My wife, Shelly, and I have been going through the Bible this year. We have an app that reads it a few chapters aloud each day. Then we listen to a quick commentary that helps us make sense of what we have just heard.
Right now, we are entering the book of I Samuel. They were talking about I and II Samuel being about Samuel, Saul and David, and their lives. It got me thinking about David.
There are parallels between David, Moses, and Jacob that I just noticed this morning. Each went through what I call their “wilderness phase.” Each struggled on his own, not knowing what he was doing, not knowing if he has accepted, not knowing if he was on the right path. Moses spent forty years herding sheep, probably thinking his life was over. David ran from Saul, thinking that the King and his armies would probably kill him any day. Jacob ran for his life, using a stone for a rock and not knowing who would be his friend or where he would find his next meal. And I am sure you can find other stories.
I believe God intentionally let each of these people go through these trauma periods–these “wilderness phases”–to develop character. Some Christians refer to this as the refiner’s fire. But it is necessary. I think it is also necessary for us today, both in our lives as Christians and our careers as writers.
Writers need to hone their craft. What does that mean? It means you need to fail sometimes. Actually, it means failing a lot, but with the intention of learning from it. It also means observing life. And learning from your mistakes, and other people’s mistakes. And experimenting, only to fail and try again. This is our “wilderness phase” as writers. Solitude is a part of this as well. You need to do some thinking. Thinking is a good thing. Don’t be afraid to think.
I’ve been a teacher a long time, and one of things I’ve learned in teaching is that I often learn more from my students than they learn from me. Here’s a juicy bit of wisdom that one shared years ago that I will never forget:
“It’s not enough to know how to write. You have to have something to say.”
That comes from being in the Wilderness.
The Great Adventure 