It's amazing what a change in mindset can bring about. With the decision not to stress about how much work lay ahead in tackling this fantasy novel I've been writing, I find I am enjoying myself immensely. It's like going on vacation. It's fun following the characters as they travel through their make believe world. It's a world where I get to play god (Yes, with a little 'g'.) There are made up animals and people, towns, landscapes unique to this place I visit in my imagination. Still, they are loosely based on all I have seen and experienced in my own travels. A writer can only write about what they know.
Restricting the amount of time I spend on it gives ideas a chance to percolate before I write them down. Pen and paper are the first step because my typing isn't up to snuff, or should I say it doesn't go as fast as my thoughts. Missing a day here and there hasn't been an issue either. I've been able to pick up where I left off quite easily.
As the words pour out at a steady rate, I write with a deep sense of gratitude and a mountain of awe. For someone who lost her voice, it appears I've found it: 39,000 words and counting. The writing comes easy to me. Like the art; that too is a gift. As for playing god? It has given me a richer appreciation for who God with the capital 'G' is, how He cares for us even more than I could ever care for my characters. It has enriched my ability to appreciate this world He designed with its multifaceted complexity and beauty. Again, I stand in awe before Him, the Creator of all creators.
I find myself laughing with my characters. When they're struggling, I'm right there feeling their hurts. I often role play in the kitchen to enable me to write more realistically about the mundane.
There's a dark side to all of this. It's a bit frightening how easy it is to tap into that part of my humanity, represented by a nasty villain. Again, we can only write about what we know. I have to include an antagonist, but at the same time can't wait to step out of that evil place into the light.
Thank You, Lord, I have the Light to step in to.
"The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light." Gen 1:2-3
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Boundary Study Part 2
"Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God--truly righteous and holy...
One of the lines in the movie Noah that resonated with me was when he asked his wife if there was anything she wouldn't do for her kids, including kill. I thought about that later, and had to admit that my morals could go out the window if faced with a life or death choice for someone I love dearly. It just goes to show that darkness resides within us all, as you have discovered with your fictional villain. When we can acknowledge that darkness, we can be filled all the more with gratitude to God who loves us as we are.
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