Why we Write

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For those of us who’ve started out on this writing journey later in life it’s often a result of that burning story idea that’s been bugging us for years. That was me 15 years (really has it been that long ago?). Or how many times have we met someone who says they really want to write their personal story because they believe their life has been sufficiently interesting that others would enjoy it? My dad’s one of those. And an elderly family-friend only mentioned it to me the other day. She said she had all these handwritten notes tucked away where she’d documented important moments of her life.

But so many of those people don’t get around to writing their stories. Why? A host of reasons I expect.

And then there are those many authors who consider the Lord has called them to write. I’m not one of those and have no qualms about not being.

A Seeker

“We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand.” – Cecil Day-Lewis

It’s only been in the last few years that I’ve come to realise the above quote is true for me. I think many people write or desire to write (like those I mentioned above) because they seek to be understood. Having read many non-fiction books, memoirs and such (I read more of these than fiction) I’ve realised the ones I struggle to read are those that are focusing too much on sharing their story rather than universal truths that provide relevance for a reader. As I only read today from Wayne Jacobsen (one of the co-writers of The Shack):

“Your story needs to be the illustration; your book needs to be about the life lesson that will help your order.”

I’ve found this a useful reminder as I type away with the non-fiction piece that I’m writing. Yes, I’m seeking to understand why intimacy with God is such a struggle for us that can also flow over into our relationships but I’ve found I’ve needed to first chart my own story of intimacy before discovering those pearls of wisdom that others may find meaningful.

But I write fiction

“All of my novels began with a question I was wrestling with. A doubt or struggle in my life that I wanted to explore in the context of story.” – Ted Dekker

We write stories to discover the truth. And in so doing we discover more about the Lord and ourselves.

As I mentioned in a previous post last year I had to wrestle with my own shadows to effectively write a story of the same title.

The Privilege of Writing

God is creative. The first thing we see God do is … create.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 NKJV)

We are made in His likeness. So we are ALL creative. We create because He did. “We were born to make art. Our artist identity is our birthright.” (Emily P Freeman)

Wow!

And we get to create with our Creator.

Double Wow!

Doesn’t it blow your mind? For whatever reason we’re writing fiction or non-fiction, we get to do it with Him. And that’s the point.

Doing it with Him.

I’ve read books and unpublished manuscripts of varying quality recently; some have been great, some not so. But what I know is that all these authors had a story in them (some were their own personal stories) and it was important they be written. Not so that it gets published, not that it sells squillions of copies, or wins awards, but they created with their Creator. And in so doing they gave Him glory.

Dan Balow summed it up really well in his Steve Laube post the other day: “God does not need your book. But he loves it when you exercise your abilities for his glory and not your own.”

And then:

“God grants his children the privilege of joining his work, no matter what you do.”

What an honour it is for us authors. To write with Him. To co-create.

So stay close to Him when you turn up each day to the blank piece of paper. He’s there. In you. And He’s so excited that you’ve once again turned up to create something … together.

Grace and peace, my writer friends.

Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard, is available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Angelguard was recognised with the 2014 Selah Award for Speculative Fiction.You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter

God is!

“It is the normality not the uniqueness of God’s miracles that causes them to be so staggering. Rather than shocking the globe with an occasional demonstration of deity, God has opted to display his power daily. Proverbially. Pounding waves. Prism-cast colours. Birth, death, life. We are surrounded by miracles. God is throwing testimonies at us like fireworks, each one exploding, “God is! God is!” This is a quote from Max Lucado’s “God Came Near”.

I was so vividly reminded of the truth of this on our recent trip across to the South Australian coast. Everywhere we turned there were explosions of wild flowers, dramatically beautiful scenery, gorgeous sunsets, examples of God’s amazingly diverse creativity. I found it deeply enriching and inspiring, mentally and spiritually.  

Max Lucado goes on to say “We wonder with so many miraculous testimonies around us, how we could escape God. But somehow we do. We live in an art gallery of divine creativity and yet are content to gaze only at the carpet.”

