I am thankful for inspiration. On a daily basis, I sit at my desk for hours on end, typing on a keyboard, sitting far away from those I hope to delight with my developing story. Will it grab my readers’ imagination and take them on mind-blowing adventures? Will it reach to the heart and inspire uplifting and transforming contemplation? From the vantage point of a desk with only a small window to the outside world, it can feel as if I am casting dust to the wind.
When I sit with my fingers poised to tap out the next word, I sometimes wonder how this tangled mess of a story will ever be fashioned into the hope I have for it. During the early stages, it often seems impossible. Yet, no matter how snarled the story is at the moment, it always works out at the end, and I am never lacking in astonishment. I look back and ask, “How did that happen?”
I gather ideas from bizarre dreams, random thoughts from others, and unlikely circumstances, then toss them into a cauldron, heat it over the fires of passion, and stir with the spoon of imagination. The result is often a fetid swill. The ingredients are wonderful, but the chef botched the cooking and needs to rework the recipe to transform the result from stinking sewage to a savory soup.
Sometimes I will delete several thousands words with a single keystroke, muttering to myself, “What was I thinking? This is terrible.” Then I will add something fresh and vibrant, resulting in a pumped fist and a hearty, “Yes!” Sometimes the story stalls, and the delays make me wonder if I will ever finish, but then the inspiration comes in a way that could not have occurred if there had not been a delay. The story needed to wait. It required a season of mental simmering.
Now whenever I run into a creative blockade, and it feels like I am pushing a stubborn story along, I look back at these events and gain new confidence that it will work out. It always has before. The inspiration always arrives exactly when I need it.
Thank you, Lord, for providing inspiration. I am writing for you, and to continue cooking up ways to attract readers to your love, I need all the help I can get.
(Here is an example of a series of miraculous events that breathed life into a story – http://www.theauthorschair.com/shopping/DimeTwoPennies.pdf)
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Categories: Thoughts from the Heart
Thank you for sharing this, it is very encouraging. =)
You have echoed my thoughts to a letter.
This is very encouraging for when I get writers block, or when stories seem hopeless at first, so thank you (I also like all the metaphors you wrote in paragraph 3
)
Such an encouraging post! Thank you! It’s good to see that even seasoned writers feel this way sometimes.
This is very encouraging! Thanks for sharing! Your soups have always come out awesomely!
This is encouraging for a beginning writer’s ears.
FYI ~ I clicked on your link, and it didn’t work.
Same problem here!
I fixed the link. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Davis, for sharing your amazing experiences with us. May God continue to bless your work as you live and write.