It’s been a while since I have posted on this blog. It’s not because I haven’t been writing. I have been. Instead of writing what I am comfortable with, I felt nudged to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself as a writer.
First, I wrote a piece which is definitely unlike anything I have ever written before. It was a first-person narrative for a travel magazine which focuses on roadside attractions. This piece required no fiction and quite a bit of research. It was a huge challenge, but one I ended up really enjoying. It will also be my first paid published piece. I would have never thought about writing for a magazine, but I trusted God’s lead and I succeeded.
Secondly, I entered a writing contest for the first time ever. It was an exciting, but stressful contest. They have you paragraph #1 and #20, you had to write the other 48 paragraphs. Each one had to be at least 40 words. I almost gave up on it because I could not come up with an idea. However, the Lord lead, and the words flowed. Not only did I enter my first contest, but I also ended up writing a piece in a genre I would have never thought I could write in: Dystopian. I am looking forward to seeing if I placed at all in the contest. I hope I did, but I am also grateful for accepting the challenge.
Finally, I finished my Advent Devotional based on Christmas Hymns which I have been working on for 4 years.
All of these pieces had the same deadlines. I managed to reach them. At the end, I sighed and thought, “What’s Next?”
I’ll admit. I felt a little lost. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I kept waiting for God to lead me. Finally, I have the answer. The answer will require challenging myself again.
I am going to write pieces based on my husband’s paintings. I am not sure if they will be stories or devotional pieces yet, but I will be using his paintings as writing prompts. I have no idea how this is going to go, but I will trust the lead and the process.
Raelyn Pracht 