I spent a few years writing many inspirational and teaching blogs. A friend of mine and I both wrote and posted on the bog. We had almost five posts a week between us for over two years.
Then when that season was done, we both knew it was done.
I have kept a journal for a long time with story and book ideas. They are both fiction and non-fiction.
On the day I heard God say to me, “It is time to write” I knew exactly what it was I was to write. About a year earlier I had an idea for another book and had written copious notes. I had even drawn a map of the fictional town.
I had written character profiles and a synopsis of the story. On that very day after hearing God, I got up from where I was sitting and wrote.
Now, writing that first novel is not my favorite writing experience. I had an agenda and I get trying to force the story to fit the agenda. It was a mess. It was stiff and disjointed.
Once done, I knew I did not like the first half. So of course I set out praying about it. God’s words from year ago came back to me, “Just tell the story.”
At that point I asked for divine guidance to help me edit the mess I had created in the first half of the book.
I ripped out entire chapters and moved chapters and sections around creating a better flow. I reworded sentences and read and reread until I felt it was good.
While writing that novel, I would go to sleep at night and sometimes entire chapters would download to me for other books I knew I was to write. And when I would wake up, they were miraculously still there.
I would write them down and tuck them away in my computer for a later time.
There are still chapters and scenes I have written for books coming up in the future. When I get them, I write them down.
With the second book, The Water, the writing process was so much smoother. I knew I had to just take my hands of, let go of any agenda, and just tell the story. And, I did.
I want to encourage you to leave me any comments below. They are so encouraging and motivating to me.
--- stay tuned for part 2 ...
Nancy
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