Fairy Cakes and Fiction Writing
I can’t believe another week has gone!
It’s been a while since I’ve written about how my book is going, so I thought I’d give a bit of an update today :).
Before I do though, just something completely unrelated – how lovely are these fairy cakes?! Fairy cakes would have to be one of my absolute favourite things, and our neighbour gave us a whole box recently, and they were perfect. Heavenly. Fluffy on the inside. Sweet melt-in-your-mouth icing. There was even glitter! I thought they made a nice photo too.
So, now a little about my book.
Just over a year ago I started a course in novel writing. I had been sitting with ideas for a story for a long time, and this was when I began on the long road of bringing these ideas to life.
So far I have the beginning chapters – and journals thick with notes! With dialogue, with research, with ideas that have come through praying and with phrases that come in the middle of the night!
There is a beautiful setting, and a cast of characters with conflicts and problems and hopes. And at the heart of it, is the theme of God’s grace. His redemption. The way He takes us gently by the hand, when we would hide away with shame. The way His light shines through our most broken parts.
There’s a lot I could say about how I’ve found the process so far, but to sum it up, it’s been hard. I described it to a friend recently as feeling like being pregnant (or at least how I would imagine pregnancy to feel :)), like something growing and changing and being molded on the inside, and no matter how much you may want to, you just can’t rush the process!
As much as I love writing, I have felt so frustrated at times, and there have been so many changes (like how I got to 50,000 words and then started over!), but I don’t want to rush ahead of God in the process. Because aside from the fact that He is the heart of it for me, and basically I’m completely dependent on Him anyway, I know that He’s teaching me things personally through all of this.
So that’s a little of how it’s going so far, and I would so love your prayers as I keep pressing on!
Yummy, those cakes look divine, I can see the glitter:)
It was so good to get this update on your writing, and I’m thinking fiction writing is not like baking fairy cakes (which I assume is relatively simple:), it is wonderful to read how you are staying with God in His timing on this even when it get frustrating, and to use your pregnancy example, I am sure that He is birthing something precious and beautiful and I will be praying for you.
Good on ya’, Birgit, for staying with it. I read a book about writing by a fiction author. He said that for every 100 words you should have 800 that you do not use in the finished work. He said that is completely fine because those are the words you use to get to know your characters and come to love them so that you honor them in your piece. I am sure that God is working through you.
Hi Birgit, Those fairy cakes look really delicious. How nice of your neighbour to give you such a yummy treat! Great to hear an update on the novel. It must have been hard to start again after writing 50,000 words. All the best with it and God bless.
Hi Rain, yeah, I loved the glitter! Thanks so much for your prayer and encouragement too. I’m excited about the process, adding a little more each day, and learning a lot. I’m excited about what God is going to continue to teach me through it too. Are you still doing those creative writing challenges from time to time?
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Hi @ngie, that is so good to know! Yesterday I wrote about 1,300 words and culled it to about 700 of that in the end, so it’s great getting this perspective on it, that nothing is wasted. That’s so true too, you do feel like you’re working things out with the plot, and getting to know the characters better, even in the unused parts :) I read about that novel-writing competition that you’re hoping to take part in later this year, how are ideas coming for your story?
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Hi Shirley, so lovely to hear from you, and yes, the fairy cakes really were great, and decorated so beautifully I thought.
Yes, it was a challenge starting over after having written so much, so I pulled back for a while, to get a new perspective on it which helped a lot. The great thing I’ve found is that the previous writing is not all wasted, thankfully. I’ve been able to pull parts out and use it in what I’m working on now.Thanks for your encouragement, I’ll definitely keep you posted xo
It’s no accident that I read this post … today … after having prayed about this very thing for you. Enjoy this “pregnancy” there are many “barren” writers out there. Imagine how GREAT this book will be when it’s “due”. Keep on pressing in, Birgit. :)
I was just thinking of you yesterday Hope :) Thank you so much for your prayer for this. I’m so thankful that God is with us and that He gives us His grace in our work. As I read your comment, it made me think of what Jesus said about Him being the vine, and us, the branches, and that apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Birgit, I don’t really get time to do those challenges anymore but they did teach me that it’s not easy. It is strangely encouraging to read that everyone has to throw a portion of their work away;) But I love the bottom line that God is firstly concerned with our character and wholeness and relationship with Him before our achievements. Hope you have another splendid summer weekend:)
You’re so brave. To me a translation of 50.000 words seems huge, but writing fiction of 50.000 words is enormous! And then you started over, how persevering you are…
Wishing you all the best for your book.
It’s so true what you say here, Rain, and I’m really learning that in a whole new way – that God is more concerned with our character, our growth in Christlikeness, and our relationship with Him than He is in what we do for Him, or our achievements as you say. He is so good, and His ways ultimately bring such blessing I’ve found. Love and blessings to you xo
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Thanks so much for your wonderful encouragement Susanne. Yes, 50,000 is a lot – I’m just thankful I’m able to use big sections of that in this new draft :)