The train rumbled along a stretch of track heading north from Fargo to Grand Forks, North Dakota. The overhead lights were turned down low and the train car quiet. My husband and I were headed to Montana for a mission trip sponsored by our church.
My eyes fell shut, but after endless shifting to find a comfortable position, I could not fall back asleep. The coach seats and my tall frame didn’t afford me the luxury of more sleep.
(The silver lining: Train seats afford much more legroom than airplane seats, so at least I wasn’t shoved into a tiny space, knees crunched to my chest!)
So, at last, at four in the morning, I stared out the window and saw flashes of lightning on the horizon. I decided to escape to the lounge care.
My only obstacle: passing by my sleeping husband without waking him. Did I crawl under or over his legs? Either way I risked jarring him awake. Over his legs seemed the more dangerous option because I could easily (and probably would) tumble over (or kick or elbow) him, so I crawled into the aisle (without jarring him!) and walked to the lounge car with its wide windows and scenic views.
To the east, the sunrise painted a blaze of red across the horizon. To the west, lightning flashed and dark clouds brewed.
That day, I witnessed two spectacular displays of nature, both created by God. This scene makes me think of Psalm 103:12:
As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Like every writer, I have suffered from writer’s block. I have stared at the screen, willing words to come. I have grabbed a pen and a notebook, hoping a change of format might spark a new idea. I have switched projects in hopes of settling my mind. Yet when I return to the project, the words still don’t flow.
What story magic am I missing? Is the story simply not viable? Would the story be better in the Trash folder, never to be touched again?
Thankfully, I have found a writing road map in Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. This book breaks down the story into three acts, then further into the parts of each act.
In my most recent writing project, I put my main character through many ups and downs. Act 1 morphed into Act 2 through a wonderful catalyst. (I think it’s wonderful, anyway!) Act 2 brought even more action…and then my writing stalled. Something was missing, I knew deep down.
So I cracked open Save the Cat! and realized I simply forgot that after all this turmoil, my character needed time to breathe, time to think, time to make a decision, before she went from Act 1 to Act 2. She had to react to the events.
I read on and also realized I haven’t added any B Story characters to help my character find her way. Without a B Story character, the theme has been murky and difficult to write about and my character doesn’t quite seem believable. She can’t figure everything out on her own. She needs help—and I do too.
As a writer, I need to read books about the craft of writing. I have read several and grown as a writer each time. Some I like more than others. And some, such as Save the Cat!, occupy prime space on the top of my desk, ready to be thumbed through in an instant.
In November, I took part in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) for the first time. Fifty thousand words in one month—a daunting challenge. It seemed impossible.
Yet I succeeded! For the first time ever, I finished the first draft of a novel.
NaNoWriMo gave me a new perspective on writing. I noticed that my usual mode of writing involves editing as I go. I constantly change sentences, add and delete punctuation, and erase scenes that I don’t believe worthwhile.
It’s exhausting…and has never led to a finished novel.
NaNoWriMo taught me the importance of getting words on the page. Even if they’re not good words. Even if the sentence is really, really bad. (I still cringe whenever I don’t like the sentence, but now I try to move on and fix it later.) Words lead to more scenes—better scenes! Words not only help my characters to grow but also help me to grow as a writer. Words spark ideas for a new novel.
NaNoWriMo also allowed me to experience goal-setting. Every day, I logged on to the NaNoWriMo website and updated my 50,000-word goal. The website also offers badges for milestones reached, such as updating your goal three days in a row and making 40,000 words. I watched as the progress bar inched closer and closer to finished. I triumphed with one day to spare. Setting this goal gave me a responsibility to myself.
Although I haven’t quite broken my old habit of revising as I go, I am writing more words every day and recording my progress as I go.
As with most of my vacations, once I hit the ground in Iceland I was ready to go, go, go, with perfectly planned schedule in hand. One credit-card snafu at the campervan rental company later and we were already off schedule.
I perked up quickly after my husband drove us through many two-lane roundabouts in Reykjavík. The city buildings disappeared and tundra-like landscapes dotted with sheep—lots of sheep—came into view. And those cute Icelandic horses, too!
At our first stop, also unplanned, at a scenic pullout, my husband pulled down the backseat bed and napped, claiming fatigue after our early morning flight from Chicago.
Me, I was ready to explore, but since we were in the middle of nowhere on the only major road in the country, I sat on the grassy hill and stared at the crashing waves. The September wind nipped at my face and echoed in my ears. I whispered a prayer of thanks for this adventure and this moment of quiet, reflecting on God’s blessings in my life.
But enough with the quiet. I was ready to have an adventure and hit every spot in my carefully planned (and slightly altered) itinerary. I opened the van door as quietly as possible. My husband was out cold in the backseat bed. I grabbed my camera and slid the door shut with a quiet thunk. I paced the hillside and took pictures of the view while I waited, sometimes staring at the van, willing my husband to wake up—and eventually he did.
For days, we explored museums about Iceland’s history alongside the other shoulder-season tourists. We meandered through villages. We watched waterfalls tumble over cliffs and glaciers calve icebergs. These were all amazing sights, but the highlight of the trip didn’t happen during the day among throngs of other people.
Every night I set an alarm on my phone for one in the morning, and every night I peeked out the window, hoping for a glimpse of the northern lights. One night, it happened. I shook my husband awake and my excited whisper filled the van. “There are green squiggles in the sky. I think it’s the northern lights.” (Sometimes I make the most brilliant comments.)
Indeed, it was the northern lights, my husband confirmed.
We bundled up, because September nights in Iceland bring a chill to the air. I set up my camera for long-exposure photos and glanced at the star-filled sky. A glorious display, for sure. But my mind stayed more focused on my photography than on the show in front of me or my husband beside me.
Change the shutter speed. Change the ISO. Wait for the click of the camera. Check the quality of the photo. Readjust settings. Repeat.
In this story, I feel like Martha in Luke 10. I worried about staying on schedule, seeing every sight, and capturing every moment on camera. I was worried about everything except the right things.
Yes, Iceland is beautiful and it’s nice to have pictures. But the most important part of any vacation is spending time with my husband (and yes, he still teases me about calling the northern lights squiggles).
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
