Into the Fire

You can ask writers all kinds of questions and get such different answers to the same topics.

Ask writers what they hope to accomplish with their novel(s). Ask them if they have a purpose in writing a particular book. Ask them what their goals are in writing stories. Ask them if they write for a specific audience. Ask them what they hope to achieve in publishing. Ask them whatever you want.

In rereading Tender Is the Night I realized something about certain authors with certain books, and I discovered I wanted that quality in at least a couple of my own. Timelessness. I say "a couple" because an author doesn't arrive there easily. He has to swim to a depth that feels like drowning and then make his way back to the surface of his current reality. 

Even though they write in an era past, present, or future, their novel speaks to the ever present because it captures the humanity of its characters so precisely that time no longer is a factor. It doesn't matter if the mode of transportation is a horse and wagon, a Ferrari, or a space traveling vehicle. If the gown belongs to a flapper or the Levis are hip-huggers or the telephone is a dial-up land line or a smart phone, the characters are as everlasting as the sunrise and sunset, and the crisis is always personally experienced.

What about you? Is there something specific you wish to achieve with your writing?

Father, only you can put those stories on pages that permeate time. Only your inspiration makes lasting quality. Only you. We're all desperate for you, Jesus, whether we know it or not. I love you, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.