When Your Writing Needs Resurrection

We've all been there -- we have written ourselves into a corner and don't know where to go now.

This happened to me on the first book I ever wrote -- I got down to the second to last chapter, and still didn't know whodunnit, or why. No motive, no suspects, no alibi, no idea.

At this point, you can do one of the following:
1. Dump the entire book because it was a stupid idea to think YOU could write a book.
2. Send out a survey to 100 of your closest friends to ask them if they think you could write a book.
3. Read 100 blog posts from published authors who will confirm you couldn't write a book.
4. Read 100 newsletters from multi-published authors who will tell you that even if you did write a book, you wouldn't get it published because it's much too difficult and your skin isn't thick enough and you don't know the right people.
5. Read 100 success stories about published authors who were rejected dozens of times before getting published, then go back to work on your book.

I chose option 5. Okay, first I prayed. I went to my source, the One who gave me the story to begin with. I figured if God wrote the story through me, He knew whodunnit. And okay, I didn't read 100 success stories, but I did read a couple of books on writing mysteries, something I should have done before I ever sat down to write one. Then I went back into my book, set up some red herrings, some clues, some alibis, increased the tension, and WHAM! The killer jumped off the pages at me. The person with the least apparent reason to do it, the person nobody would suspect, but when I wrote in several clues and some hints and innuendoes, WOW! It made sense. And later, when I had several independent readers read my book, they were all satisfied with the ending, and did not suspect the killer.

That's what you want to hear!

So, when your writing needs resurrection, go to the Source -- pray. If you don't have time to pray, you don't have time to write. Then, don't be ashamed to go back to basics. Don't be too proud to learn some more, to ask questions, to ask advice of people in the writing business.

We're all in the same business, the same situation, and we all write for the same reason -- God has given us the story, and if we don't write it, He will find someone who will. So write, pray, resurrect the passion in you for the story. To God be the glory!