Thanks to all who have been praying for our progress in writing. We have finished the first full draft of our book, LifeSpace: the practice of life with God. With our due date still over a month away, we will spend the next few weeks processing reader comments and refining the manuscript.
Anne Lamott encourages writers to find "someone out there in the world--maybe a spouse, maybe a close friend--who will read your finished drafts and give you an honest critique, let you know what does and doesn't work, give you some suggestions on things you might take out or things on which you need to elaborate, ways in which to make your piece stronger. . . . Feedback from someone I'm close to gives me confidence, or at least it gives me time to improve. Imagine that you are getting ready for a party and there is a person at your house who can check you out and assure you that you look wonderful or, conversely, that you actually do look a little tiny tiny bit heavier than usual in this one particular dress or suit or that red makes you look just a bit like you have sarcoptic mange. Of course you are disappointed for a moment, but then you are grateful that you are still in the privacy of your own home and there is time to change."
Well, that is the stage we are in now. Please pray that our friends will be both insightful and kind. Pray that this refining process makes the book better. And pray that we survive it!
