Passion To Words

Hello and Welcome!

Louise here, with three reasons why you should love (not disdain) your story (especially before you start writing it). 

Root of the Problem 

If you’re like me then you love to write. But maybe you’ve hit a roadblock.

You can’t write. 

You’ve lost touch with your protagonist. You can’t picture the world, or (like me) daydream for hours about the characters and their internal journey’s. 

You’re stuck. And you don’t know why. 

That happened to me once. I started a book. Finished it in fact. I had big dreams for it. Five days into editing I acted upon a feeling that had been bubbling beneath the surface for quite a while. 

I scrapped it.

I knew I couldn’t get into the world, I couldn’t relate to the characters, and I didn’t have enough experience and knowledge under my belt to push through those kinds of problems.

So, I unclasped the rings on my binder, removed the papers and dumped them into my creativity bin. 

I had a very strong dislike for my story. 

I didn’t like my characters, couldn’t build the world, and had no direction for the story whatsoever. It was the first book I ever finished. 

And I couldn’t stand re-reading and editing it. 

What was missing?

A love for the story. 

A loyalty to the characters.

An undying wish to see them through to the end.

Another book I’ve finished will need major editing in the months to come. 

Yet I couldn’t dream of scrapping it.

Why?

Because I love it.

I couldn’t part with it even if I wanted to.

So, here are three reasons why you should love your story. 

Reason Number One: love for the craft

Now, I’m not about to go all: “do what makes YOU happy” because I don’t believe that on its own it’s a valid message that should be preached to us young people. 

A lot of times you’re going to have to do things that don’t automatically result in your neurons releasing a “feel-good” hormone, and that’s a part of life in a fallen world. 

Happiness is not our end goal. Our goal is not to please ourselves, but our Heavenly Father. 

That being said. 

Disdaining your WIP is not going to motivate you to write it when you have copious roadblocks in your path (which all writers do.) And it certainly won’t please God when you sit down at the keyboard every day and groan, side-eyeing your work like it’s the worst thing on earth. 

Writing requires you to love, or (if you’re a no-no-feelings person) at least like your story if you want to push through all those times you’re seriously considering giving up.

Like I did.
I gave up on my story. I threw it into my creativity bin and wished it good riddance. There wasn’t anything totally wrong with it, no huge problems a lot of hard work couldn’t fix. 

But I couldn’t conjure up the love for the story that was needed. 

I was not passionate about the story I was writing, and so I could not deliver the story that it should have been. Instead, I decided to wait until a future date (if ever) when my love for it might rekindle. 

Reason Number Two: Loving your story inspires you

It’s 12:27 A.M. you’re almost asleep, and then WHAM, your MC says something so unforgettable you know you’ll forget it the next morning. 

Believe it or not, I’ve actually gotten up in dead silence, tripped my way to the next room over, and fumbled around in blackness for a sheet of paper and pencil to scribble with. 

Trust me, I was mentally yelling at my MC for his ill-timing the remainder of the night till I fell asleep. 

Now, I know I’m crazy, but is anyone really THAT crazy? 

Despite the fact that my handwriting was nearly unreadable as I looked at that scrap of paper the next morning, I still couldn’t believe what my protagonist had said.

 He’d said something wonderful, I was giddy, excited, and more than ready to sit at the keyboard and type to my heart’s content (despite the fact that he’s a hard character to write). 

That wouldn’t have happened unless I loved my story. I don’t spend time contemplating and imagining things about stories that I don’t love. 

Love for your story will inspire you. Whether you’re outside and looking up at the clouds, or watching a movie in the same genre you’re writing in, when you love your story, it inspires you beyond anything else in the world. 

Inspiration gets me going when I have been at a stand-alone for quite sometime. And I wouldn’t have inspiration unless I loved my story. 

Reason Number Three:It’s not an assignment 

It’s a gift. 

Writing is what you do because you love it, or, because you love the end product. 

So why would you write a story you can’t stand? (unless of course, someone is forcing you because it’s a huge conspiracy and things are falling apart in the world and the only thing that can fix it is the words from your pen… or keyboard. But let’s hope that never happens) 

This isn’t an 11th grade english class. 

(Although grammar rules still apply, much to writers chagrin) 

This is your home, your keyboard, your own volition. You’re not doing this because someone sitting behind a desk told you to (even if that person happens to be your mother because you’re homeschooled). You are writing because you want to glorify God, because you love it, because you want to share the message close to your heart with others. 

So love it. 

Love what you write (even if it isn’t perfect, loving it will motivate you to do the hard work to get it as close to perfect as you can), love your characters, your message, your story, and work hard to make it the best it can be. Quality matters, especially in story-telling. 

Don’t elevate it above what it is, but don’t dismiss it either. 

Love your story, and let it ignite a flame that burns in the darkness. Don’t give up on it. Work hard to keep that flame burning. It’ll flicker, sure, all flames do. But don’t let it go out.

People will appreciate the passion you show for your story. They’ll see it, and more than that, they’ll see the underlying motive. Why are you really writing this story? What is its purpose? 

Passion in story-telling is essential. 

So be passionate about it. And if you aren’t passionate about what you’re writing right now, maybe try your hand at something different. You might be surprised by the results. 😉 

And with that I wish you the best! 

~Louise