A Christian with a calling, But in need.

[PyroZero]

Hello,
I am Nicholas or PyroZero I am 17,

I am new to this forum, and I joined because I need some advice from christian brother's/sister's to christian brother.

I have been praying for 2 years now about this and came to a conclusion that God has called me to the Entertainment industry, Unfortunately I have no way to furfill this.

In the past 5 months I been writing a christian book that has been on my heart for the past 6 years and finally getting it down on paper and will probably have it done with in the next 5-6 months. However my problem is God has called me to making books and movies yet I cannot find a publisher nor can I find funding.

I have looked into grants and loans but the problem with getting a grant is there is none for what I am looking for, and with loans they will give it to me right away, however. the problem is later down the road 1 - 2 years it will cost me twice to three times that amount that I loaned essentially a arm and a leg for a quarter.

So my question is to my brothers and sisters on here. Where do I go to get funding, How do I get help?


May I get some advice and prayer please Because I am truelly lost on where to go.

EDIT1:: I have asked my church to help me, they do not want to put the money up to help me, all they say is good luck =/ offering no advice or prayer. so I am essentially lost on where to go.

~PyroZero
Aspiring Judeo-Christian Non-Fiction Writer

 

[sbbqb7n16]

Hey Nicholas,

I'll be really honest with you cause 1st impressions are probably the same no matter where you go. I read you post and saw multiple grammatical errors, misspellings, and punctuation mistakes. If you brought that post to me and I was at a publishing firm, I would think:

"Here's a good meaning kid, but he's got a long way to go to make it in this field."

Before you find a publisher, find an editor.

No matter what you do, I would not advise you to get a loan. Stay away from debt and you'll be much better for it. (Please read Dave Ramsey's - Total Money Makeover)

If God is calling you to be a writer, then you'll be a writer. Don't doubt Him. Did He give you a timeline/deadline? Maybe He didn't mean right away, maybe He did - you'll have to ask Him. If He didn't, then you could go to school for journalism, or english. You could gain the knowledge/experience and maybe find an intership and work your way into getting it published. Yeah it's the hard way, but sometimes that's what you have to do.

If he wants it published right away, you can also consider E-books. Doesn't require the same financial commitment as purchasing 1000 hard copies.

Hope this helps!

 

[BarelyBreathing]

God called Noah to build the ark and look how long that took.

I agree with a lot of what sbbqb said.

You may want to take some writing courses, join a writer's group in your area, there are organizations you can join, conferences you can attend, writing contests you can enter, etc. Go to the library and check out the book Writer's Market, and see what types of things places are looking for and what they pay. When you are starting out anything you can get published is good. Think of it like building a resume. Writing courses and writer's workshops can help you to learn how to write and also how to get published. If you join a writer's group in your area, see if there is a critique group you can also join or if the writer's group has critique sessions.

I gave you a rep comment earlier today along the lines of this topic....

 

[drich0150]

So my question is to my brothers and sisters on here. Where do I go to get funding, How do I get help?


May I get some advice and prayer please

Because I am truelly lost on where to go.

EDIT1:: I have asked my church to help me, they do not want to put the money up to help me, all they say is good luck =/ offering no advice or prayer. so I am essentially lost on where to go.

Perhaps, despite your feelings on what God wants for your life, He is actually telling to seek another path by closing all of these doors. This doesn't mean you can't be successful in this Field, it just means that perhaps this is not your actual calling. Believe me if God wants you somewhere then you will be there despite what you actually want!

 

[KnowWhatJesusDid]

Perhaps you have been called... Your time will come. Maybe not when you want it to, but when the Lord Wants it to. Sometimes the hardest thing to do for the Lord is to Wait... Get Seasoned during your Wait... Perhaps you are not yet prepared for your calling.. David was acknowledged as Saul's successor when he was 16 years old, but the Lord Knew, he was NOT ready to be King yet.



The Christian's here at christianforums.com are among the most sincere that you will find in all of the World. The replies to your posts are often accompanied with a prayer for the original thread starter. Stay connected here and edify yourself.

