It started with a $200 expired airline voucher. I didn’t know it was expired as I spent one evening googling writer’s conferences.
I found one at just the right time, at a mountain setting in California. Even better.
It was expensive, but hey, I had a voucher.
I went through the tips and preparation info on the conference website, ordered business cards, created a website (my husband’s work of love) and spent weeks polishing my manuscript. It was all so important. I was in full pursuit mode when I heard the whisper of God through a dear friend.
“Girl, you need to chill.”
What? I had plans. Learn what I didn’t know about storytelling, submit my first book baby for a critique or two, and find a place in this big writer world.
No problem.
Spring-time beauty was in full tilt throughout the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Azalea’s bloomed near sitting areas that invited new friends and conversation. I walked and breathed, amazed that somehow, on a whim, I ended up here.
In the first morning session, our teacher assigned a writing exercise. The guidelines were simple. Ask God a question, then begin to write.
What kind of conference was this? An odd detour from my list of things to do, for sure.
What if I hadn’t prayed enough, done enough, or knew enough to hear God speak? What if He didn’t like me enough to say anything? Honest questions.
Strange as the assignment seemed, I was there to learn. So, I asked God the question and started writing.
Hey, God ~ Me, here. What’s the next piece of this journey?
Beloved…
That was a nice beginning.
Life as you know it is headed for change. This change is all about the power of your heart.
I understood that this wasn’t about a physical pump that kept me ticking. Like the roots of a tree, the source of my hopes and dreams – as well as the lies that warred against them – wouldn’t show up on an angiogram.
When I write a heroine, I make sure she deeply believes something untrue. Lies such as, Never Enough, It’s All My Fault, It’s All Your Fault, etc. All the conflict that comes against her presses on that untruth.
Finally, her foundations shake. All is lost until the moment a beam of understanding enters and she thinks, Maybe, just maybe, there’s a better way.
I’ve been that heroine. How about you? Just when I was sure exactly what I wanted and where it was, it eluded my grasp. What I saw as failure, though, was redirection.
I love this saying by Oswald Chambers:
Beware of going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something you’ve never been.
I’ve decided that growth is less about mastery than it is moving toward an unknown but certain place of the heart. And, as people who are created by a loving God, we don’t have to figure everything out ahead of time.
Instead, we can grasp pen in hand and say, God, what’s next?
I love knowing you’re in my tribe! Keep me in touch~
Laurel Thomas
Write Your Heart Out!
If you enjoyed this post from Laurel, check out her further work at www.writewithlaurel.com, or visit her on Facebook at Laurel A. Thomas!
About Laurel Thomas
“A former high school English teacher, Laurel loves words and their power to convey remarkable stories.
“She’s written for inspirational magazines including Guideposts and Mysterious Ways, as well as ghosted nonfiction. Her novel ”River’s Call” was published by Wild Rose Press and boasts five-star reviews on Amazon!” – Write Your Heart Out!
Laurel hosts a free weekly writers round table and has critique group and one-on-one options if you want to go deeper!
You can meet her at www.writewithlaurel.com!
Want to Learn More?
If you enjoyed this blog post be sure to look for our “Grace for the Writer’s Journey” video sessions and the accompanying small group workbook in our Experience Writing store! Also, check out Laurel Thomas’s “Grace for the Gatekeeper” session!
