A Dreamer's Determination - Grace Hitchcock

When traveling with a writer on road trips, it’s safe to bet you are going to be taking a lot of detours for those little brown plaques! This weekend, my husband and I drove to go see Mt. Rushmore and on the way, he jokingly pointed out a historic marker saying we could see the ruts from the Oregon Trail if we turned here. He thought a little ridiculous to advertise “ruts” as a historic landmark, so needless to say my enthusiastic reaction shocked him haha, which led to an hour detour to see the ruts left from the wagon wheels of the Oregon Trail that was just as exciting to me as visiting Mt. Rushmore for the first time.

Growing up, stories of the Oregon Trail always fascinated me and seeing how the wooden wagon wheels actually CUT THROUGH STONE, I began to think of the determination of these brave souls who left comfort behind in pursuit of their dreams, dreams that pushed them to overcome fearsome obstacles.

(The “famous” ruts, which were totally worth the drive!)

As writers, we too have a dream that pushes us to set aside our fears to allow our precious books to venture out from the comfort and safety of our laptops and send them out into the unknown to bravely seek publication. If the Lord has given you a dream, ask Him for the courage, strength and determination to see it through. With this career, rejection is constant, but if we keep our trust in the Lord, push forward and write stories until something works, we too can cut through stone.

While not as harrowing as traveling across the country in a covered wagon, getting a book published is hard work, but with a thick skin and a dreamer’s heart, anything is possible.