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