Ever wonder what He wrote in the sand? The words “And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.” popped at me this morning. My first thought was a question. What did He write? Ever wonder what other people are saying about you?
Draw a line in the sand
Since it’s the day before I leave for my second writer’s conference I thought about writing. Sometimes words flow easily and other times it takes a lot of sweat and tears. As I’m getting ready, I wonder what it would be like to know exactly what Jesus wrote in the sand? The saying, “draw a line in the sand” makes a definite declaration that you will not cross into certain territory. But I don’t think that is what Jesus meant? After all, He had just confronted the religious leaders of the day. They wanted to stone a sinful woman expressing their own pious attitudes. They think they are better by following the law.
No secret
The writing on the ground was meant for everyone. It was not a secret since it was public. But the Bible doesn`t reveal what it was but I can guess from the context that it was full of compassion and grace. Living in grace doesn`t mean we can live according to the desires of the flesh.
Inciting incident
One thing we are taught in writing a novel is that there must be an inciting incident which then turns the story around. Well I see this as one great incident in the Bible story. A dramatic confrontational situation was diffused by one small piece of writing. A log line. Short and to the point. The words, “Mercy and Truth” perhaps.
The turning point. The accusers had disappeared and the woman stood all alone. What happened? Powerful words from Jesus, “I do not condemn you; go and sin no more.” (John 8:11)
Blurb it out
Since writing is a lonely road, going to meet other writers and attending workshops requires effort especially for the inverted personalities. I`m not exactly an invert, but close! I will need to expose my work to the more experienced writers and hopefully catch some interest. So to that purpose I`ve been writing blurbs to make it short, less than 100 words! No easy task.
One embarrassing moment from last year occurred when we were sitting the dinner table with a published author and editor and five other attendees. When she asked what our book was about, my tongue knotted and my memory lapsed. When I finally could speak, I rambled on about the story. A short summary would have been appropriate. So now I`m ready with a short blurb. In the end I was encouraged when she provided positive feedback.
Life-long learning
While I was teaching in the high school, I was a student myself taking more university courses. During times of stress I told myself that I wouldn`t ever go back to school again. Here I am taking classes and learning the complexities of writing novels at my age. What! Oh well, that`s my life….continuous learning and testing. I`m living what I taught my students. Life-long learning. Follow your heart.
One of my classes is called Fiction Basics 101 taught by a math teacher turned novel writer. I`m so looking forward to Sandra Orchard`s class. Her two novels are listed here: Deadly Devotion and Blind Trust. Very enjoyable reads.
What inciting incident changed the course of your life? Sometimes life circumstances bring change of direction. What is the writing on the wall? Proverbs 3:3 tells us to write the words on the tablet of your heart.
What words do you think Jesus wrote on the ground that day? For the full story you can read it from John 8:1-12. I would love to read your words.
One word I think fits is “truth”. What’s your word?
Thank you for reading. Leave a comment. Pass it on!
Oh, I envy you, Pirkko. Conferences are such fun, so inspiring to be around other writers.
The inciting incident that shifted my life most recently happened a little while after I retired. I half jokingly asked myself one day, “Wow, what am I going to do with all my time?” I immediately had an inspiration for how to change the opening to the unfinished novel that had been languishing in my computer for years. I sat down at my desk to quickly get down the words before I lost them, fully intending to only spend a few minutes writing. Six weeks later the novel was finished. It was the first draft of the first book in my now six-book series.
Moral of the story: Watch how you talk to yourself, because God might be listening in. 😉