by Suzanne D. Williams
In my youth, before writing, I had one selfish image of books – what enjoyment and satisfaction I’d find in reading. As an author, it became a process, weeks, months, of my time, as well as a whole lot of self-doubt and headaches. But recently, my thoughts on books have altered yet again. Greater than the steps it took me to put it in a readers’ hands, than the frustration I’ve experienced in writing, a book is people.
This is the biggest lesson I’ve learned in the last few years. A book is the author’s family supporting (or not supporting) their efforts. It’s an editor, taking his or her time to read and study it, to leave notes. It’s a book cover artist sharing their vision, a publisher deeming it fit for their label (or an independent author choosing to go on their own). It’s printers, binders, marketing gurus, website designers, even the (sometimes hated) sales website aficionados.
It takes a great deal of people to change what was once only the wispiest thoughts in an author’s head into something that a mom, a teen, a dad might read.
I’ve never been a risk taker. I don’t climb things or jump off things. Or race or rollercoaster. I don’t even like to travel. I’ve jokingly said I’d love to visit Italy but only if I could come home at night and sleep in my bed. I don’t like to be out after dark. I don’t particularly like holidays. I don’t want to “get together,” entertain, or be in a crowd.
Yet, I’ve realized that the greatest risk I take has nothing to do with my need to live sheltered and inert. I don’t have leap from an airplane or hike fifty miles into the wilderness and live off grubs to make a huge step into the unknown. I take a risk every time I write, when I come to that place where I’m uncomfortable and I’m not sure if I should say this next bit or not.
In truth, it’s writing what makes me uneasy that’s often the most effective part of a story. If it influences me, it will influence my readers. But for a Christian author, it goes far deeper than that.
I heard a preacher tell a story long ago that has never fully left my thinking. He described the world as a mass of people walking toward a cliff. He watched them fall, none of them knowing where they were headed, and he heard God say the power of his words would pull them back.
These people who produce a book, the people who read it, the people who love it, and yes, those who don’t, will read what I’ve written, the risk I’ve taken, and those words will change them. Not every story is written with some huge spiritual motive, but everything I write affects someone, and like that preacher, I wonder who will pause, for a moment, after seeing my thoughts transformed on the page and pull themselves back from the cliff.
This gives writing such an urgency in my heart and has altered my view of books. There is no more casualness about it for me. When I started, I’d spit out stories like they were packs of chewing gum. Now, I can’t. Because what if what I’ve done sends someone racing over that cliff? Conversely, what if the risk I take, saying what no one else will say, has the best reward of all, it changes someone’s day, life, for the better? That means more than all the dollars I’ve earned.
People write books. People create books. People read books. People with families, successes, losses. People making choices. People who will affect more people. As an author, I can never afford to turn loose of that.
I am a writer, and my words make a difference.
11 exclusive young adult romances in one collection.
https://amzn.to/2OvrhI9
The sweet innocence of youth, the first blush of love, and, along the way, moral lessons about faith, forgiveness, friendship, and family.
About The Author:
Best-selling author, Suzanne D. Williams, is a native Floridian, wife, mother, and photographer. She is the author of both nonfiction and fiction books. She writes devotionals and instructional articles for various blogs. She also does graphic design for self-publishing authors. She is co-founder of THE EDGE.
To learn more about what she’s doing and check out her extensive catalog of stories, visit www.feelgoodromance.com or link with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/suzannedwilliamsauthor or on Twitter at twitter.com/SDWAuthor.
Send to Kindle
