If you have flown then I imagine you know the feeling. You sit down in your assigned seat and the seat next to you is empty. You then look forward at the stream of passengers working their way to you. Immediately you access their size and hygiene, then you look deep into their eyes. Somehow five to seven rows before yours their eyes will give them away. In my case I see their eyes saying “oh no I have to sit by him.”
A few weeks ago I was in that situation, I saw one of the biggest men I have ever seen and hoped he was not assigned seat 17B. His eyes told me he was.
So next to me sits this mountain of a man. Tall, bowed up, covered in tattoos. Tattoos that said this guy was bad to the bone.
He easily engaged in conversation, as a pastor I can’t let my seat neighbor sit in silence. The conversation immediately went to where he was headed. He was going to a dangerous part of the Middle East to drill for oil. When I suggested that sounded dangerous, he told me about his last job in the jungle where armed guards protected him around the clock. He said it was common to hear of a national being slaughtered by a bush knife. Then to top the machete murders he shared about his time in the Special Forces.
It was somewhere in his second Iraq tour when I began to panic. Knowing he would soon ask where I was headed. In light of his manly stories I dreaded saying I was headed to a writer’s conference. I knew my story would conjure up the intense dangers of paper cuts so I thought about making up something more exciting.
He did ask, and even as I sheepishly told him where I was headed — I knew he couldn’t hang in my world. Because writers are “B-B-B-B-Bad”.
My kids will have a bumper sticker that says, “My Dad can beat up your Dad, because my Dad is an author.” Click To Tweet
Writing is hard work.
When I began working on my first book, I took a week’s vacation. I planned to finish my book in six days 5:30 am until Starbucks closed. At 9:41 pm on the fourth day while finally beginning chapter two, I said to myself, “Writing is ridiculous.” So I Googled “encouragement for authors”, and I found an article that spoke truth into me. In a different phrase not suitable for a column entitled The Ministry of Writing, it said, “Authors are bad to the bone.” It continued, “Regardless if a book gets published if someone finishes a book they are one of the Baddest (Butt) people in the world.”
I smiled and got back to work.
That was two years ago. Those two chapters would get revised over thirty times. Then they were thrown in the thrash when agents encouraged me to go in another direction, which I gladly did because I am a writer and I am BAD TO THE BONE. Click To Tweet
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Thanks, Jake…I love this! It’s a great reminder to hang tough and to persevere in a writing project. I rather like the idea of being “bad to the bone.” Ha!
Thank you! You are right — we writers need to realize how bad to the bone we are. It is really hard from someone on the outside to understand all of the time, effort, and sacrifice. Nor do they know the “risk” of putting yourself out there. But we have stepped out of the boat!
Loved this!! And just the encouragement I needed on a Monday morning to keep slogging away. I thought I was bad to the bone as a single mother, but now I can add another bad to the bone accomplishment to my resume! 🙂
Thank you for the comment! So you are double bad to the bone! or badder to the bone! I wish i had reread the article yesterday before i spiraled into discouragement and only accomplished a paragraph that afternoon!
I had similar experience on the way back from BRMCWC. My row mate was not headed to drill for oil but he was headed for Jersey to clean out him mothers home. She had passed a year earlier; he was just getting the courage to go back and face the memories. He was huge and we were squeezed into the back two seats on a puddle jumper. He sat down and mumbled, “I don’t want to talk if that is ok with you…so what do you do?” I was able to tell him that I write books about the bible. He wanted to hear more about the Love of Jesus awaiting Him. As we parted ways he said, “I can’t wait to tell my sister about the unforgettable conversation we had” God is good.
Thank you for sharing! I am glad you took the the time to share Jesus with your seat neighbor, it was an awesome divine appointment. Being a Christian writer is a great segway into the Gospel. Im glad i didnt pull a Brain Williams and make up a cool profession! Because this guy was a Christian but he and his family had been out of church amd i got to encourage him.
You made me chuckle at the Brian Williams comment. I pray for him. God is always so good to use us.
Yeah that was probably a low blow on Brian Williams
I am sure he has heard worse. 😉
You’re right, we put our heart out there to bleed via an editor’s red line over and over.That’s either because we have courage and confidence or we’re compelled and called. It’s the second choice for me.
Great post!
Thank you! I agree — we are called and given the grace to continue on.