DON'T GIVE UP

 
Did you know you have to get permission to use song lyrics in your novel? You do and trust me, while you’re writing the first draft of your Great American Novel, you better start the process. It takes time. In my case, six months.

           Yes, half a year to wonder if or when I’d hear the good news (or bad). When I typed the words to On the Road Again by Willie Nelson in my novel, I had no idea getting permission would take so long. But now that I have my novel in hand, the process seems worth jumping through all the hoops.

Writing is similar to getting the okay I needed to use the song. I had to do SOMETHING. And as writers, we need to sit down at our desk or easy chair to begin writing. If we don’t, nothing will happen. We can hope, hope, hope that words will appear on the page, but until we take the time to write them, they'll stay in our head.

What if I hadn’t taken the time to contact Willie Nelson or Sony ATV? What if I’d given up when Sony sent me to another division and I had to fax in countless forms? What if I’d thrown in the towel when Sony sent me to the Hal Leonard Corporation right before Thanksgiving?

Again, nothing would have happened. I’d be sitting here, manuscript in hand, unable to send it out because I didn’t get permission. Or worse, I would have decided it wasn’t worth the trouble and taken the words out of my novel.

I would have settled for mediocre instead of being able to say, “Glory Hallelujah” when I received the email with permission to use the song.

My advice: Don’t give up. Do the ‘something’ you need to do. In the end the Lord will bless you beyond measure. 
Love ya!
Janetta
PS: If interested in ordering my book, click on link: https://goo.gl/qCkT45