Into the Fire

We've been told by Solomon, "There's nothing new under the sun." He was right those thousands of years ago, and his wise words still stand today. Now this fact makes it difficult to ponder telling a story which can be labeled "unique", "unusual", or even "imaginative". But it doesn't stop storytellers from trying. And the truth is most readers (and writers) have little corners of their mental worlds where others haven't gone – in some cases don't want to traverse.

The common passages in the journey, such as those innumerable novels that deal with romance through the ages, produce little in the new idea department. So why do they continue to outsell every other genre you ask. I would answer because so many women in particular, not exclusively, love to read about love. Some want the typical happily ever after, some want the star-crossed stories, some want the forbidden love, and others just want the "normal" pursuit, trials, and the final arrival at true love. It speaks of a heart's desire, innate, at much different levels in each individual, but a natural leaning of the heart.

It doesn't matter that there's nothing new under the sun. In a way that's freeing because attempting to come up with something "new" isn't likely, no matter how far out you dare to travel. However, what will be different, at least some of the time, is how you tell the story. Your voice, your words, your hopes, your penetrating insights into the characters you create – all of this can present the nuances of "new". Because although your humanity is linked to the billions before and after you, God has made you wonderfully "different." Somehow.

Tell the story. Give it your most personal touch. It will be different, ever so slightly or spectacularly, even if it's not new.

Father, thank you for giving us our individual differences. May your insights and revelation knowledge surface in our writing to make it all worthwhile. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.