 

[lorrienorrie]

If this is your calling you must be patient and endure setbacks along the way. It is a competitive industry as I'm sure you know, if this is supposed to be, then it shall be, but please keep exploring potential avenues!

 

[Aibrean]

Finish your story first and foremost. Publishers/agents do NOT want an unfinished story. It's taken me over 15 years to write my first one and I still have two chapters left (and then I started another novel for NaNo - which I won) Get an agent. You are going to have to write a bunch of query letters and don't be afraid of disappointment. Harry Potter almost didn't make it to the shelves. It's a very subjective business. Not only does your idea have to be original and interesting, it also needs to be marketable and liked by whoever happens to read it (from a publishing standpoint, not end-user audience).

Keep trying. Don't beg.

 

[ezeric]

Dear Brother Nicholas or PyroZero

You said, "I have been praying for 2 years now about this and came to a conclusion that God has called me to the Entertainment industry, Unfortunately I have no way to furfill this"

The LORD spoke to me about a year ago, this is what HE said to me.
"Why is that when I give a promise to you, the next thing you want to do is fulfill it?"

GOD has given you a dream, pursue it, don't' forget it but don't fulfill it.

GOD gave Abram (now Abraham) a promise of great fatherhood ...
Abraham tried to fulfill it - it went wrong.

When Moses knew he was Israels liberator...
but when he tried that - he became a murder.

Paul even thought he was doing it for GOD (zealous) but
he ended up in a one on one confrontation with JESUS (on the road to Damascus).

GOD has given you a dream, you will be in the entertainment field, because those desires were put there by GOD. Its a wonderful thing pursuing what HE places in you.

Thats what dreams and desire is all about. And quite frankly only you can do what HE is promting you to do - its part of your JESUS Journey.

But don't struggle, and push your way into its fulfillment (thats the worldly way), His way, HE will do it and you will know (for sure) you wont doubt. Doubts come in when we do it, not when HE does it!

Note: I am not talking about the sinful nature, we know that it desires the things opposing GOD. Galatians 5:17

I am talking about dreams! Your Dreams!

What I would do, is keep the dream alive, don't let others tell you its not real and not for you. See Joseph he didn't forget his dreams Genesis 37:5. As well as Paul reminding a young Timothy to 'fan into flame' the gift of GOD. See 2 Timothy 1:6.

Keep your eyes on JESUS to make it happen. But, if it means that you have to do other things, or this only in small ways (part time)in the beginning, thats alright!
Zechariah 4:10

also Job 8:7 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

You, fan into flame, by believing that this gift, or dream/desire is yours from GOD and look for HIM to make it happen - in HIS time.

Keep us posted, how GOD brings this about (even if it takes awhile).

-Eric

see my blog
the-exchanged-life.blogspot.com

 

[Johnnz]

Many artists in whatever field get a job and to live, and engage in whatever else they want to do outside of their work. Financial security for most creative people does not arrive before recognition, and that can be a long time in coming for most of them, if at all.

John
NZ

 

[heron]

Honestly, there are thousands and maybe hundreds of thousands of Christians who want to write. I would guess that over ten percent of them feel God has led them to do so.

When Moses was called to write, he did not wait for a book deal. He wrote what he knew God told him to write.

When Abraham was told he would be the father of many nations, he had to wait decades for the slightest sign of confirmation that this was a possibility.

A calling often sends us in a direction where we will cross paths with people, gain new skills, find interesting occupations... the end goal is not the only objective.

Writing is a valuable form of communication, and it is important that if God wants you to use this mode to communicate His love and hope to others, that you do not lean on it to provide you income. Or ask others to push God's agenda along faster than it should go.

I would suggest you look into some print on demand options, like Lulu and Amazon POD, where the cost to you will be almost nothing once you are finished. But be willing to invest some time.

Many artists in whatever field get a job and to live, and engage in whatever else they want to do outside of their work. Financial security for most creative people does not arrive before recognition, and that can be a long time in coming for most of them, if at all.

So true. I have even heard best-selling authors speak of rejections after they were published.

