Writing With Transformation

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Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.

I Corinthians 13:12

There’s something magical about seeing your work published – and you never know when that moment of joy will come.  You stroll out to your mailbox one day, not expecting anything special; and voilà,  there it is.  You rip it open and beam with joy.  After all that work, lots of ups and downs, struggles and triumphs, your initial idea has been transformed, and you are face to face with your words in print.

When I first begin a new writing project I am filled with excitement and hope and promise.  I have no idea what the finished product will look like, but I eagerly rewrite, get critiques, rewrite again and again – all the while watching a transformation take place.  I eventually pass it on to an editor and illustrator, where more transformation occurs.  Then eventually, it is finished.

When I think of my Christian life with its ups and downs, struggles and triumphs, joys and sorrows, I realize that I, too, am being transformed.  I start with great excitement and hope and promise; then transformation begins.  It’s hard work, but slowly I am transformed more and more to the image of Christ.  Best of all, there is a moment coming when all the work will be done, and I will see my Savior face to face.  It is hard to imagine what such a moment will be like – the magnification of joy and awe and wonder.   We read about, talk about, learn about, and even talk to Jesus, but seeing Him face to face … oh my, what a day that will be!

Writing With Karamell-Apfel-Blatterteig

 

Look what Laurie made.

I would write much better today if she shared it with me. I might have to make my own.

Here’s the link for the recipe:

 

JRR Tolkien and Insecurities

Tolkien (Photo credit: proyectolkien)

“I am dreading the publication, for it will be impossible not to mind what is said. I have exposed my heart to be shot at.” ~Tolkien on the pending publication of Lord of the Rings

“I am not made for perilous quests,”  cried Frodo. “I wish I had never seen the Ring!  Why did it have to come to me?  Why was I chosen?”

“Such questions cannot be answered, “said Gandalf.  “You may be sure that it was not for any merit that others do not possess; not for any power or wisdom, at any rate. But you have been chosen and you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have.”

JRR Tolkien

Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

Writing With Scraps

Plenty of good scraps are as important in making a book as in the making of a quilt.

I often think of my books as scrapbooks of my life, because I put in them all the neat things that I see and read and hear.  I sometimes wonder what people who don’t write do with all their good stuff.

Betsy Byars – The Moon and I

Growing up we made our own clothes.  There was nothing like choosing the fabric, pinning the pattern and cutting out the pieces.  Best of all were the scraps.  We had a big cardboard box, the scrap box,  filled with the leftovers, the cut-away parts.  From the scraps we made doll clothes, dog costumes or quilts. Gingham prints or velvet, cottons or silk. Nothing was wasted.

As a writer I take the pieces of my life and use those scraps to create my stories. In God’s economy nothing is wasted.  The hard times and good times, funny events and heartbreak, victories and defeats all can be used to make something beautiful.  This is true in the stories that I create as a writer and in my own personal story of life.  It’s all about how we use the scraps.

What’s in your scrap box?

I’m making something out of my scraps today, how about you?

Writing Sisters

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.

Romans 8:28

Reading Robert Louis Stevenson

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The best things in life are nearest:  Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.  Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life’s plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.  ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Give us today our daily bread.  Matthew 6:11