Today is an important milestone; it marks the 1,000th minute I have written.
I’d like to ask that you go back a little in time with me and be amazed by all God has done.
Why did I start writing these “minutes?”
When I started my blog, I began with writing a subject-specific 1,000ish word reflection weekly.
I did this because I have always wanted a Bible study book that addressed a variety of subjects that are relevant to my life and those of others.
The very first post I wrote was on the subject of abandonment, posted on June 6, 2018. (Read it here.) From that week on, I wrote about more subjects, using the A to Z format.
After abandonment, I tackled being called “Beloved”, having “courage,” etc. I went through the alphabet twice.
Here are some subjects from these books that resonated the most with my readers:
When God Chooses to Be Silent (read here)
How to Forgive (read here)
Can you be a Christian and be Afraid of Dying? (read here)
After these two books were finished, I began sending them out to agents and publishers.
I received some great feedback but had multiple rejections; something I have learned is very common for writers.
Since I did not snag an agent or publisher (yet), I decided to shift my blog focus.
Because I belong to many writer newsletters, I discovered a marketing expert that I grew to respect, Seth Godin. (Check him out here.) I was receiving his daily marketing blog posts, and I really liked them for two reasons.
1. They were short.
2. They were relevant.
This got me to thinking that I could write daily blog posts that will also be short and relevant, and I began to write my daily “minutes.”
But, could I keep up with this every day, while teaching full time, and sewing and writing part-time?
I wasn’t sure, but I gave it a try and with my small list of subscribers, I began to hear from them that these reflections where useful and appreciated.
It was also suggested from the beginning that I keep numbering my “minutes” so that readers can look back on past reflections and also see that there is more to come.
Throughout this time my subscriber list also began to grow, something that is a must for writers to continue to get content before readers.
Books 1 and 3
While writing these minutes, I began to work on my novel, The Bottle House.
I then realized that I needed to understand the publishing world so I decided to take the first 100 minutes I wrote and put them into book form. 100 Minutes with God (can be purchased here) came together slowly.
I hired an artist in Portugal who took my words describing my vision for these books and she (Isabel Robalo–IsaDegin.net) created its beautiful cover, and I released it on December 3, 2019.
There was so much to learn and you and my social media contacts made 100 Minutes a #1 New Release on Amazon.
Riding the wave of this first book, I released 100 More Minutes with God (can be purchased here) on February 5, 2022.
This second book is double the size of the first one as I “fleshed out” my minutes, including the Scripture used in each one.
I plan to update the first 100 Minutes this summer to reflect the additions I put into the second one.
Here are some responses I received to these minutes throughout the years:
“You have NO idea how much these words mean to me. You were used by God today.” (SB) – Minute 165
“Reading these scriptures every morning is like a breath of fresh air. When I’m reading it feels as if the Lord gave you a word to give to me…” (LD) Minutes 365
“(Your beautiful thoughts) keep us closer to God and remind us he not only awaits our call but truly listens.” (AR) Minute 606
“An especially beautiful and impactful (minute), Susan. Thank you for all of them.” (CF) Minute 618
“Wow!” (BA) Minutes 735
For all of these messages that many of you have sent through the years, I have cherished each one. It is one of the things God uses to encourage me in my life and writing. Please feel free to send along comments whenever you feel God’s work in your life.
Book 2
While I was writing my daily “minutes,” I felt the push to take the bits and pieces I had written about the role God takes in the suffering of man.
I had no idea how to write a novel and many of the things I did in the process made it more difficult. As I worked and worked, I was continually amazed at the words that appeared on my computer screen.
As Mother Teresa said so beautifully, “I am like a little pencil in God’s hand. He does the writing. The pencil has little to do with it.”
After many starts and stops, I finally finished it and hired an editor to work through my manuscript.
This resulted in many corrections and rewrites but I knew they were necessary if someone in the publishing world wanted to take my work seriously.
When this was finished, I started the arduous process of trying to get an agent and/or publisher. After sending my queries to no fewer than 15 agents, the “thanks but no thanks” started to pour in.
This did not discourage me because I knew this is typical. I then sent queries to publishers who would consider manuscripts without being represented by agents.
After many nos, I finally received a “yes” and The Bottle House was published by Elk Lake Publishing. (Can be purchased here).
And now?
These above paragraphs lead to today. Who knows what today or any day holds but I do know one thing, using the gifts God has given us is an amazing thing.
May you be encouraged to discover and use the gifts you have. It is a true blessing.
Lovingly,
Susan
P.S. – Do you know others who would benefit from these daily minutes? Please have them use the link below.