Money comes from marketability. A work can be brilliant, and still not sell. Marketable work is sometimes predictable writing -- something people want to buy, to confirm their beliefs or settle down with for comfort... even a good thriller has some anchors of familiarity.

When God asked the prophets to warn people, the messages were not marketable. They were important and pivotal because they were not marketable.

So don't be in a rush. Ask God to lead you through this.

 

[PraisingHim]

Hi Nicholas -

I am an actor and a producer. I have produced several shorts, a music video, and a feature (still in post). I don't know much about writing a book, but I sure know about producing films.

Right now, even the studios are having a difficult time finding investors. I also work with Grizzly Adams Pds. and even they are having a tough time finding investors and they offer a 100% guarantee that investors will not loose their money! So, take this time to finish your screenplay. Polish it up.

The way this game is played is you do the work first and then comes the money. It takes time and a lot of effort and a lot of time on your knees in prayer. God is the dream giver - don't give up on that dream. In God's timing, things will open up for you.

When your screenplay is finished, let me know and I will help you from there. I would be happy to take a look at it and perhaps I can introduce you to some people. But I will be honest with you - this is a difficult time for everyone, especially newbies! I have taken a break from producing for now, just because I kept having investors pull money out at the last minute and I would be stuck in pre-production with no money to continue (one time, I even had to cover the cost already incurred myself). I am not telling you this to discourage you because we serve a God who can do anything! I am telling you be patient and wait on His timing.

There is also a great website Withoutabox.com - this has almost all the film festivals around the world. There are also many Christian festivals that will accept screenplays.

Feel free to email me or contact me anytime. I am happy to help.
~ Annelle Lynne
520-982-0228

 

[captaincarr]

I think ebooks are the way to go. I wrote an ebook and went through smashwords. It is a very low cost to do it and you have more rights.

 

[Aibrean]

Publishing through Smashwords is free. I did that with mine as well as Kindle.

 

[buorfrsxs]

No matter what you do, I would not advise you to get a loan. Stay away from debt and you'll be much better for it. (Please read Dave Ramsey's - Total Money Makeover)

 

[zakkleifeste]

No matter what you do, I would not advise you to get a loan. Stay away from debt and you'll be much better for it. (Please read Dave Ramsey's - Total Money Makeover)

Why not try to make a Kickstarter? I've seen plenty of movie makers, bands, etc. get funding for their projects. As far as I know, it's free

 

[xxxxxxtra]

Sounds to me like you need a job.. And maybe your calling is working in the stock room at walmart

 

[I love Justice]

Honestly, there are thousands and maybe hundreds of thousands of Christians who want to write. I would guess that over ten percent of them feel God has led them to do so.

When Moses was called to write, he did not wait for a book deal. He wrote what he knew God told him to write.

When Abraham was told he would be the father of many nations, he had to wait decades for the slightest sign of confirmation that this was a possibility.

A calling often sends us in a direction where we will cross paths with people, gain new skills, find interesting occupations... the end goal is not the only objective.

Writing is a valuable form of communication, and it is important that if God wants you to use this mode to communicate His love and hope to others, that you do not lean on it to provide you income. Or ask others to push God's agenda along faster than it should go.

I would suggest you look into some print on demand options, like Lulu and Amazon POD, where the cost to you will be almost nothing once you are finished. But be willing to invest some time.


So true. I have even heard best-selling authors speak of rejections after they were published.

Money comes from marketability. A work can be brilliant, and still not sell. Marketable work is sometimes predictable writing -- something people want to buy, to confirm their beliefs or settle down with for comfort... even a good thriller has some anchors of familiarity.

When God asked the prophets to warn people, the messages were not marketable. They were important and pivotal because they were not marketable.

So don't be in a rush. Ask God to lead you through this.

Yes , I agree with you !!!

 

[WorkingOnFaith]

The first response that came to my head was a reply to sbbqb7n16's post. DO NOT take his judgement on you and let it let you down. i happen to have nearly perfect english but if I'm not in a place where my english is being judged I will lighten up and just go with the flow.