This month, the writing community is sharing their #WIP (Work in Progress). I’ve been working on a manuscript for several years now with the working title, Dreams that Awaken. I love this work because it tells the story of a young abandoned woman who is longing for something bigger than herself, something deeper than her trivial life. She’s searching for Jesus, but she doesn’t realize it and doesn’t know how to reach Him.
I’m not a storyteller by nature, it’s something I’ve had to work at and develop. I’ve always found comfort and solace in writing and enjoy the challenge of developing characters and instilling in them heroic qualities, flaws, and deep needs that are hidden in plain sight.
My main character, Anna, is an orphaned teen, who is being raised by her sisters in Steampunk California in the late 1800s. This was a time where claim-jumpers were hung over nuggets of gold because the noose is long and grace is short. Anna survives by working hard and standing up for herself, but her recurring dream of walking on a tightrope between the hotel and the hangman’s noose is unsettling.
Anna’s dreams reveal the inner turmoil of her heart, things she can’t articulate in the daytime make themselves known in the evening hours. Anna’s journey parallels our own struggle to find peace in our tumultuous life? Where can we go to find significance when everyone around us is hustling to get their basic needs met?
“But if you find yourself experiencing a desire to seek God, we have great news for you; God is already at work in you.” Henry Blackaby
What’s your story?