I sat down at my desk, an empty Microsoft Word document illuminating my face while the blinking cursor held my gaze. A blank page, a fresh start. I had a story I wanted to write, but I didn’t know where to begin. 

My history with writing sometimes feels like it started with furious typing just before the stroke of midnight to complete an essay for an online class. But when I really think about it, writing was a big part of my life even before then. 

The benefits of independent study as a high school student included the ability to work at my own pace and the freedom to write. I easily remember those days, jumping between schoolwork and the latest story I was writing (which will never see the light of day, sorry 😀). In college, I set those stories aside because I didn’t have the time to put pen to paper. Still, stories, characters, and plot lines filled my mind on a daily basis. 

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was early November 2019 and I couldn’t sleep, so my mind began to drift again to different characters and story ideas. The next morning, I sat in a secluded section of the Rot (the endearing name the students call Liberty’s dining hall. In no way does it describe the food, in case you were curious), and I began to plan a story surrounding characters and a plotline that I had thought of the night before. 

Prior to this, anyone who knew me (and knows me still) knew that I loved a good mystery. Whether it be a cheesy Hallmark Movie and Mystery (Aurora Teagarden or Garage Sale Mysteries are great places to start), a Terri Blackstock novel, or an episode of Monk, I loved watching and reading mysteries of all forms. 

That November in 2019, I began the early writing stages of my current work in progress, which is a crime fiction/mystery novel. While I’m not ready to share anymore details on the storyline itself, I will say that I have been working hard on this story for almost four years. However, in the last five months, I have found myself more dedicated to this story, not because I really want to see it completed, but because I have learned so many lessons from the Lord that I am now writing about in the story itself. I walked through a season a few months ago, and I felt the Lord tugging at my heart saying, “That is what you need to write about.” 

Currently, I have just reached 70,000 words in this draft and the end is in sight. In a little over a month, I will be sending (Lord-willing) my completed manuscript to my editor who will be helping me develop the story and guide me in terms of the plot line, characters, and other story aspects.

I am really excited to see what the Lord is going to do and how He is going to use this story! Thank you so much for reading this blog post/short rambling. I appreciate your support!