Perspective

I just sat there, staring at the screen, where an unnamed platform told me in cheerful letters that my book was now LIVE. I gasped, bashed on all kinds of keys, refreshed, did what I could. Nothing changed. My novella was officially launched upon an unsuspecting world.

My first proper thought? “Thankfully it was only a novella and not a real book.” Of course, by the time I receive a copy of Viking Ferry, it will look like a book. It has letters on the spine, that’s how real it is. It has an ISBN on the back. But in my mind, it’s not a real book, ‘only’ a novella.

The same way I’m not a real writer, ‘only’ a mum who writes when not sorting out sibling squabbles or missing socks. Are you like that? ‘Only’ a part-time writer? Only someone who writes some poems? Maybe I’m the only one who brushes off what I do. “I like to sit down and write stories, just for fun, you know.”

This time, bringing out a book is even worse. As soon as I published it, I thought, “Why didn’t I make it into a proper book, with extra storylines and hair-raising adventures?” It was meant as a short story, but I felt bad about my character being left on a beach with a bunch of Vikings. It ended up being a story about forgiveness. For can you forgive enemies who aren’t even real?



So why do I feel that Walled City and Sapphire Beach are real books, and I’m happy to tell people about them, but Viking Ferry is different? When I thought about it, I realised that I’m like that towards God as well. Does our worship reflect this attitude? Singing out of tune whilst washing up, is that the same kind of worship as singing with other believers? Does the person who can hold a tune worship more than the person who’s hopelessly lost in the melody?

I know some people feel like that about writing. “That’s not a poem, for it doesn't rhyme.” But is funny verse, slapped together for fun, proper poetry just because we managed to make the last words rhyme? What criteria do we have for our writing? Does it have to have a real, proper, Gospel message in it to count? Do we feel God is frowning down on us as we’re writing because the character didn’t say grace before their meal?

You see, I write because it’s a great release at the end of a busy day. It’s where I wonder on paper what serving God looks like. I wondered what it would be like to wake up on a ferry after a nap, to find yourself surrounded by Vikings. Why do you write? I want to serve God, but I suddenly realised that the number of pages wasn’t part of God’s perspective. My life doesn’t get more spiritual, the more pages of writing I produce. Perspective, such an important thing to check in our lives!

 My name is Maressa Mortimer, and I’m Dutch. I live in the beautiful Cotswolds, England, with my husband who is a pastor. We have four (adopted) children. I’m a homeschool mum, so my writing has to be done in the evening, when peace and quiet descends on our house once more. I love exploring questions of faith using novels, as it helps me to see what faith looks like in daily life. My debut novel, Sapphire Beach, was published December 2019. My latest novel, Walled City, launched on December 5^th, 2020, and I’m nearing the first draft of its sequel! And Viking Ferry, a novella, has unexpectedly been released at the end of March!

Visit my website www.vicarioushome.com to read my blog or to buy signed copies from my shop!