On That Night..

As I was thinking about Details for my extra blog a few weeks ago, I thought about story details. I find it hard to add details to books, for I can picture the scene. To add colours, smells and sounds to my story has to be done deliberately. There are small comments or accidents, that can swing an entire book around. As a pantser, I don’t normally plan my book. Little things happen, taking me by surprise, steering the book in an unexpected direction.

This time, I have started a project that is reasonably planned, and therefore in the past tense. It’s totally different for me, and I’m enjoying the plotting and planning involved. I can see little twists coming up, things that will change the story or the outcome. It isn’t planned in great detail; there is still enough freedom for my characters to keep me wondering what they will do next.



At home as a child, one of my favourite books was a history book called, The way God’s Finger Writes (something like that. Details are a pain when translating!). In the Bible as well as in history we can see God’s writing in the details. Little words like ‘nevertheless’ or ‘But God...’

My very favourite example is Esther, where the chapter starts with one mundane sentence, On that night could not the king sleep. As they had a way of dealing with the king’s insomnia, it sounds like he struggled to nod off quite often. Nothing special or noteworthy. Apart from, it turned everything upside down. It might not be very profitable, but I’m always trying to imagine Haman’s voice as he paraded Mordecai round the streets. He couldn’t be too sulky, for that would surely get back to the king. But how enthusiastic could he make himself sound?

When I write, I can hear my character’s voices, their intonation. With my current project, I’m writing in First Person (another new one for me!) and the main character is a teenager. It’s wonderful, imagining teenage eye-rolling, teenage giggles over nothing. It’s all about detail, isn’t it?



God has given us so much detail to look at, to think about, to teach us. There was Moses, not allowed into the Holy Land for hitting the rock in his anger. Such a small detail, such huge consequences. A father, running to meet his lost, despicable son. Promises, filled with love, changing our life story. Paul, writing in detail about who we were, then that little phrase, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us...” That’s more than a detail, but I still overlook it when I’m writing, worried whether it’ll be good enough, wondering if people will roll their eyes at me, thinking of all those amazing writers out there making me cringe when I offer up my ramblings. You’re loved, you’re special, you’re precious, and so are your words. It might not be perfect or fancy, ‘nevertheless...’ So be blessed as well as a blessing using your words and plotting details!

Maressa Mortimer lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, England with her husband and four (adopted) children. Her debut novel, Sapphire Beach, was published December 2019, and her first self published novel, Walled City came out on December 5^th 2020, as her own St Nicholas present to the world! You can buy your very own, signed copy at www.vicarioushome.com.

She is a homeschool mum, so her writing has to be done in the evening, when peace and quiet descend on the house once more. She loves writing Christian fiction, as it’s a great way to explore faith in daily life.