Writing fiction is a lot like playing god. I get to create my own universe. Even the laws of physics bend to my will. I get to create my own people. I can shape and color them however I choose. I get to pick their names, define their personality, mix their strength profiles, even pick their parents.
And I get to decide whether they will be automatons subject to my every whim, or whether to give them free will and step back and see what they do with it.
Now some might think this is sin, bordering on sacrilege, this pretension to play god. And, I suppose, depending on how you go about it, it might be. It certainly landed Satan on the wrong side of the border.
But I think instead this is striving to become what God created me to be. Not to be God, but to be like God in some small way. Created in his image.
He created me to be creative. When I grow in that creativity, I become more of what he intended.
And, the more I learn about the craft of writing, the more I learn about God.
And the more I learn about God, the more I learn about the craft of writing. And about me.
You see, God is an author too. All of human history is his story. He created the universe. The laws of physics bend to his will. You and I are characters that he created with the specific intent of playing a part in his telling of his story.
And he gave us free will. And is just waiting to see what we’ll do with it.
God is an author.
But he’s also an engineer. And a physicist. And a chemist. And a physician. And a teacher. And a carpenter. And a foot washer.
Whatever your role in life, whatever part he created you to play, God was there first. He’s been there. He’s done that.
And get this: He wants to be your mentor.
Not a paid consultant.
Not a friend willing to answer a knee-mail now and then.
The author of the universe wants to walk with you, side by side, in every detail of your creative endeavor.
Make no mistake, he wants you to create; this is not dictation. That’s why he gave you free will.
But if you need a mentor (and you do), he’s there.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5 NIV)