A few weeks ago, I decided it was high time that I clean out my wardrobe. It had been months since I did so, and it needed it badly, especially the top shelf. Everything in there was a jumbled up mess of medicines and instruction manuals, loose papers, clothing, and batteries. I pulled everything out and set (or tossed) it on the floor at my feet. As I flailed through the shelf’s contents, a pair of green gloves went flying across the room.
I gasped. They were my writing gloves. My green fingerless writing gloves with the scene from Anne of Green Gables in which Anne breaks her slate over Gilbert’s head, printed on them. The writing gloves I’ve worn to write three of my five books, since January of 2022. I lost them in August when I moved, and I’d searched everywhere for them. I’d given them up as lost.
And then there they were.
But this was special for more than simply the fact that they’ve been lost for a long time.
A few hours before I discovered my gloves in the top shelf of my wardrobe, I took one of the biggest steps I’ve ever taken in my literary career. I submitted my novella manuscript to my editor. Over the next few months, she and I will be editing it so that I can work towards publishing. I’m still in the very early stages, of course, but this was, in a way, the beginning.
But I didn’t have my gloves.
And then, when I wasn’t even looking for them, God gave them back to me. He showed me where they were. He let me find them.
As I rejoiced over the recover of these most special writing companions, I thought about finding things. Ecclesiastes 3:6 states that there is “a time to seek, and a time to lose.” And I began considering this, not only in relation to my gloves, but also into stories.
At the end of the day, there is a list of stories that I will write before I die. I know about some of them, and others are lost to me in the realm of shadowy possibility. They’re not written yet. They will be one day.
But the order matters. The time matters.
Writing is not so much about making things up as it is about discovering the story that God has written for his children and placed somewhere hidden for just the right person to find. It’s something more. If there’s anything I’ve been reminded of in the last few weeks, writing is an emotional process. I had a pretty tough week earlier this month, so I wrote a short story about my struggles. And it helped. So much. I didn’t just discover that story out of thin air. It was waiting for me. And I had to be in that particular (somewhat dejected) emotional state to write it. The process helped me so much.
I’m so thankful for good timing. Whether it’s finding gloves or stories, it matters.
Image credits: WallpaperCave
EKKK!!!! Ella! Guess what? Your blog inspired me to write a blog post myself, and my school published it for me.
Here’s the link to my blog post if you want to check it out, no pressure… I couldn’t figure out how to put an actual link so I just put this one.
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Hello friend! Congratulations! I had to remove the link to make your comment public, but I read the post and it’s awesome! Good job for sharing yourself and taking that step of publishing a blog post! I especially love the songs you recommended. “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again” was one of my favorites when I was in middle school. Keep writing, and thank you for sharing!
Ah, so exciting Ella Rose! I’ll be praying that all the editing and writing goes well. It’s such a big step! β€οΈ π₯³
Thank you for sharing all this! You have some really thought-provoking ideas. π€
Thank you, Oceay!π€
Aww, thank you for reading!
You’re getting published! Ella Rose that’s so exciting! I will be cheering you on! ππ₯³
Well I haven’t even finished the book yet. But I will be headed that direction soon. Thank you!
Writing is my way of letting out emotions, both good and bad. I love the line you said, “Writing is not so much about making things up as it is about discovering the story that God has written for his children and placed somewhere hidden for just the right person to find.’ I feel like that is so deep for writers. It definitely was a fun read especially since I just read ‘Anne.’ Before I read Anne, I was googling info about it and your blog popped up, so it was how I became a full-on subscriber. I pray that you have lots of success with your novella. Being a teenage writer myself I know how it feels.
WHOA! That is so cool that you found me… thank you for telling me! It’s always a blessing to meet a fellow writer. π And congrats on reading one of the BEST BOOKS IN THE WORLD!!! π₯°
This is a great post! So true and so cool! I find so many things trying to clean my room π€£ I’m glad you found your gloves. π
Thanks, Juliana! Hehe… I always forget that it’s a thing. π