December 29, 2006 @ 10:33 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized

Today it rained cats and dogs. I sat in the waiting room of our dentist office, listening to the thunder bolts and the steady drum of rain as it beat against the building as Jorge endured the dental chair. Afterwards, we sprouted our umbrellas and puddle-hopped to the Suburban. Despite the rain, neither of us was quite ready to go home. So what better place to go and browse during a rainstorm, but Barnes & Noble and then sit and chat over the last Starbucks pumpkin spice latte of the holiday season?

I walked up and down the various aisles, browsing clearance racks, and basically just relishing being back in a store for pure enjoyment and not merely in search of the next perfect gift. And then I found it – the one thing that made the whole trip to B & N worthwhile. The 2007 edition of The Writer’s Desk. It’s a calendar that is loaded with black & white photos of both well-known and up-and-coming writers and their writing spaces. Amy bought one for me back several years ago, but I haven’t been able to get my hands on the past couple of years’ editions.

I was reading some of the commentary in it last night and came across this from Allegra Goodman. She says, "My favorite part of novel writing is the middle. There is the floundering at the beginning, the excitement and honeymoon of it all. There is the speed and urgency of getting to the end. But nothing beats the middle, when you are inside the book, within the world you have created, dwelling with characters who have come to life. That’s the best feeling – the underwater feeling, the slow calm clarity of the story."

My heart pounded just a bit harder as I read her words. It took a few seconds for me to realize what was happening, but excitement – deep and rich – surged through me as it hit me. I had the urge to write again! Really write. Where I’m not merely trying to get in a weekly or daily word count or trying to put words down on a page just for the sake of writing. But I was finally feeling that tingly, ohmygoodnessilovemylifeandmustwritetobreath type of sensation. It has been a while since I’ve felt this and I know it’s because it took most of last semester to adjust to being back in school. But last night, sitting here at my desk, it was back.

And with it came characters, already alive and vibrant in my mind. And their voices, their lives and their loves, their dilemmas, and their faith. It was all there, like a giant neon sign beckoning me to plop down at my keyboard and. just. begin.

Thank you, God.

I like to write, no matter what. But I LOVE to write when His inspiration is the driving force behind the words. I’ve learned to take it slow and being willing to wait on Him. And now He’s gone and done it again…

He’s prepared my heart for another story.