Home

But I’m not complaining. I feel blessed beyond measure to have finished this book. To have the writing coach and editor that God chose for me. And I am over the moon to be with Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and Iron Stream Media. Speechless comes to mind.

The day I heard that LPC had been purchased by ISM, a Birmingham based company, I stood in our den and cried. Happy tears. I had no clue, but God did.

See, Birmingham is my husband’s home. He and three of our four sons were born there. It's where we met. Where so many people we love call home. To us, it's still home, even though we’ve moved more times than we care to count since we’ve been married. To me, this was Josie's story coming home.

Blessed

Even though I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by all that must be done, I’m also feeling blessed, and honored, and thankful. God has had His hand on me and on this book and this writing journey since the idea first came to me, decades ago. I could never have imagined that it would bring me this far. But He knew. Therefore, I will do what I have to do knowing that He will guide me in all that must be done. He’s placed the right people in my path and has even held the door for me to walk in and greet them.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by life or some task ahead of you? I'm not saying it's going to be easy. But you have someone ready to help. All for the asking. Remember, the One who created you knows the plans He has for you. Jeremiah 29:11.  Surrender your life and your situation to Him and know He’s got you—right in the palm of His hand. He's holding the lantern and lighting your path.

What do you do when you’re feeling overwhelmed? Share your ideas with us.

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