To create art, you need building materials. Not just physical materials like canvas, film, or banjos. First, you need an internal supply of building materials like vision, determination, and inspiration. Products of the soul. Michael Gungor
I’m re-reading Stephen King’s book On Writing and what’s striking me as interesting is the way he writes about how he was formed as a writer. Writers are not made, but formed he contends. As I pondered this I read the Michael Gungor quote above on my friend Rob’s Facebook page. Writers are formed from within and developed from without.
When I was ten, my class went on an excursion to Woodbridge House in Guildford. As we wondered around my imagination fired. I pictured children running around the home, servants, workmen. I imagined myself there in the 1800’s. I was there. I could taste it. Smell it. Believe it.
Back at school we were told to write a story about our experiences. I wrote and wrote and wrote until the pen indented my finger, marking me for at least an hour after.
I have never forgotten the feeling of words flowing from my head, through my body, through the pen onto paper. I’ll never forget the physical mark of the pen on my hand. I’ll never forget the mark on my soul.
I’ll never forget the day I first dreamed of being a writer.
We need to honour the story promise in our lives. If we don’t, dissonance, disconnect and dissatisfaction derail our story promise. Stories need twists and turns we don’t expect and as long as the story promise we set up in Chapter One is fulfilled, the reader will be with us all the way.
Our lives can be like that. We all have a story promise in us. Something sown deep within that seeks to be released.
Detours can take our story off on tangents, but can actually start to make sense when things collide in one of those magnificent moments that causes you to say, ‘This is what I was made to do.’
I taught English for many years. I encouraged others to write. I read other writers’ work. I wrote academic papers. I wrote. But, I was on a major detour. One I don’t regret at all, but there was another story to be written.
Ten years ago, I sat in my office and wrote a letter of resignation. It was time to honour the story promise of my life.
Since then I’ve published four books and have three more underway. But, the journey has involved a lot of learning, hard work and experimentation. That vision of becoming a writer at ten years of age was fulfilled as my life formed into that of a writer.
I’m living my story promise.
I wonder what your story promise is?
I wonder what promises you’ve made to yourselves?
