But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.
~I Corinthians 5:10
The Apostle Paul is one of my most admired authors. His words cut to the heart yet were delivered with such grace and passion. He evoked the deepest emotions while relating to his readers in whatever state of life his pen happened to find them. He was a fearless writer. Courageous beyond belief. Each time his pen met paper, he knew he was putting himself at risk. But he didn't focus on that fact. He focused on God. When God rescued Paul from a life of misery and darkness, He transformed him into a new creature. Out of this, came a dynamic preacher who was unafraid to traipse through the unknown. Not in his strength, but in the strength of the One Who created Him. Paul lived and died with the constant mantra of "To GOD be the glory!" He is one example I cannot afford to discount in my path with pen and paper.
It is with this in mind that I begin this journey. When writing my debut novel, "Shattered Resolve," (coming in 2025, from Crossroads Publishing, LLC.), I was faced with many trials. These trials were both external and internal. The external ones were easier to navigate. Easier to understand. Easier to bear. One criticizes, another thinks they're helping but ends up tearing me down, while yet others helped me through hurdles too high for me to scale. It was the internal trials that were hardest for me, because this was a war with my conscience. You see, "Shattered Resolve" deals with heavy life issues. The ugly things that no one wants to talk about. The main character endures countless heartaches and strife as he seeks freedom from the past holding him captive. But one cannot write a story such as this without coming to terms with how that story can best be woven. It was easy for me to create Josh Cameron's character. He's a man of flesh and blood. A sinner. Like me. I had no trouble envisioning the language spewing from his bitter soul and out his lips. It was child's play for me to write the many fights, battles with words, and prideful attitude with which he's plagued. What wasn't easy was handling my conscience through the weaving of this novel. The more I wrote, the more I saw myself. Not in the same light, no. But sin cycles in much the same way, regardless of your name, age, or upbringing. I had to become sensitive to the Holy Spirit as He pricked my heart and led me in how to correctly tell Josh's story.
On this side of "Shattered Resolve," I am a different person. I now understand how to bring the reader into the midst of a character's battleground with sin and see them to the other side without that person feeling tainted in the process. Writing is a beautiful journey. It challenges the writer to put themselves out there for the world to judge. This is a scary thought. The world can be a mean and critical place. But if a writer remembers that God is their Judge, then it's not so scary...
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait....
Say what? That was quite an erroneous statement there... Quite the opposite is true. If a writer remembers that God is their Judge, then they have all the more reason to ensure that, whatever they weave onto a paper for others to see, brings glory to the One Who created them! Writers, please, I beg you...don't fall into the trap I fell into at the beginning of my journey. Never fear men more than you fear God.
I pray this post dwells in your spirit for some time and causes you to think.
"For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver;
the Lord is our king; he will save us."
~Isaiah 33:22~
"For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
~1 Samuel 16:7~
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