FOLLOW YOUR DREAM

How many of us have a dream to follow … someday … but someday never comes? Well, perhaps my *someday* is here!

OVER THE YEARS, I’ve dabbled in writing fiction — a few short stories but mostly novels. My first attempt at writing a novel  was in elementary school. Since then, I’ve taken a stab or two, but never completed a project. 

That has changed over the last two years, as I’ve completed three novels that had been occupying space on my computer’s hard drive. 

The difference? I’ve decided to go for it without regard to anyone’s response. Why not? This is my life, and I want to enjoy the challenge and the privilege of completing this dream.

All three novels have undergone tremendous refinement. While the years passed and the novels lay dormant, I became a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, which led me to redefine my characters and change the story flow, while still maintaining the tension and suspense of the original story.

Oh, and I needed to trim each of them significantly to stay within an 85,000-word limit expected of a novice novel-writer.

~THREE NOVELS~

So, I’ve now completed three novels. They’re ready for a publishing agent and, should that fail, find their way to e-publishing.

Since every story is a love story, my three books also are love stories, but with twists. Two of them are set against a Washington political backdrop, while the third focuses on fatherhood, divorce, and reconciliation.

The two political books  — Beware of Liars and If Not For You — are part of a series featuring a congressman from Rhode Island and a congresswoman from Nevada who butt heads politically while fighting demons from personal tragedy and navigating their difficult relationship.

The third novel — At Last — is a first-person perspective. The lead character is a journalist-turned-magazine writer, who becomes suspect number one in a murder investigation while trying to restart his career and unexpectedly care for his young daughter after her mother — his ex-wife — is hospitalized in an auto accident.

Each of the three novels has something special for the Christian reader and, hopefully, a compelling testimony for the not-yet Christian who seeks better answers for life’s deepest questions than those the world offers.

~LIFELONG DESIRE~

For years, I have wanted to write fiction. That’s not unusual. God created us in His image, and the first thing we read about God is that … He created! (Gen. 1:1)

Yes, it’s like the woman who nurtures her rose garden or expertly crafts gourmet pies, or the man who busies himself with wood-working, or anyone who dances, sings, plays an instrument, writes music, paints landscapes, photographs the sea, or dashes off sonnets or plays.

Mostly, in writing, I enjoyed creating characters with distinct personalities and speaking styles and then molding them into action scenes where the reader feels he/she is in the room with them.

I love my characters!!

My next project — Lord willing — is to create a three-part novella series centering on one or two main characters and featuring a variety of secondary characters taking turns staring in sub-plots. The idea is once a reader enjoys one of the books, he/she is more likely to show an interest in the other two, especially if they can be read in any order.

Plus, for me as the author, I get to watch my characters maneuver their way through different situations — some of them difficult, some embarrassing, some humorous — but all of them, hopefully, recognizable to the reader. 

~BIBLICAL SUPPORT~

The Holy Bible is replete with *dreams,* as God once used them to connect with His creation. It’s the imagination that God has instilled in us that has led mankind to invent machinery, technology, and pharmaceuticals, to discover new lands, minerals, galaxies, and nano-particles, and to “go where no man has gone before.” 

Whatever your dream is, especially if you haven’t found your “someday” yet, maybe ask yourself, “What’s holding me back?” We all have a boatload of excuses, but in the end, listening to those excuses only stops us.

Our dreams are not accidental. We might assume God has placed them in our hearts along with eternity. 

As long as those dreams honor God, finding that rainbow could be more than satisfying a personal desire … it also could be honoring God’s plan for our lives.

PRAYER

FATHER GOD, thank You for giving us hearts of boldness, minds that long to create, and hands – and sometimes feet – that put action to those urges. We pray, Lord, in all we do, we’ll honor You. In Jesus’ name. AMEN