Tuesday in the Writing Life

Welcome to my day-in-the-life, part of a running series here at YLCF.

After several months in Israel this spring, I’m back in the US for the time being, where I’m enjoying my time with family and friends. I’m also writing more regularly than I ever have before. What does it look like to be a freelance writer? Since it’s all new to me, I’m just as curious about it as you are…

So far, a writerly life is very unpredictable. Last week, I had major writer’s block, but I got a lot done around the house. This week, I’m writing a lot, and my house, well, it just has to get by. (Thankfully, I’m living with several very accommodating siblings).

It’s Tuesday, July 21st.  I tend to wake up anxious when I have a lot to do, and today is no exception. So I spend a few minutes talking God about it, before making  myself a bowl of oatmeal and sitting down with my Bible.  I’m using a chronological reading plan this year, and it’s fascinating to see the books of Kings and Chronicles woven in with Isaiah, the minor prophets, and even the Psalms. It also gives me a better feel for the flow of Biblical history.

Today I find a verse that’s perfect for me, and sister #1, who is about to begin three weeks of teaching English in Korea:

Thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called from the corners thereof and said unto thee, “Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away;” fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Sometimes I jump start my work day with house-cleaning or free-writing for a few minutes, but today I don’t have to make up my mind. Seeing that my article has just been published on Boundless, I hop over to my blog and put the finishing touches on a companion post.

Then I have a few minutes to write a note to my sister in Korea before it’s time for Tuesday morning prayer meeting. This is a bit of a luxury for a working girl, but it’s right next door, so how can I resist? After an already busy morning, it’s especially hard for me to concentrate, but I’m glad to be praying for the young adults in our community, and for the American soldier who has been kidnapped in Afghanistan. It’s more challenging to trust God over the issue of taxpayer-funded abortions, but even though we don’t know when, or how He will act, “We will not fear, for God has willed His truth to triumph…”

Soon, I’m back at my computer with a cup of tea, updating the courtship stories page here at YLCF. With the details already saved in a draft, it’s usually a quick job, but this time the layout is a bit more complex. I know just enough HTML to be dangerous, but somehow I muddle through, and at last all the centered paragraphs obey my commands and line up to the left like good soldiers.

Meanwhile, the rain has kept sister #2 home from her gardening job, and she’s gotten inspired to make soup for lunch. I’m in and out of the kitchen, brainstorming a hypothetical future Passover meal with her, updating the YLCF RSS feed and Twitter account, and helping a friend in Israel with her homework assignment.

I take a moment to run out to the garden and pick fresh oregano and rosemary for the soup, and even the flourishing weeds can’t dampen my enjoyment of misty rain and luxuriant green. I guess a corner of me is still used to dry, barren Israeli summers.

I’m not so delighted with technology. When it comes to sending off a business fax, it takes me more than an hour to hunt down a printer that works, and wrestle the fax machine into submission.

But lunch, which comes in the middle of all this,  is lovely: hearty vegetable soup with squash, spinach, green and white beans, and a creamy broth that’s been thickened with…pureed toast, amazingly enough. I’m liking my sister’s Test Kitchen cookbook more and more.  (Its challah bread recipe is another favorite, and the scones I found in the companion international cookbook helped relieve the craving brought on by reading a couple of D.E. Stevenson’s relaxing British novels).

After lunch, I write an email to a fellow writer whom a friend has just introduced to me. I’m looking forward to swapping ideas and experiences with her. I also hunt up the email addresses of several friends whom I’d like to interview for an upcoming article, and chat a little with my mom.

By now, sister #4 has arrived home from work, and she invites me to go shopping with her and sister #3. I feel like I’m on a roll with writing, but don’t want to miss their company, so I hop in the car with my laptop in tow. It stays in hibernation while we chatter up a storm, and stop at a consignment store. Then, while my sisters do the grocery shopping (yes, I am spoiled), I sit in the car and work. I had a new article idea the other night while I was supposed to be going to sleep, and I want to run it by my editor. I compose a note to him, and draft a message to my potential interviewees. Often I think most clearly about an article when I’m explaining it to other folks this way, and I’ll even refer back to my original email while I’m writing it.

Then I open up my current article, and thank the Lord, the creative juices begin to flow!  I have learned to be as grateful for writing progress as I am for rain in Israel, since neither comes by accident, but in answer to heartfelt prayer.

We sisters return home to discover that our younger brother has brought jalapeno poppers for our evening meal. Along with this unorthodox but welcome addition, my youngest sister fixes leftover beans and a fresh salad, and we sit down together for a late dinner. Now there are four of us around the table!

We clean up together, and then they decide to watch a DVD. I’ve seen it before, and I’ve already spent a while reading some favorite blogs, so I begin writing this post.

After about an hour, I’m still going strong, but it’s now well after 9:00, and I need to begin winding down, or I’ll have trouble sleeping tonight. I head downstairs to my grandma’s apartment, where we play a couple games of Skipbo. My grandma is one of the spunkiest people I know, and she’s also one of my best friends.

By the time we’re done, I’m very sleepy indeed. Feeling so grateful for God’s help today, I fall asleep to the music of a thunderstorm.

The rest of the week…

• Monday at the Farm in the City by Lanier
• Wednesday in North Idaho by Chantel
• Thursday at the Little Pink House by Gretchen (with series introduction)
• Friday in Sunny Southern California by Ashleigh
• Saturday at Castleberry Farms by Jeannie
• A Peek into Your Day by YLCF Readers