Why Writing?

From my earliest memories, I have loved reading. Childhood holidays were spent exploring the extensive library in my grandpa’s sunroom (our bedroom for the holidays). I'd grab a book and curl up on the bed with the sun streaming through large picture windows. And when I was not able to find reading material that grabbed me, I'd raid his treasure of Phantom comics that filled a large chest of drawers. This is not to say that I was a total indoors person, in fact I was full of energy and often spent my days wandering his farm with my sisters, creating magical and fun filled stories around anything we could find. During primary school the librarians were wonderfully helpful in supplying new books, but I clearly remember a day came that there were "no other books they could recommend as I'd read everything already". Perhaps the library was smaller than my childhood memory recalls... I moved on nonetheless, to the local public library, devouring as many books as was within the limits set.

Early high school proved to be challenging as the typical mindset of my circle of friends, was 'that they'd rather be dead than caught reading'. I managed however, to continue reading whenever and wherever possible, often feigning the need to 'do an assignment in the library' to disguise my need to change a book. I was one of those young people who used a torch under the blankets to read way past my bedtime (probably akin to mobile use for young people more recently). Not great when I was on dairy duty the following morning and needed to be up before sunlight. But being a morning person, I would hear my mother coming down the hall and leap out of bed before she could rouse me; bleary eyed and tired. I stubbornly, would not give her an excuse to curb my late-night practice.

Toward my later years in high school, I discovered a friend's wall-full of Mills and Boon romance novels and to the disgust of my history teacher methodically read each one. I did take the teacher's chiding to heart though and consumed other material as well. I developed a love of history, economics, politics, recipe books, detective stories, gardening, How To manuals, and any other form of reading I could get my hands on. As a young adult I qualified as a high school teacher for my early career path and teaching English was one of my areas of specialty (sadly not the path I continued on due to being youngest on staff and other subject areas having pressing need).

Being a dreamer, I had always hoped to have a house with a library. You know the image - a room like the Beast's library in Beauty and the Beast, ladders and all. As I've matured and the reality of providing for and raising four children (now adults) has set the parameters of our household, I've found that Kindle has replaced my physical collection and Google is paradise for learning about anything and everything. As with all hobbies there have been times that I've had to 'shelve it' but my love of reading has continued even during those seasons, in some form or another.

Alongside reading my enjoyment in writing has been a meandering pathway, closely following the seasons that I'm going through. I have long written my thoughts and devotional gleanings in a journal and have been thankful for this in harsh seasons when my faith has been tested. In more recent years I have been through a season of further study and enjoyed the challenge of honing academic writing, as I retrained for a career in counselling.

Having had multiple ideas waiting in the wings for many years, I finally sense it’s time to dabble in some creative writing. This is an exciting time for me! My first steps have been to begin a foray into the historical fiction genre (I'm hopeful and on track for a novel to be birthed, early next year). There are times that I feel too old to be starting something new, but when these thoughts come, I remember that I've actually been in training for this season, through all that has come before. This encourages me to continue, knowing that writing is not something that has to be perfect, but will be for me, a new challenge to work with, and improve in. Who knows, perhaps I'll have a little section in the corner of my dream library for my own novels in time.

Finally, I want to acknowledge that I would not move in this direction, unless I had felt moved from within and without to do so. It is daunting to say the least. With this thought in mind, I'm encouraged by the words of a verse that's resonated with me through many seasons and which feels all the more relevant at this time.

By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. (Hebrews 11:11 NKJV)