Keeping Wonder

The screen blurs before tired eyes but there’s a goal – a phantom number – to be reached, and so I rub my eyes, drink more coffee, and continue on. Day after day after day. It’s no longer a story, or characters with distinct voices, or a setting alive with color, it’s letters and words on a page, one right after another.

It’s far too easy to reach this stage in writing, where the story loses ground because the details have become a puzzle and the picture’s been shoved aside for the sake of getting cadence right or description clear. It’s scattered pieces that need to be put back together into a cohesive whole.

This last weekend, I attended GalaxyCon with my husband and one of my illustrators, Esther. This was Esther’s first convention and it was a bit overwhelming for her, but at the end of each day, as we were heading back to the hotel, she’d take a look at the sunset and admire God’s paintbrush. She’d thank him for a beautiful end of the day. Perspective. It socked me in the gut. Esther was doing something hard, something scary, but she kept her joy throughout the experience.

She captured toads with her hands and giggled in delight. She thanked God for each sunset. She admired others’ artwork and exclaimed over the surprises in the book she was reading. Wonder and delight in the everyday.

It was refreshing for my soul and inspiring for my writing. Keeping wonder in each day.

Blessings,

Jennifer

P.S. Zap Dragon did great at GalaxyCon! As for HMII, the editing continues. Hopefully, it’ll be ready to pass along to beta readers in the next few weeks.