Writing: An Adventure in Enthusiasm

By Elaine Fraser @elaine_fraser

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  

Romans 12:11-12

When I was ten, my class went on an excursion to the historic Woodbridge House in Guildford, Western Australia. As we wandered around, my imagination fired. I pictured children running around the home, servants, and workmen.

I imagined myself there in the 1800’s. I was there. I could taste it. Smell it. Believe it.

Back at school, we were told to write a story about our experiences. I wrote and wrote and wrote until the pen indented my finger, marking me for at least an hour after.

I have never forgotten the feeling of words flowing from my head, through my body, through the pen onto paper.

I’ll never forget the physical mark of the pen on my hand.

I’ll never forget the mark on my soul.

I’ll never forget the day I first dreamed of being a writer. 

The enthusiasm I had for writing that day has never waned.

‘En’ means “inside” or “within”.

‘iasm’, like any ‘ism’ makes a word into a noun.

And ‘thus’,  comes from the Greek word ‘theos’ meaning ‘god’, from which we also get

 monotheism and theocracy.

We could say that enthusiasm means being filled with God. God is my ongoing supply of inspiration and wonder in my life, and in my writing. 

Enthusiasm, mixed with adventure, has been the underpinning story of my writing journey. When I put my hand into the hand of Christ at the age of fifteen, I never imagined the huge adventure following Him would take me on.

I spend a lot of my life writing and travelling and, when asked about what I do, I often define it as an adventure.

Back in the thirteenth-century, the etymology of the word adventure indicated a wonder, a miracle; accounts of marvellous things.

I’ve just finished writing a novel I’ve been working on for several years, and it feels like I now have open spaces in my life I haven’t had for a long time.

So, what is my the spirit of God within driving me to? What new wonder, miracle, or account of marvellous things will I encounter next?

As I’ve contemplated and prayed about what next, I’m challenged to see my writing adventures as an extension of where God has led me thus far.

Feeling aligned with God’s will and purpose is a joy-filled place. When I write, I feel I’m in synchronicity with my purpose.

I love writing.

I love teaching writing.

I love feeling in alignment with God’s purpose for my life when I write.

This line from Eric Liddell resonates with me, God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.

When I write, I feel that God breathes enthusiasm into me, He breathes wonder in me, He breathes adventure into me.  

Writing is an adventure in enthusiasm. 

How do you feel when you write?

Do you feel as if the writing life is an enthusiastic adventure for you?

Blessings,

Elaine