Guys. Writing a book is hard.
Like...really hard.
Not "I should do five more sit-ups even though it will hurt" hard. Not "my brain hurts so I don't want to write this paper anymore" hard. Not "I want to punch senior seminar in the face" hard. Not "last killer final exam before I graduate" hard.
I'm talking really hard.
The kind of hard that most people run screaming from. The kind of hard that requires you to pour out a part of your soul each and every time you sit down and stare at that Word document. The kind of hard that leaves you feeling exhausted, even though all you did was sit at a computer and type words for an hour or two (or five). The kind of hard that leaves you feeling spent in every possible way and has made you laugh and cry and want to punch walls as the lives of your characters have unfolded. The kind of hard that produces something completely unique and beautiful when it's done.
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I'm in the process of writing my first book.
Well, not technically my first book. I've written two books before. Both in high school. Both very cheesy and cliché. Both very bad.
But since the last time I wrote fiction longer than a short story was 2006, you could say I'm a bit rusty. And I'd forgotten just how difficult is. Or maybe, back then, I didn't really know. That could explain why those books were so bad.
Either way, I'm in that part of the book-writing process where I'm refining some things. Okay, a lot of things.
I sent my first few chapters off to a few friends, all of whom have provided me incredibly valuable feedback on many different aspects of my book — word choice, repetition, grammar and punctuation, story structure, plot direction, character, point-of-view, and more. And you know what I'm realizing as I'm reading over notes and thinking about the ways the story needs to improve, the characters need to deepen, and I need to stop saying the same thing over and over again?
I'm realizing that, while it immensely difficult to tell stories in this way — to take the time to create the world and the characters, to detail the emotions, develop the personalities and the back stories, to create something out of nothing and breathe life into these people who, up until now, have only existed in my brain — it is also immensely important.
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A couple of weeks ago, when I was at Q, I had the very unique opportunity to spend a bit of extra time with Jonathan Merritt.
I attended a workshop in the morning led by him and his agent, Christopher Ferebee, on how to write a book and, based on some unique circumstances, I had the immense privilege of riding from the workshop to LAX airport so Jonathan and I could both catch our 3:05pm flights.
That car ride translated into an extra 30 minutes or so where I got to pick Jonathan's brain a bit about some more specific questions relating to my personal situation.
He is a non-fiction writer, having published over 500 articles and two books, and I asked him what his thoughts were on someone doing both fiction and non-fiction.
His answer?
"It's really hard for someone to do both and do them well, so pick the one you really love and focus on that."
I've been thinking about those words, along with the countless other pieces of information and bits of advice that I heard over those 2 1/2 days at Q. I love to write and read stories, but (as evidenced by most of the content on this blog) I also enjoy writing on non-fiction topics.
As I've continued to reflect on this, the major thing I keep coming back to that popped up in several talks, in the workshop with Jonathan, and in other conversations I've had with multiple people over the two weeks since then is story is incredibly important.
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In the back of my head, I've always known this.
People have asked me before why writing and, more specifically, why fiction?
It's because of the story.
There's a reason Jesus told parables. There's a reason movies and books make us to laugh and cry. There's a reason sharing your story with someone creates a special kind of bond.
Stories have power.
Ask any writer if telling a story well is easy and I can guarantee they'll tell you no. Telling a compelling story and telling it well is exhausting, difficult, draining, maddening, time consuming, and downright frustrating. But it's also exhilarating, exciting, and rewarding.
I will never forget the first time I read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. More than once tears streamed down my face as I clutched the book and turned page after page. And when I closed that book, I was so completely overcome with the love that my Savior has for me that all I wanted to do was praise Him.
That is why I love stories and that is why I tell them. Even when it's hard. Even when it's exhausting. Even when I don't want to rewrite another sentence because I just want it to be done.
Writing a book is hard, but nothing worth doing was ever easy.
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