I Want to Hug Francine Rivers

Fact: Most of the time I struggle to write.

I started writing fairly late in life by most people’s standards (it was the year I turned 50) and because of that I always felt I had a lot of catching up to do. Because I had loads of ideas in my head - characters, conversations and conflict galore - I thought this writing thing would be a snack.

At first it was. Writing the first draft for A Simple Mistake was fantastic, the gift that kept on giving! It just flowed and flowed. The second one? Let’s not go there. And this third one isn't exactly racing along either although it’s getting a little easier as I get into it. 

I went to the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference back in August where I heard from two highly successful authors. One writes a 100,000 word novel every six months. The other writes FOUR that size a year and has three series on the go. Apparently, that’s the key to success. Writing fabulous novels very fast. I think my jaw is still on the floor of Waipuna Lodge where the conference was held.

So why haven’t the floodgates opened if I've got so many ideas? Some of the answers are obvious:

1.      I dream too much.

2.      I plot too much.

3.      I go off on tangents while researching.

4.      I get distracted by social media.

Those are easy to deal with in comparison to my bigger problem, one I’m sure many writers suffer from. 

Fear.

Fear that my ideas won’t look as good on the page as they appear in my head; that I’ll be the only one who loves my characters; that my sense of humour won’t translate well. Fear my dialogue won’t be as good this time around. Fear of writers’ block. Fear I’ll never finish the next book because of … well, fear!

I’ve been a Christian a looooong time. I know which scriptures to confess. I know how to pray. I know I can refer back to emails and Facebook messages and phone a friend when I need reassurance.

I got it in truck loads one morning when I read a link posted by Charis Joy Jackson on Facebook. (Consider yourself hugged too, Charis J)

If you would like to read the whole thing, here it is:
http://francinerivers.com/blog/creative-minds-are-seldom-tidy

These two quotes from Francine were a balm to my soul.

·          ‘The past two projects are showing me that writing does not get easier.  Not that I ever had any illusions that it would.  I just didn’t expect it to become more and more difficult.’ 

·          ‘During limbo times, the niggling fears come whispering.  Whatever gave you the idea you could be a writer?’ 

What? Francine Rivers has self-doubt?

Once my initial shock had morphed into a perverse delight (I mean that in the nicest possible way) I took a deep breath and made some decisions.

1.       I will do whatever it takes to become as good a writer as I can be. Hopefully that includes becoming faster.

2.      I will continue to write what I believe God is nudging me to write. (Oh, how I love those nudges!)

3.      I will not let fear cripple me.

4.      I will stop punishing myself and make it a habit to give my writing worries to God. (I John 4:18a – ‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.’)

So there it is; a confession straight from the heart.  I know I’m not alone - God knows when I need encouragement, like in Francine's blog post. And not only is He with me, but so are you, my fellow readers and writers. I take great comfort in that. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll get back to my manuscript …

About Andrea Grigg

Andrea writes contemporary romance. Her second novel Too Pretty was released on August 1 by Rhiza Press. Her first book A Simple Mistake was a finalist in the CALEB Awards 2012

Andrea would love to hear from you via her website or Facebook page:
http://www.andreagrigg.com/
https://www.facebook.com/author.andreagrigg

One book too many?

The moment had come. I had finally arrived at that very last chapter of my current work in progress—another memoir entitled Coming Home to Myself. One would think I would fly through it at this point. But no ... it was a slow, hard journey, with many stops and starts and much use of the cut and paste function on my laptop, as well as that delete button.

There are several possible reasons for this, I believe. One is that some physical pain has intervened. In January, I had a back operation, which helped greatly. But of course that does not solve all the problems. I need to walk and exercise—and I need to remember to get up off this office chair at my desk at regular intervals and do something else.

Another is much more pleasurable and that is the arrival of our new grandchild in March. There is nothing like sitting at my laptop, cuddling our cute little granddaughter in one arm, while typing with the other! However, it has not been all that conducive to thinking clearly about how to round off that final chapter of my book.

A third factor that has come into play is one I should have known to guard against by now, having written seven other books. In this current manuscript, I have referred to several excellent books on related topics and quoted from some, probably reading and enjoying much more of them than I should have at this point. But then I made the mistake of leaving them piled up around me on my desk, within my line of vision. As a result, when the time came to write my own final chapter, those huge doubts began assailing me. What am I doing, writing this little book of mine when I see these great classics around me here? Surely these other wonderful authors have said all that is necessary—and said it so much better than I ever could? Is my book one too many?

But I believe there is a fourth reason for the depth of confusion I experienced in finishing that final chapter—and one that must not be overlooked by any of us. I believe the enemy does not like to see us putting our heart and soul into writing those books that say something significant about faith in God and that have the potential to make a difference for God in this world. So, at one particular point in my struggle to complete this book, I got to my feet and prayed out loud, taking a literal stand against what I sensed was happening. To my amazement, things changed dramatically. Almost at once, I knew what I had to write in those last few paragraphs. And writing them was sheer joy, as I sensed God’s Spirit filling me and freeing me up so that those words flowed again.

One book too many? Hopefully not! As God enables, I will keep writing—and praying. And I encourage you all to do the same.

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of six published novels and one non-fiction work, Soul Friend: the story of a shared spiritual journey. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and four grandchildren. For more information, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com or www.soulfriend.com.au.