Plans

 

I like making plans. Maybe it’s having a lively imagination, so I can just imagine what the day might look like, or what would make the perfect holiday for a husband, four kids and a dog... Of course, I hold those plans loosely, at least at those moments when I think of the Letter from James in the Bible, but once plans are scuppered, it’s amazing to find how firm they had grown to be.

My plan to write the third Elabi book in just a few months has been dragged out into almost two years. The end is in sight, but the excited (not-shared-with-anyone)plan of having it published the first week of May might have been too optimistic. It should definitely be out by next May, a much safer pan to hold!

I struggle to plan my books, although I can imagine big chunks of the story. Sometimes I need to go back a little in the story and shake things up. It happened in book 3, the one I plan to publish soon. It made me so excited about the story, it’s hard to keep spoilers to myself, even though I would never plan to tell people the details, of course.

Road to Nowhere. It did make me twitchy, watching them all walk in the middle of a road...

Reading comes with plans as well. I try to tick as many off the list as I can from Wendy’s Reading List (Wendy. H. Jones posts a list on Facebook every year with some fabulous categories. It helps me to read wider.) I plan to read for each category and often make a list of books to read. Suddenly, it’s January 1st, and a new list starts, with the previous list only half done. This year, I’m doing quite well, so who knows, I might be able to stick to my plan.

Today, I spent some time with three of my children and Goldie walking a special road. It’s actually called The Road to Nowhere, and it’s used in some films, apparently. It’s a stretch of dual carriageway that isn’t used and goes nowhere. At least, nowhere connected. It ends in a large, gravelly spot, surrounded by woods and fields. The kids thought it was great, looking around Nowhere, standing in the middle of Nowhere... Goldie thought it was great because there was stuff to sniff everywhere.

I’m so glad our lives aren't like that road. We have a destination, a Guide and a compass. I’m dreadful at map reading, but God’s Word shines on our paths, and although I might have to retrace steps in my writing, I still trust God and thank Him for the blessing of writing. My writing isn’t particularly a fast lane at the moment, but the journey is still enjoyable and full of great experiences. I feel like a Sunday Driver, toddling along in my little motorcar, waving at other road users, all on our way to Somewhere. Have a wonderful trip!

Maressa Mortimer is Dutch but lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, England with her husband and four (adopted) children. Maressa is a homeschool mum as well as a pastor’s wife, 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. Because of her interest in writing, Maressa is part of Creativity Matters: Find Your Passion For Writing, an anthology encouraging people to write.

Her debut novel, Sapphire Beach, was published in December 2019, and her first self published novel, Walled City, came out in December 2020, followed by Viking Ferry, a novella. Beyond the Hills is the second book in the Elabi Chronicles, and was released in 2021, followed by stand-alone novel Burrowed, released in 2022. All of Maressa’s books are available from her website, www.vicarioushome.com, Amazon or local bookshops.