Making the Connection...

As you'll discover, my new blog will be geared more toward writing.
But never fear, knowing me, I'm sure I shall share bits and pieces of my life outside of writing with you as well.
What you see is what you get, I'm afraid, so consider yourself warned.
You may, at times, learn more than you ever wanted to know about me, my family, the dog, and the building process.
Speaking of which, we apparently have planning permission for our new home...which means IT HAS BEGUN!
It's terrifying in an exciting sort of way.

Back to making the connection.
If you haven't figured out by now, I write fiction.
Spend some time perusing my 'writing' page and you'll soon realize it.
However, fiction is not all made up stories. It comes close, too close sometimes, to reality.
Where do we get our stories from?

God of course. Ah, yes. The lofty answer.
Well, okay, He gets the credit. However, a lot of what I write comes from real life.
The collective gasp goes up.
No, I'm not writing about you.
Well, maybe I am...I'll never tell.

Real life, as I know it, consists of a multitude of emotions constantly in flux.
Joy.
Remember the day your husband proposed? Or the moment you heard your child's first cry?
Or, for those fortunate few, the day you got 'the call', letting you know you would soon become a published author?
Terror.
That's easy. Put me on a plane and you'll see terror. For others of you, coming in contact with one of our Bermuda cockroaches will do it. Some of you have experienced real terror. The beast that prowls around your bed at night, robbing you of sleep and threatening to strike when you least expect it.
Sorrow.
I've got this one down. If you've ever lost a parent too soon, you know the depths of which my sorrow has run. If you've ever been faced with circumstances spiraling out of control, with no logical solution, caused by your own poor choices, or perhaps the choice of another, you've been there. If you've lost a child, your grief goes to places I cannot imagine. But I stand with you.

Peace.
Now hear me on this one.
The fiction writer can take all of these emotions, give them to various characters, shove them in to situations that make one gasp in horror, or weep through the night until the last page is turned, BUT, only the CHRISTIAN fiction writer can weave in the element of peace in a way that makes sense.
The peace that passes all understanding.
His peace. The peace that only comes through Christ. If you know Him, you know what I mean.

That's the difference.
While it's easy to write a good story, it's not so easy to find a satisfying resolution.
Think about the world today. To quote the old saying, 'the world is going to hell in a handbasket.'
Literally.
But there is hope.
God will tarry until all have an opportunity to come to Him.
Take that hope and write about it!
Christian fiction is on the brink of something new, something exciting! And it thrills me to death to be a part of it!

Make the connection! Take those hard circumstances, whether you've lived them or carried someone through them.
Write real. Don't be afraid to talk about the things that before today were only whispers in corners.
Carry the light.
Let's show the world a different side to Christianity.
Get down and dirty. Uncover your tear streaked face. Throw the mask in the trash where it belongs. Get real.
Then get Jesus, make him comfy beside you at the computer, and get to work.