Called To Write

Everyone has a story, right? How they were called into ministry, or to their current job. At times it’s a passionate, emotion-filled story. Others times, a still small voice of encouragement. For some their skill was developed from a very young age, while others discover their skill later in life. Each story is unique, and equally moving.

Here is my story…

I have had a love of reading for as long as I can remember. My schooling required me to read in literature class, but that’s not where my passion for the written word came from. No, it was from my parents.

For as long as I can remember my mother always had a book either in hand or nearby. She can sit for hours simply absorbing everything in a book, and sometimes she reads more than one at a time. The bookshelves around the house, crowded with novel after novel, a testament to her love for the written word.

My father has a passion for reading as well, although maybe not quite as deep as my mother. One of my favorite childhood memories is when my father and mother would come to the room I shared with my sister at bedtime. A large book of fairy tales in hand he would sit on one of our beds and read to us each night.

Both of my parents encouraged us to read. They would feed my addiction for books and often purchased a novel or two for my birthday or Christmas.

During my elementary and high school years, I developed a love for poetry. Although my poems were simple, and not always well written, I was constantly encouraged to develop my talent. To keep writing. To not let anyone else’s opinions deter me from sharing my thoughts.

After college, I learned short stories are a great deal of fun to write. So I threw myself into the world of writing. The stories a way to keep me occupied while my husband was away for training in the United States Air Force.

It was through those short stories, which weren’t always short, I met one of my best friends. During our discussions, we would often talk about the idea of writing an original work, a novel. Often times plot ideas and characters would be shared but never acted upon. It wasn’t until my husband faced his first deployment that I became serious about the prospect.

When my husband deployed overseas I suddenly found myself with a whole lot of time, and nothing to fill it with. My house was quiet and lonely without him. So I opened my computer, started a new document, and began to write a story which had not left me alone for months. Thus Patriot was born.

All through the writing process, my family was a constant source of encouragement. My parents continued to encourage me to keep writing and became a large source of inspiration and motivation. My mother, an English teacher, even helped me with the daunting task of editing.

When everything was said and done I had a self-published novel on Amazon, and ideas for at least three more books.

Writing, for me, has become a source of relaxation, a way for me to process my emotions when they are overwhelming, and an outlet to share my thoughts with others. While my husband and I struggled with coming to terms with a miscarriage, a second deployment, the death of a baby nephew, and now an aunt fighting a battle with brain cancer, my writing has been there as an outlet for all my struggles, fears, and emotions.

I know for a fact that God has called me to write. No, there was no sign from the heavens. Just a still, small voice giving me a dream and encouraging me to pursue it.

I don’t write for money, or for fame. I write because I love it. If someone benefits from my writing then praise the Lord. Being able to help someone through my words is my desire.

And so I write.

My ultimate goal, touching someone’s life with my words. Even if it is simply my own.