Relating To George McFly

Heidi Chiavaroli

Do you remember George McFly from Back to the Future? If you do, you are probably familiar with the scene in George's high school lunchroom. George is scribbling furiously in a notebook when Marty, George's son from the future, comes over and asks his father what he's writing.

“Uh, stories. Science fiction stories… about visitors coming down to Earth from other planets,” George says.

“Get out of town… I didn’t know you did anything creative,” Marty says, clearly impressed. “Here, let me read some.” He reaches for the notebook, but George pulls it away.

“Oh, no, no, no. I never let anyone read my stories.”

“Why not?”

“Well, what if they didn’t like them? What if they told me I was no good? I guess that would be pretty hard for somebody to understand.”

I think anyone who is a writer understands you, George McFly.

Whether we’re just penning that first story or on our tenth novel, there is always risk in putting ourselves out there. Our words, our thoughts, our stories. Someone is bound not to like them.

And that ugly word ‘rejection’ comes nagging at our pride.

I’m learning there are many layers to this writing journey. I’ve won and finaled in contests, I’ve acquired an awesome agent, but even so, I know as my story is submitted, rejection will come. This is a subjective industry. Not everyone will love what I have to say—or how I say it. Yet I must face facts—rejection is part of a writer's journey, and it's nearly inevitable.

Standing at this threshold, I can't imagine not continuing. So I'm going to continue this crazy race. And you know what? I'm excited to learn what journey God has in store for me. I'm excited to see what He's going to teach me next. Maybe He'll surprise me. Maybe He'll teach me things that don't even have to do directly with writing. Maybe He'll teach me more about myself, about others, and about His grace. Not a bad deal, right? And if I happen to get my book published along the way…well, I’d definitely take that too. ;)

As for George McFly, I can't say my future has a hardcover in it as his eventually did, but for right now, it's nice to know someone else understands, even if he is only a fictional character himself.

Heidi Chiavaroli is a writer, runner, wife, mother, and grace-clinger—not necessarily in that order. Ever since taking her first trip to Plimoth Plantation with her sister, mother, and grandmother at the age of nine, she has been fascinated with history and its significance to today’s people and culture. Heidi is the winner of ACFW’s 2014 Genesis Contest, Historical Category. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle. Learn more about Heidi on her website: www.heidichiavaroli.com.

Writing His Story by Emilie Hendryx

Emilie Hendryx

I’d like to say that every time I sit down to write I pray before I start…but there are days that I forget. It’s not that I don’t want His involvement through every page—I do—but I forget, as sad as that sounds. Yet, if you were to sit down with me (preferably over a cup of coffee) and ask me what my heart for writing is, I would say it is to write the story’s that God places on my heart. I’d guess that most Christian authors have that same desire.

I’ve interviewed many authors over the last few years and one of my favorite questions is, “What is one take-away from your book that you hope readers identify with?” I get varying answers, but the heart behind them all is that a Christian author hopes to share the message God has placed uniquely on their heart.

But how do we know what that message is? We may wonder if God even has a message for us to share. I’ve outlined three things that I think we can do as writers to help us on our writing journey. These aren’t mind-blowing things, just simple reminders crafted to encourage you as a writer.

Ask Him

This may sound redundant, but pray about your writing. As I admitted previously, I sometimes for get to do this, but I know that it is the best way to truly connect with my Savior over what I am writing. The trick here is to keep it up! We don’t just pray about an idea and then forge ahead with our own way. He should be involved in all aspects.

Ask Others

God has specifically placed others in your life for a reason. They may be other writers, readers, or just friends who have no vested interest in writing but who can give you a godly perspective. Have these friends pray with you. Let them know a direction, and then have a discussion if needed.

Write

Then comes the fun part. Writing! Of course, you may say, writing was the whole idea. But that’s not true. It’s not so much about the writing as it is about the story. We each have unique perspectives on life shaped through our experience. We may not all write inspirational fiction, but that doesn’t mean our story is any less an extension of what Christ is crafting in us.

So…write! Take the next step to craft that story you’ve always wanted to. It will be shaped through your prayer time with Him, your conversations with those He’s placed in your life, and your own story. When focused on Him, you will be writing His story.

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Emilie Hendryx is a writer and photographer living in Washington, DC. She is a member of ACFW and writes weekly on her blog, Thinking Thoughts. When she isn’t busy writing romantic suspense novels or taking wedding photos, you can find her curled up with a book and a cup of coffee.  Connect with her on her blog, her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.