Writing on a Blank Screen

Writing is hard. I've been hearing a lot of writers lately talking about how hard it is to sit down and actually write. It's true. I'm not even a professional and I find it difficult to sit down and stare at this screen and put my thoughts together in a way that will make sense to the general public. And by "general public" I mean the 5 of you that will read this.

This time last year I was staring blankly at a white page on my computer screen about to bring a worship guide to life. International World Changers contacted me about writing the worship guide for 2010. I was the first non-pastor and the first woman to write this Bible study material and I was mortified. George, the head of IWC, looked at me and said, "If you think this job is too big for you and you can't do it, then you're the person for the job." Yikes. Not only was I daunted by the task at hand simply because I was female and not a pastor, but the text I'd been entrusted with was 1 Corinthians 13. The "Love Chapter," arguably the Apostle Paul's most well known text. Hence the blank staring at my computer screen.

I have never labored over something for so long, studied so hard, or prayed so much that I would be true to the task and the text. The writing process was a bear to tackle, but I had no idea what was coming my way when we entered the editing phase. I felt like I was in my AP English class again and my editor was like Mr. Orteza, my 5 foot Filipino English teacher who used red ink freely and always marked where I didn't close off the loop of my cursive d's. Thank goodness we use computers now. (And my editor wasn't nearly as horrifying as Mr. Orteza was when I was 16. She was a wonderful source of wisdom and encouragement and I'm so thankful for her sharp eye and skill!)

I turned in my project in early May after two months of work, and edits lasted through September. Last I heard the cover design was almost done and the completed project was on the way to the publisher. And in a few months I'll be on an World Changers trip and get to hear the worship speaker deliver the messages the Lord wrote through me. Humbling to say the least.

Writing is a beautiful and terrifying thing. It is a powerful medium and a captivating art. I think I'll keep staring at this white screen and see what happens next.