A friend and I were once having an email discussion about Myers-Briggs and how some of us are wired or bent to feel more comfortable writing in certain genres and touching certain topics . . .
And recently I met with some friends (Terri Blackstock, Frank Peretti, Bill Myers, Robin Lee Hatcher, Jim Bell, and Randy Alcorn) who’ve been in this business with me for a LONG time. We talked about growing older in the business, and realizing that we don’t have as many years as we had at earlier points in our lives. Once you pass that 50th birthday milestone, your future doesn’t quite stretch into infinity like it seemed to when you were younger . . .
And those musings reminded me of a story I once heard Karen Kingsbury tell about her children. Seems Kelsey and Tyler were in the car as the family was coming home from church after just hearing a rip-snorting fire and brimstone sermon. Kelsey was giving it to young Tyler in the back seat. “Where do you want to do?” she asked him. “Heaven or hell, Tyler, where do you want to go?”
At which point Tyler pulled out his pacifier and said, “Disneyland.”
I can’t dispute that we are all wired differently . . . and I’m grateful for those differences. But rather than wed ourselves forever to a genre or to a certain kind of book, I think the story dictates whether we take the reader to heaven, hell, or Disneyland.
I’ve once handed in a story (Uncharted) that was hellfire-and-brimstone as anything I’ve ever written. I’ve written a funeral home series that focuses on sending people to heaven. And who knows if the Lord will lay a Disneyland story on my heart in the coming year?
But earthly time is too short to squander on stories that do not illuminate or edify or instruct in some way. I know that the Spirit of God can use anything, but I also know that he chooses to use us and we are responsible to be witnesses to the truth.
How should we interpret that responsibility? If you knew you could only write ONE more book in the earthly time you had left, what would you like it to say?
~~Angie
I would love to write an adult suspense book. One where the main character is face blind so has to use other clues to tell who people are. So many possibilities there. However, I seem to be fiction challenge and have written two one-year devo books for preteens for Tyndale in the past three years. I sent a proposal yesterday for a devo book based on week-long continuing adventure stories. I’d love to get a “yes” for that project. I guess my area is preteen non-fiction or maybe with some fiction elements.
When one of your books…or another’s drives me to the Father in praise, or tears, or just heavenly thoughts, then I know that it’s been worth the reading.
No matter where you are, no matter who you are, no matter what you’ve lived…
GOD is enough.
🙂 It’ll take me a while to do that justice.
What about you, Angie? What one more would you choose?