No visible progress

I’m in my second week of working on my middle-grade novel, and my word count is zero. I have two chapters carried over from when I wrote them during writing school, but I haven’t added a single word to the story since.

But I’m very happy with my progress.

“You’ve finally slipped into madness, Sandor,” you might say — but let me share with you a little of the writer’s mind.

What makes a great story? Well, the very best stories are those where we feel an authentic character come to life on the page. A character we can believe actually lives and breathes. A personality that transcends the text that describes them to us.

My job as a writer is to create those characters in such a way that you care about them. You want them to succeed. You want them to find that thing they’re searching for — to discover love, or overcome that obstacle.

So how can I write those characters? Well, I have to know them first, before I can introduce them to you. And not in a simplistic way. I have to know them intimately, because when they’re thrust into the tumult of life, I need to know exactly what they would do and say in every situation. I have to become their very best friend.

So that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve asked my characters so many questions: Who are your parents? What do you want most in life? Why are you so afraid? What does a perfect day look like to you?

Renee and I have been married for 35 years. If a cockroach ran up the living room wall, I’d know exactly what Renee would do. If I spent a couple of hours while Renee was out, hand-picking and arranging a bouquet of flowers for her, I could easily guess how she’d react when she came home.

Once I’m intimately familiar with my characters, I won’t labour for days over how they would respond on every page. It’s a lot more work at the beginning, and it might seem like I’m making no progress at all — but in due season, that foundation will bear fruit.

There’s a parallel here with our relationship with God.

If you find yourself wondering what His will for you is, or what He thinks about a particular situation you’re in, don’t spend so much time asking for a specific word. Instead, just spend time in His presence, getting to know Him. Dive deep into God’s character and His word.

You’ll find that the answers you seek come much more easily. He will become such a close friend that His nature becomes your nature. You’ll be able to stand on a hill watching the sunset together with barely a word spoken — and you’ll know exactly what He’s thinking.

Spending time getting to know Him will never be wasted.

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.

For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah 9:23-24