Do you have the mentality that no matter what happens in your life that you will do what it takes to succeed at whatever you are doing?

I think many of us do and then many of us don’t. It’s the “I won’t give up” way of thinking. I’m sure we’ve all heard a thousand times how this successful person or that one had received however many ‘no’s’ before that final yes finally happened. It’s what makes us stronger. It’s the refusal to give in to failure or rejection. If we were all to just give up then nothing would ever get accomplished. It’s what we learn and take from those failures or rejections that make us strong and learn to do better.

I’ll be honest, I thrive on constructive criticism. It’s what helps me to know where I need to improve.

In the last year and a half since I joined ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) that my writing has grown by leaps and bounds. And it’s been during this time that I’ve also come to realize how I needed to write Mari’s book. If I’d taken the criticism given to me on Mari’s first book, and trust me there were times I did want to give up as I thought I was no good at it, the first draft I have done today wouldn’t be here. I took to heart the comments people had given me about adding fiction elements to her story and I’m amazed at how much more her story has now come to life as a result. I think it’s beautiful how God has guided me down this path of writing. I’ve learned so much and I’ll be ever thankful to those who helped me along the way.