Behind the Words on a Page

Would-be writers are told ‘write what you know. Write what you like to read the most!’
Great advice. As I reflected upon it however, I felt short-changed.

I know a lot of things to varying degrees. Life has given me some interesting experiences. When wrapped up in God’s grace and intervention there is some story telling merit to be found in them.

When I first began to write I had some hard lessons to learn! I liked to read westerns and war stories. Could I write them? No! I hadn’t experienced what I like to read. That was depressive.

Life took a dramatic turn when the Lord Jesus stepped on my toes and my heart opened to His presence. I loved His Word. Now, I’m far from being a scholar or theologian but I wanted to share my Lord and His teachings. But how? Not being a novelist and being ignorant of Point of View and unimaginative in dialogue there was no best seller poised on my fingertips. Various devotional books, such as ‘My Utmost for His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers arrested my attention. ‘I’ll write one of those’, I said to myself. Ha!

I had words and I had a pen. That’s a dangerous combination. However as I tried to bring construction out of chaos the finished work was lifeless. In the pleasure of God He had to take me from theory to knowing by experiencing what I would develop through words. Combined with experience, the Lord wove into my heart the missing ingredient called passion. Much to my frustration this took time. But it was essential if ever I was to have something worthwhile to say. Without passion any writing will not live, faith will remain a theory and love will be but an illusion.

I write what I know. It has taken years of being shaped, crushed, rebuilt, pruned and stored before finding expression in print. I’m not young anymore and how many words will flow only the Lord knows. Still, without His taking me through the school of life’s experience and teaching me from the wisdom of others how to write, my desire would have simply expired in the mire of incompetence.

Allow me to close with the following poem. I think it will clarify what I’m trying to say.

I Wanted to Write

I wanted to write
A poem on love
Burning with desire!
It was so calculated
With words evaluated
For rhythm and rhyme
But,
Something amiss
Romance asleep
It was simply still life.

Then,
You came into my life!

I now had to write
My poem of love
For my heart burned
With a love unearned!
Words glowed on pages
Blazed through the ages!
Now,
Writing on fire
Romance alive
It was passionate life!

For,
You are now in my life.

Raymond N. Hawkins 23/1/2012.

Ray is the author of ‘The Neurotic Rooster’ devotions from three short term mission trips to Africa. (Self published). Then through ‘Even Before Publishing’ he has had ‘Children – God’s Special Interest’ and ‘From Eden with Love’ (the Biblical teaching on Marriage) available in Christian bookshops and on ‘Kindle.’

Ray is married to Mary, a multi-published Inspirational Romance author.