Almost a year ago I awoke from one of those dreams I didn’t want to end. It was an incredible adventure of a girl who lost everything and never gave up trying to get it all back. As soon as my eyes opened, I scrambled for a notepad to jot down the story, not wanting to forget any little twist or turn.
I shared the dream with my household only. My husband, wide-eyed, must have repeated three times during the tale, “You wrote this down, right?!”
Now, I am going to admit that I had never written anything like that story before. Most of my writing in the last twenty years has been technical documents, with my enjoyment being the occasional poem or song of praise. I had written a children’s devotional, but never an adventure.
Despite my hesitancy, I started working on the story every now and then on nights and weekends. I found that, even though it was a push to get the words on the page, writing this story was a wonderful way to wind down after work. I got more relaxation out of writing a paragraph of my story than any spa could provide.
One evening, I decided to skip ahead to a critical chapter that had been blossoming in my mind. Words poured onto the page as my Main Character spilled her secrets to her new friend in whom she had finally found the ability to trust. The scene was raw and realistic, and the characters themselves became so real to me.
It was at that moment I fell in love with my characters
I kept thinking that there must be some name for this phenomenon in the author world. We “save the cat” and we “kill the darling,” but I couldn’t find anything that could effectively describe the poignant moment in which our characters become so real to us that we fall in love with them.
It is in that love that I shape my character’s world with the scenes, creatures, experiences – and most of all, people – they can enjoy.
This brought me to consider our Creator and how God imparted to us The Desire to Create. More than that, through the experience of loving these characters, God allowed me a deeper appreciation for his love for us, his Creation.
Here are a few reflections for you, my writer friends, as you consider your own creation and that of your Creator:
He penned a story. (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1)
He knew us and loved us before we ever existed. (Psalm 139:15-16)
He loved us enough to breath life into our lungs, despite our flaws, failures, and sin. (1 John 4:9-12)
He built a world and takes pleasure in it. (Revelation 4:11)
He persisted until He was finished. (Genesis 2:1)
He rested. (Genesis 2:2)
He provides for His Creation. (Matthew 6:25-26)
He develops characters. (Hebrews 12:11)
He planned for our salvation. (Titus 1:2)
He wrote the ending. (Jeremiah 29:11)
He is both the author and the main character in the greatest story ever told. (Hebrews 12:2)
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. -Heb. 12:2
As for that moment that I fell in love with my characters - I think I'll call it my creator love moment. It reflects not only a newfound affection for my own creation, but a reverent appreciation for the love my God has shown to his.
I'd love to hear about your #creatorlovemoment.