The Beginning of a Story
I have just started something new.
I’ve started a course in novel writing.
My hope is that through this course, and with the guidance offered, I will be able to write a book that has been bubbling away for over a year.
Two winters ago, I came to the end of a very beautiful novel. I put it down, and sat curled up on our sofa, looking out at the grey.
I had played with story ideas for some time, and started to daydream about one of these ideas. Themes and setting and characters came to life, quickly and vividly. They had names and faces and problems and hopes.
That evening, Michael and I went to a restaurant to celebrate the New Year. We talked about the year ahead and our hopes for it, and I started to tell him about the seeds of this story. I remember it vividly, this conversation, because the scene seemed so romantic, the table with the candle, the red wine, the excitement. To my delight, Michael was as animated as me, and his enthusiasm seemed to breathe life into the idea. What a blessing he is. We walked home arm-in-arm along the Thames, and I felt joy that writing this story could be possible.
And so I sat with the idea for a long time, seeking God, and then His timing.
I wrote notes and snippets of dialogue and inspiration that God gave in my times with Him.
And this year, it was time. As big as it seems to me, I have made start. I have enrolled in this course, started researching, and begun drafting scenes.
At the heart of it is the desire to present the love and grace of Jesus Christ, to those who know Him, and those who don’t.
It’s very much a journey and something I am trying. I am very dependent on God and I am hoping in His grace to see this through. If you are a praying person, I would really value your prayers.
And in the meantime, it is an absolute dream and blessing to be putting my hands to this. It is so creative, and I love seeking the face of God for inspiration.
This is incredibly inspiring and very close to my heart. As a young child I loved to write and over the years have had a burning desire to write however university studies, family commitments and pure procrastination has stood in my way. I am constantly storing away ideas in the compartments of my mind and have a many many bits of paper and diary entries with my ideas. I have heard one of the biggest obstacles for a writer is not starting. I know I have many excuses that my life is jam packed full and where do I find the time. Also in our daily lives with the pressures and mundane activities we have to do, our creative side is sometimes drowned out. This morning I had to get up extra early for a work meeting and this is after a late night however I am not sitting at my desk witnessing the most beautiful scene where the cold misty morning has been transformed by a beautifuly golden sun above the still blue waters of Wellington harbour. It does remind me of the God’s love and the beauty of his creation. Writing is a way of bridging the unspoken and the language of the soul and sharing it with others to enrich their lives. It is also an act of worship because you are finding ways to describe God’s amazing creation and finding new ways to interpret the world around us. Also, everything we have eperience in all of our senses stays with us forever in our concious and subconcious. I want to leave behind footprints of my experiences.
Laree, your writing is beautiful, and I love your descriptions, like writing being a bridge between what is unspoken and the words within. Your description of Wellington made me so homesick. I love autumn in Wellington, and early mornings at the harbour.
It’s inspiring to read how writing has always meant so much to you, and that you have many ideas about things you will say. Even if the timing isn’t right, right now, keep hopeful and keep writing until it is.
I relate strongly to the idea of writing being act of worship. That at the heart of what is being said, is Jesus. His love, His goodness, His compassion. It is a joy and a privilege to try and communicate Him.