Into the Fire

I don’t think you know who you are as a writer (of novels) until you’ve finished two unrelated books. The first one is a bear for some of us. Squeezing it in between life demands, compelling ourselves to write it down before it slips away, giving up and letting those bits of characters and plot thoughts seep into deeper membranes maybe never to be recovered again while whining “Why did I think I could do this?!” Writers press on. They have their down times, their productive times, their whattheheckisthis times. All of us different. All of us handling each experience, each step, however we know to do. Sometimes not having a clue.

But the story won’t die, and therefore we keep after it. I’m tellin’ ya when you visit writers’ websites or blogs or blog tours and you read interviews with creative types, you’ll either rejoice in finding someone who extracts words the same way you do (!) or marvel at another who couldn’t be more different from you if they attempted to capture your polar opposite.

The second book might come on the heels of the first or much later after all is said and done with that initial effort. The idea may have invaded your space long before the first one was finished, but now you’ve given yourself permission to pursue it. Who knows? It might roll off the keys or screech from the pen in magnificent fluency. Or not. No matter how it comes, it’s certainly different from the first one in so many ways—and maybe not so many.

There are certain qualities a writer must have—these are inarguable. Don’t know if they can truly be learned, but they can certainly be refined if you have them. The main one is you have to be able to write a story. Now how you want to tell that story, the words you choose, the pace you pick, the locations, scenes, dialogue, theme and characters will be your decision, and will hopefully present themselves based on your understanding of grammar and craft principles. Once you genuinely understand them, you can break the rules. If you break them without understanding what they are and how they apply to putting together a story, it won’t look clever. It’ll look dumb.

I am a bit of a lone ranger when it comes to style. I like a lot of different styles. I used to not enjoy stories written from the first person POV. Then I read a couple I enjoyed, and, whaddayaknow! I ended up writing one. It simply had to be told from that point of view.

My first novel about horse racing is a monster. Hope Of Glory in all its glory is 744 pages including a Glossary of Terms for the interpretation of authentic language in the book. It starts out just before the race meet begins, and, once the meet starts, is a day by day account of one season of racing. There are more characters than I could count to illustrate the collage of people involved and interrelated in the sport. I didn’t set out to write it that way. I set out to write a Christian novel about horse racing because those are the exact words the Lord spoke to my heart when I told him I would write if I had something to write about. If you want to roll your eyes at that assertion, be my guest, but it’s the truth. I started the book in the summer of 1993 and finished it longhand sometime in the spring of 2002. There were 6 to 9 month periods of no writing at all while I worked 7 days a week at the track, home-schooled for several of those years, and did ministry at church.

I will never teach on craft. I will never teach on writing at all. My stories come to me with characters first. The Holy Spirit delivers them to me—what else can I say? I am not creative enough to make them up, but it’s like I know them from the inside out. Who they are, why they are . . . what they are as people. And, yes, I break most of the rules. I know what they are. I was an A-student in all things English, grammar, literature. I read a bunch of novels whenever I’m not writing. Lots and lots of them. So I know what I’m “supposed” to do. I just can’t do it the “normal” way. It’s not the way I write. I’ve read the craft books. They’re good. Reasonable. Informative. Helpful. They’re great assets for indicating what publishers seek in general. They presume to speak for what most readers desire in a novel. They don’t happen to completely speak for me either as a reader or as a writer. I guess I’m the exception. It doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a lot of the books I read. It means I don’t find a lot of novels that I really love. Sooo . . . I write what I love.

And I think that’s important. I think it’s also important to define for yourself what you hope to achieve with your writing. If your sole goal is to be published, study those craft books until you’re positive you can do what they instruct. Make those first 5 to 20 pages charged with action, conflict, tension, and drama, humor, thrills. And keep it going for 80-100,000 words or thereabouts. Tall order. And read, read, read, particularly in your preferred genre.

If you desire to write to satisfy your soul, do it. And do it well. Share it with those in your section of the world. If the Lord leads, seek publication. And read, read, read.

Above all, if writing is what God has given you to do, write away. You make the effort, He’ll make the time. Your first responsibility is to Him. Let Him supply your words, fill your heart with story, breathe life into those characters. He has a plan. It might be different from any plan you know or have considered, but His is the best. Follow it.

God, thank you that you have a plan. A good plan. A custom-made plan. Help each one of us to pursue your plan and no other and find contentment in your ways and in our obedience. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.