The Writing Life – janeduquette.org

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I feel happy and fulfilled when I do anything creative. I can feel depressed and useless when I ignore an urge to create. I believe, since we are made in the image of the great Creator, there is something in our Spiritual DNA that desires to create — a story, a painting, a song, a flowerbed, a delicious dinner. God works in us “both to will and do of His good pleasure.”

When I’m writing my novel, St. Anne’s, I feel fully myself. I know that nobody else can create the story I am writing. My unique fingerprint is on the work. It may be imperfect, but God will grow me through my obedience to His promptings. Sometimes words flow without effort. Upon re-reading a passage, I have thought, “Where did that come from?” When God’s in control, I write better than I know how to write.

I think all true creativity is incarnational, requiring only a willing vessel for God to use. The Father called the virgin Mary to be willing to create His only begotten Son. She agreed to the angel’s news with the words, “Behold the handmaid of the LORD: be it unto me according to thy word.”

The LORD is the Prime Creator, the only One who creates something out of nothing. When we humans create, we must use materials that God has already made.

God created color and the mathematics of perspective and line before the first person painted a picture.
God created music before the first human was led to build an instrument to demonstrate the melodies God put in his heart.
God created words at the very beginning. He is the Master storyteller.
God wants his children to allow Him to create beauty through them. True art.

[There is also false art, thrown together golden calves that are still worshiped by godless people. A lot of it is “modern” so-called art reflecting the chaos of a godless mind. It speaks only to people whose minds are also godless and in chaos. It is created with a motive of self-glorification and the fulfilling of fleshly lusts. There is chaotic music and pornographic writing — God’s gift of creativity gone wretchedly wrong.]

The most beautiful art that survives to this day seems to have been created by Christ-followers. I believe God painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel through the agency of Michelangelo.

I believe God used the pen of this artist to remind us of His love for us sheep.

Shepherd & Lamb

Who doubts that God used Handel to write the Hallelujah Chorus?

When you were a child, did you ever want to paint, write songs, or books? God creates those desires in us because He wills us to birth something that honors Him. Why do we let those impulses wither on the vine? Fear of failure? Fear of success? Fear of man? Fear? Remember, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear.”

So, I encourage you to rebuke the whisperer of doubt and fear. Pray and begin. Take the first step of faith. Then another. As you take the first step, God will move. He will honor your faith step and empower you to do what He gives you the desire to do. Every creative person you have ever heard of — Beethoven, Rembrandt, C.S. Lewis–started out as a beginner, taking those first wobbly steps by faith.

God delights to take ordinary people of low estate and create through them. It is because we are ordinary that He receives glory. Take courage from the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary about the incarnation of Jesus. “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

: Lake Yale Word Weaver’s Retreat – 2018

Working on St. Anne’s

St. Anne’s is the working title of my novel. I brought my manuscript with me to the Word Weavers’ Retreat this past weekend. This Retreat was not a retreat in the sense of getting away from it all. This was more like getting serious about it all. Michelle Medlock Adams, a marvelous speaker, inspired us to not lose heart, to keep pressing on, to keep our priorities in order. However, most of the time was dedicated to what Word Weavers do, critiquing one another’s work.

I found the weekend both enlightening and confusing.

Enlightening: I learned about mechanics–those parts of writing for publication which are cast in concrete–things like layout rules, the correct use of ellipses and Em Dashes, which font is acceptable, rules for the use of italics. All of this was quite helpful.

Confusing: God comforted me, reminding me that critiques are given by human beings with often conflicting personal preferences. For example, I written the first page of St. Anne’s by jumping right into the action, hoping to hook the reader. One critiquing person said I needed to begin my story describing the setting so the reader could formulate a scene in his mind before getting into the action. So, I rewrote the opening for another review of the same passage. This time I was told, by a new critiquing person, that I should not start out with detailed setting information because most readers would prefer to jump right in to the action.

Hmm.

So, the Lord taught me that in a work of fiction, some people like narrative description, and other people like action. It’s a matter of preference. I will lose some people if I don’t begin with action; others will close the book if I don’t give them a setting first. People are different, and I won’t be able to please them all. I need to do what’s right for my God-given “voice,” and take the critique for what it is–one person’s opinion.

I learned a second thing that confused and surprised me. It is now fashionable to write sentence fragments punctuated as sentences. As a former English teacher and a mere novice to publishing in this millennium, I was saddened. It was like witnessing the end of literature as I have known it. Now I’m not talking about writing dialog. Dialog is different. I get that. For dialog to sound realistic, it probably should be in short bites, like people talk. However, modern writers are encouraged to write narrative passages that way too. It smacks more of text messaging than novel-writing to me. This weekend I read lots of unpublished manuscripts wherein the writer often wrote so-called sentences using no verbs.

At all.

Period.

C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity.

I guess my blessed reassurance from the Lord applies here too. People have different tastes. My tastes are more old-fashioned.

I don’t think I will embrace this radical change easily. Maybe I’m too old to change?

The books I like to read are old-fashioned. Seldom do I encounter fragments in the writings of Rosamunde Pilcher or C.S. Lewis, my favorites.

Will my tastes change?

I hope not.

Maybe.

Category: The Writing Life

Creativity and the Incarnation

Journey to Publication

Working on St. Anne’s