In the past, I have never ever thought about writing or attempting to become a writer. It’s not that I’m particular bad (or good) at it. I did alright in high school, placed into the second semester required English class in college, and never thought twice about writing again. My bachelor’s degree was art based, so I’ve done my fair share of creative projects. I’ve had a job or two that required technical writing. And I’ve written quilting patterns – very niche technical! Creative writing, though? Nah.

When I went back to school at the age of fifty, I was dumped into the world of scholarly writing. Wow! What HUGE learning curve! Eventually, I learned how to write in a scholarly manner – develop an idea and put it into words. Still, creative writing is a whole other beast that I am currently learning by trial and error.

So, why write?

I had one class in seminary that was a total bust. To this day I still have a level of “buyer’s remorse” – aka, I can’t believe I spent all this money on that! Except, there was one caveat. An assignment given us required researching a biblical character then creating a monologue and “presenting” it to the class. The teacher loved movies, analyzing and critiquing movies, and looking for theological threads in movies. Essentially, he wanted us to “act” out our monologue.

No Thank You! I had a major panic attack.

As I was talking with a friend, I decided to circumvent the “acting” bit by turning it into a radio show. You know, the old-timer kind with sound effects? That worked for me. No one had to look at me and I might survive the experience. I instructed everyone to close their eyes and just listen.

Who did I research?

It couldn’t be a usual “hero” of the Bible. The common choices in class were all “good guys” – Joseph, Elijah, Peter, John, etc. My character had to have grit, an alternative story. Jezebel it was. Researching Jezebel was fascinating! I will leave that for another post.

Here’s what that horrible class and horrible assignment taught me.

• There are so many stories to be told beyond the major ones we learn in Sunday school.
• Context is relevant – historical events that happened alongside the biblical events are important.
• Seeing things from a different angle can provide greater insight.

An idea was born from that class. I don’t know if I will be able to materialize that idea, but I’m willing to try.

My favorite genre to read is historical fiction. I love reading books that creatively and realistically fill in the missing gaps for me to consider the “what ifs.” I love books that include technical information about a topic and I get to learn more about that topic through a story. I want the details to be realistic and believable.

Why biblical historical fiction?

People say you should write about things that you know. I learned a lot about the Bible in seminary. The only other topic I know a lot about is sewing. Who wants to read an historical fiction about sewing? Okay, maybe I could write one. I read a book once that was about a carpenter who built expertly disguised hiding places inside houses during World War II. The carpentry part of the story was fascinating! Perhaps a seamstress could sew secret messages into clothing? There are unsubstantiated speculations about secret messages sewn into quilts during the American Civil War.

In the end, the main reason to write lies in the need to tell a story.

What story do you think needs to be told?