 

I wanted to share some of what I saw and felt while I was away, particularly because the refreshment of this feast of beauty and gIory seemed to clear my mind of niggles and loose ends, which I’m sure stifle my own creativity, and has allowed me to think, dream and imagine in more productive ways, both in terms of my writing and my everyday living.

When away on a holiday or in a new place it’s easier to be watchful and intentional about soaking up the environment, but in fact when I got home I quickly noticed how my own garden was full of colour and beauty, how blue the sky was and how amazingly pretty were the parrots that flit around our back yard. It’s true, as Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote: “Earth is crammed with heaven, and every bush aflame with God. But only those who see take off their shoes.”

I encourage you to look about and see the glory of God which surrounds us. Immerse yourself in it. Be refreshed. Be inspired. Be uplifted. And let your own creativity flow from the refreshment of the wonder of God’s creation.  

Carol writes historical novels based on her family ancestry in Australia from the First Fleet. They include the Turning the Tide series; Mary’s Guardian, Charlotte’s Angel, Tangled Secrets and Truly Free. Her earlier novels Suzannah’s Gold and Rebecca’s Dream have been re-released by EBP. Her new novel, Next of Kin, was released by Rhiza Press this year. You can see more about Carol and her novels on her website  

www.carolpreston.com.au

www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston

www.facebook.com/writingtoreach

With words, God created

A couple of weeks ago we were cruising around New Zealand and had the opportunity to see some of its wonderful scenery. I can never gaze on such beauty without being awe struck and without being reminded of the creation story. Genesis tells us that “God said  … let there be light … let there be an expanse between the waters … let dry ground appear … let the ground produce … let there be lights in the sky … let the waters teem with living creatures and the land produce living creatures.”

God spoke the world into being. That’s such an amazing truth! With words, God created the world and He saw that it was all good. And when I see it I, too, think it’s wonderful and I give thanks for it. Creation has the power to inspire, to lift one’s spirits, to draw one to God.

However, a couple of days later we drove into Christchurch and saw the devastation done by the earthquake in 2011. Having been to Christchurch a few years before that and seen what a beautiful city it was, I could hardly believe my eyes. The landscape, once gardened, picturesque and elegant,  the buildings, including this once beautiful cathedral, were completely ravaged, not to mention the terrible loss of life and livelihoods. And so I was reminded that the same creation which God spoke into being and saw as good, has become flawed and broken. Now creation has the power to destroy, tear down, devastate. When we see first-hand or on TV what havoc can be wreaked by earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis, tornedos and volcanoes, we see how all the earth is groaning and suffering, waiting for God to liberate it from the sin that also has mankind in bondage.

Just as sobering is the thought that God made us in His image and the power of our words is also an awesome thing. James reminds us that because we are also flawed and broken, now even our tongue, though a tiny part of our bodies, has such potential for harm. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. … With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who have been made in God’s likeness. (James 3).

So like creation, our words have the power to lift the spirits of others, to encourage, inspire, to draw others to God. But sadly in our brokenness, we also have great power to destroy, tear down, to devastate. I think this is true whether it is the spoken or the written word. I believe this is an awesome responsibility for an author, for the written word will be there for others to see and be affected by long after we are gone. Our written words may spread well beyond the influence of our spoken words, as important as they are.

How sad is it to see people reading material that leads them in wrong directions, morally, spiritually, relationally. We see how some words can spark off a ravaging fire of self-harm, prejudice, cruelty, immorality and selfishness – just as devastating as an earthquake.

Yet we also have the power with our words to do such good, to leave a legacy of encouragement, to build others up, to inspire, to show the way to God and everlasting peace and beauty. What a privilege.

May this be a year when we all consider every word we speak or write, that each one may contribute to the glorious calling we have to be God’s people in the world.   

Carol writes historical novels based on her family ancestry in Australia from the First Fleet. They include the Turning the Tide series; Mary’s Guardian, Charlotte’s Angel, Tangled Secrets and Truly Free. Her earlier novels, Suzannah’s Gold and Rebecca’s Dream have been re-released by EBP.  You can see more about Carol and her novels on her website  

www.carolpreston.com.au

www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston

www.facebook.com/writingtoreach