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| Melinda Viergever Inman |
Wisdom
for the Writing Life
Lose yourself in your imaginary world and listen to the voices in your head. Take as long as you need to get everything exactly right, pausing momentarily whenever life interrupts. Enjoy this to the max. Once you publish, this won’t happen again.
While I was striving to get published, I received that
advice.
No matter where we are in this journey, there are always
writers farther down the writing road. They have wisdom we haven’t yet gleaned.
Recognizing this, I applied that advice. Learning to relax and bask in the
pleasure of an unrushed creative process, I drafted five novels before the
first published. I’m glad I did.
For some reason—wishful thinking, inexperience, dreaming the
dream, all of the above—human beings overlook significant facts when we
visualize what lies ahead. Our daydreams never include the details of real
life.
When we imagine the glorious day when our words will appear
in print, the normal interruptions and crises that will simultaneously occur
are forgotten. Instead, we imagine a smooth publishing process, hundreds of
5-star reviews, bestseller status, and a world stunned and impacted by our
words. Maybe that will happen for
some. However, rest assured, even if it does, real life will also happen.
During deadlines, important final edits, and last
read-throughs, these will remain—the same illnesses and health crises,
broken-down cars, teenage drivers stranded on nighttime roads, health needs of
aging parents, family deaths, households of vomiting children, floods, and
other life experiences that build our character and teach us to be Christ-like.
In fact, when we’re writing for the King of the universe,
our character may need even more refining. Pressures may increase. They have in
my life, and I know enough writers to notice that this is common.
We may not only find ourselves facing the normal realities,
but also challenges that we never expected in our wildest dreams. We may learn
more about suffering. As with all life experiences, the Lord will use these to
equip us. Our writing will increase in depth and wisdom. We will grow.
“We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to
endure, so that we despaired of life itself….But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who
raises the dead” (2 Corinthians
1:8-9 NIV).
This writing ministry is not only about encouraging others.
God also transforms us through it. As we press into our ministry, we learn to
rely on the Lord, right in the midst of it. In this way, we grow to make the
decisions required of published writers, just as we earlier learned to have
greater faith and patience.
To impact God’s kingdom, we become familiar with the
publishing process, so it becomes streamlined. We cull our commitments,
prioritizing our families and leaving margin for crises. When a deadline looms
as we experience family death or crisis, we give preference to what the Lord
deems essential, relying on Him. As we grow, we can then comfort others with the
wisdom gained in this writing life.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in
any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians
1:3-4).
How is
this playing out in your life as a writer?
Fallen
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| Fallen |
Available
next month!
Love
takes action: The Creator God establishes the cosmos and shapes a man. Adam
rises from the dust. Envious, the powerful angel Lucifer despises him.
Oblivious to the threat, Adam is captivated by his strong, intuitive wife Eve.
In the Garden of Eden, they enjoy abundant food, gorgeous vistas, and
intriguing challenges, including their budding love and passion. They have it
all!
But
Lucifer’s deceptive brilliance tricks them into disobeying God. They eat the
one forbidden fruit. Their innocence is shattered. Their unity with one another
and with God is destroyed. Death will follow. Lucifer’s jealousy threatens
mankind’s tenuous beginning. But God is merciful. What astonishing promise does
He make? How will Adam and Eve survive – broken, shattered, and separated from God?
Melinda Viergever Inman
was raised in the tornado capital of the U.S. - Wakita, Oklahoma, of
"Twister" fame. There her parents met. There her roots were sunk in a
storytelling family. During years of relocation, tragedy struck. Wounded and
heartbroken, Melinda forsook her roots and ran from herself and from God. A
journey of trial and heartache brought her home again. A prodigal now returned
to her secure foundation, she writes with passion, illustrating God's love for
wounded people as he makes beauty from ashes. Fallen is her second novel, Refuge
her first. Melinda shepherds women in church and prison ministry and writes
inspirational material on her biweekly blog at http://melindainman.com/blog/ . With
her family she is involved with Mission India, rescuing orphans and providing
theological and job training for impoverished students— http://rimi.org/.
Connections:
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melinda-V-Inman/189731601076470
Website: http://melindainman.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelindaVInman
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/melindavinman/
