As some of you know, I’ve been writing my first novel for some time now.  I actually started it about seven years ago.  Then life got in the way.  We downsized and moved to a smaller home.  About a year after we became slightly settled, I decided to get back into the thick of it  However, I had also purchased a new laptop in the meantime and in the transfer, my novel went to cyber heaven.  I wonder which cloud it may have entered.

Anyway, a group of my dear friends encouraged me to start writing it over again this year. The main characters were still in my head along with the story line, so I embarked on another journey.

I did a little more research on the writing of a novel and the general requirement for such a task, meant writing 60,000 words.  Yikes, I thought, where shall I find that many words.  At first it was difficult, but as I got into my characters’ lives, the words seemed to pour out like running water.

I was about half way to the finish line.  I was actually quite proud of myself and then it happened again.  With the tap of a button, I lost the whole thing – AGAIN!  30,000 words had vanished from my screen.  I looked everywhere for them.  Could God possibly be telling me I should give up on this adventure and turn my thoughts to something that might possibly help our quickly dissolving savings?  I wondered if the material was too raw for a Christian writer, but then realized that life is raw.  The Book I live by, the Bible, is filled with stories of infidelity, shame, abuse, addiction, sex, murder, stealing and every sin we’re exposed to in our sinful world.

Eventually I was able to find it.  A few chapters were missing, but the core was there. I’m still plugging away at it.  I’ve finally learned my lesson and have backed up my file in many ways.  I put it on a flash drive.  I made a back up copy.  I sent a copy to my daughter to print and save.  Now I have more motivation to finish it so I don’t have to fear having it go to the grave with me.  Moral of this post – the handwritten word still works. Technology doesn’t always.