The MBT 2011 Deep Thinkers
I receive a lot of questions from aspiring writers and this one caught my eye.
Q: Have you ever had a story that you wanted to write, a spiritual message you wanted to share, but it won’t let you just yet?
A: Yes, I have a couple stories sitting in my heart that I haven’t had the opportunity or perhaps the divine timing to write yet.
I’m a firm believer that God will work out the story in the right time, so I continue to collect ideas, impressions, do research and let those ideas soak, waiting for the right timing.
But sometimes I’m not ready – emotionally, or even professionally to write it. Maybe I don’t have the skill level yet. And I certainly don’t want to waste my swan’s song on mediocre writing! Or, maybe the market isn’t ready for my brilliant idea. So, in the meantime, I move onto the stories I have the ability to write right now.
This is what happened with my “Josey” series. The story of my hilarious happenings in Russia simmered in my heart years before God opened the door to write it. And when He did, the timing was perfect. (My first book in that series, Everything’s Coming Up Josey was a Christy finalist). The same thing happened with “Nothing but Trouble.” I cooked up my heroine PJ Sugar four years before I saw it come to publication. And I’m glad I waited – I was able to write a deeper story than the one I had originally envisioned.
I’ve always loved historical fiction, but I had to wait until I had the time to do the research, as well as the ability to pull them off. I envisioned something more literary, so I had to grow into those skills, reading widely and doing a thorough scrutiny of my writing. My first dive into the historical genre was Sons of Thunder (which won the new Inspy Bloggers award!)
I think a lot of writers believe they have to write the stories on their hearts…but perhaps they’re also not ready to write that story yet. I think it’s wise to ask God if it’s time…or if there is another story that could hone your skills in the meantime, in preparation for that heart story.
God Bless you on your writing journey!
Susie May