What Are We Missing

 

You know when you’ve proof-read something so many times you’re no longer actually reading it? It’s so familiar you know it inside out and are convinced it’s as good as it can be. Then it appears in print in a magazine or on a blog, and all you can see is ‘there’ where it should be ‘their’ (or another silly typo). The misplaced word jumps out at you like it was written in a large, bold font and underlined in red. And you can’t understand how you ever missed it.

Just me? I doubt it. It’s amazing how easy it is to miss the little mistake.

But what about the bigger things we miss?

I’m in the middle of writing a YA novel. It has Christian themes and Christian characters, but faith isn’t the main focus of the narrative. At the minute, I’m a bit bogged down. The beginning is written, the end is planned out, it’s just the sticky middle that is causing problems. I need to dig my main character out of a bit of a plot hole and find a more subtle way to introduce an apparently incidental boy who will later become essential to the story.

There’s also some continuity errors. It’s important for the plot that there’s a long stretch of dry weather, but in one scene the atmosphere is enhanced by light summer rain. And I’ve just realised that two of my secondary characters have swapped personalities between chapters three and five!

All these details to focus on, plot strands to juggle and characters to fine-tune. It’s hard to look at the big picture.

 

Can you focus on the road and also admire the view?

When I stepped back after a week of full-on (paid) work, I realised my novel has drifted. I want to write good stories that reflect a Christian worldview and gently challenge readers to think. Yet I’ve been so focussed on creating a compelling, coherent story, I’ve lost sight of that over-arching purpose.

As I preached in our carol service last week, it’s easy to get lost in the busyness and the detail, and miss the important. The meaning of Christmas: Immanuel, God become incarnate for us.

And the true purpose of our writing: to use our talents and opportunities to glorify God and share his love. In the detail of our craft, let’s not forget what and who it’s for.