Writing is a mind game. As I have mentioned before, writing is about 80 percent psychological. After 40 years of writing, I have a semblance of mastery over grammar, vocabulary and use of words. What challenges me the most is seeing the story, and putting it in a logical structure. That’s not quite so bad when you are writing a short story or a relatively straightforward novel with maybe one plotline. But when you are following multiple characters with multiple plotlines, it starts to look like a multi-level chess match.
The challenge I have before me on the project I am working on is “simply” seeing where the story is supposed to go, seeing who all the characters are, and figuring out where to start. That has had me stymied for a while. I spent the past week free from school and available for writing, yet locked up mentally.
And then last night God gave me a gift. I spent the entire night dreaming of nothing but my novel. It has never happened to me before, and there are no guarantees that it will again. But I swear there is nothing quite so sweet as seeing a clear path before you when it comes to writing.
I have had maybe three epiphanies in my entire life. A writer who is serious about his or her craft can’t wait for inspiration to begin writing. And so I know that I have a blessing that I dare not take for granted.
Now if I could only remember what the dreams were….
The Great Adventure 