Patience, purpose and a plan.

I must confess one reason for going to the recent CRT conference at The Hayes, Derbyshire, was to spend time with other Resolute Books authors. We are scattered all over the country so in-person get-togethers are rare. We soon discovered a common sense of humour which led to a WhatsApp group and much hilarity over the few days of the conference. Do not ask how but one thread resulted in renaming titles of songs with the word ‘prunes/prune’ in them. Here are some: (In no particular order)

I’ve got prunes, they’re multiplying. 

Prune Lightening

It’s raining prunes

I heard it through the grape prune

Livin’ on a prune

Dark side of the Prune

Pink Pruney Club

I think I will leave it there.

Like, the real fruit, our exercise provided (for me) a positive health benefit with all the laugher the above caused. Laughter reduces stress, boast creativity and increases energy. Great news for a writer.

For a writer their creativity and energy, however it arises, needs harnessing into a process that enables them to transform them into a piece of writing. Guest speak at CRT Patrick Regan, author and co-founder of the mental and wellbeing charity Kintsugi Hope, suggested to achieve this when managing challenges to our own wellbeing was develop an approach based upon three words all beginning with the same letter as our Prune,  They are Patience, Purpose, and a Plan. They can equally be applied to writing.

Patience to let inspiration work its way into our consciousness for that next story, poem, blog or to resolve a thorny plot or editing issue. A purpose to write what comes to us. Who, what and why are we compelled to write something. For some it maybe because they have been commissioned to write the piece, for others it maybe the desire to share the Christian faith or because the story will not leave us until it is down on paper. A plan to get it down and out there in some shape or form. Anything from an embryonic idea in our head, post-it-notes to a scene-by-scene plot breakdown. Of course the three prunes – sorry – three P’s – are very much at the heart of the gospel. It continues to be patient as we share the good news, God’s purpose is clear and has been since the beginning of time, which is to be in union with His people and He has a plan to bring us all under one heaven (whatever it may look like.)

Which leaves me with on final retitled song: Heaven is a prune on earth.

 

A former vicar and community worker, Sheelagh is a freelance writer and blogger living in the northeast. You can find out more about Sheelagh here. She is the author of In-Between Girl, Book 1 of The Birchwood Inheritance published by Resolute Books.