Friday, February 10, 2006

February Blogclass: Contests-Lesson 2-Welcome Guest Blogger Cynthia Ruchti

I met Cynthia online through www.americanchristianfictionwriters.com and then in person at the ACFW conference in Nashville Sept 2005. Cynthia does a radio program among other things and though not yet published, I predict she'll one day be a household name. She's one of my favorite authors. Everything she writes touches me to the core of my soul and makes me laugh from my toes on up. Cynthia shared something on another writing loop, and with her permission, I'm forwarding it here. Her bio is below her article.

I know it will encourage you.


YOU'VE SENT MAIL By Cynthia Ruchti

So, what happens almost immediately after you stick your Genesis Contest submission (or book proposal, or agent query, or final galley proofs) in the mail?

The enemy will find a way...some clever, twisted, sadistic way...to mess with your mind.

I must have missed something! Did I fix that typo? I'm just going to embarrass myself! What was I thinking? The judges will laugh...and not at the humor. Sure my mom thinks it's brilliant! She's the same one who put my elementary school pottery project on the coffee table and then had to explain to all our guests what that thing was. "Welcome to our home, and have you seen the lovely C-A-N-D-Y D-I-S-H my daughter made at school?"I'm in Junior High all over again, hoping the phy ed teacher will make me a team captain today so I get to choose instead of waiting and waiting and waiting for the next to the last round when the only other one still unchosen is the girl who weighs way too much for someone her height...or species...and sniffs her armpits in public.Why did I think anyone would EVER want to read ANYTHING I've written?! Those poor contest judges. I should contact them and apologize for insulting their intelligence...or pay them for their time.

That's what the enemy says.

But the Voice of Truth rings out when I give the Lord audience.

He tells me that I wrote from my heart and exercised my gift.

The guy who comes in tenth place at the Olympics still did better than a gazillion other people in the world.

And I already won by standing in line at the post office and letting the lady behind the counter pry my entry out of my hands.

At the very least, the very LEAST, I win the Lord's medal of courage.

So...in the illustrious words of Karen Ball, "It's all good."

If...no, when the enemy comes in like a flood, precious writer friend, count yourself blessed.

You matter enough to the Kingdom of God to stir up the evil one's ire!

Cynthia Ruchti

Cynthia writes and produces the fifteen-minute daily radio broadcast, THE HEARTBEAT OF THE HOME (www.heartbeatofthehome.org) which airs on 24 stations across the country. She's a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and has had numerous articles published in outlets such as The Christian Communicator, willwrite4food.com, Adoption Blessings Journal, Quality of Life Times news/mag, Write to the Heart e-zine, Victory in Grace, and Wisconsin Christian News. She and her husband live in central Wisconsin in their almost-empty nest.

1 comment:

Cheryl Wyatt said...

Isn't Cynthia a gret encourager? Thanks for stopping by, Julie!

Squirrel (Cheryl Wyatt)