One question I never expected to hear about my book is how long it took. I always blush a little when I say 28 years. That even beats Jane Austen's 17 years and, back then women weren't supposed to do creative and intelligent things.
It's been said you reveal yourself in writing and I've come to realize, scary as that is, it's true. Maggie, the lead character had a lonely childhood, immersed herself in books, was fat, and depressed. Hello. The rest of her story is pretty much made up, but when she has a discussion with her son, I can hear my Dan saying those words. Bob was not a Christian when we met and that caused some spiritual and cultural difficulty in our marriage until he made his peace with GOD 24 years later. There's a very slight connection there.
To me, Maggie doesn't have a sense of humor and neither do I. If I do, it's self-deprecating. Charlie, on the other hand, does. So does my husband. We've lived in a small town outside Pittsburgh, hence the Steelers connection. Then, too, we've lived in Northwest Georgia. We've moved 33 times in 50 years. Charlie travels a great deal in his business. Obviously, I've revealed myself as I wrote. Even when the majority of the story is fiction, I'm still in there. My attitudes, my way of handling difficulties-it's there.
Perhaps that's one reason it took 28 years to write. Who wants all their secrets exposed? Another reason was a lack of self confidence. I've waffled back and forth for years. Will it sell? Will it provide a message of restoration and hope for those who've made serious mistakes in their lives? Most of all, will GOD be glorified in what I've written?
There are those who've let me know fiction will not honor GOD. They've been adamant about it. There are those who just want to be entertained and I don't write for entertainment. I'm not condemning those who do, it's just not my calling. The first will not be reading my book. The second may (I hope).
Things have been a little slow at school this past week. Correcting workbooks is generally a huge portion of my day, but there's another tutor on board and she's much faster at it than I am, so between working with boys, what to do? I decided to reread "Pilgrim's Progress." A work of fiction that still speaks to hearts today. "The Color of Roses" is not in the caliber of "Pilgrim's Progress." I might be "weird" but I'm not a fool. However, I can think of no Christian who would castigate "Pilgrim's Progress" because it's fiction.
There's also a vicar by the name of McDonald from the 19th century whose family was starving so he began to write fiction to support his family. In the culture of his day, some of his work may have seemed less than Christian, but he got a wonderful message of grace and mercy across. That's what I'm trying to do.
The hardest part is that when things seem to be going well, I'm sure this is GOD's will for me. When they're not, I begin to question. However, there's no turning back now. Another author friend was encouraging by reminding me there's always risk involved. That's what happens when you surrender control to the LORD. It's His work. Hands off.
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