Ideas

 A common saying among professional writers is that they have so many ideas they will never live long enough to write them all. 

That was never me. 

In fact, one time I developed a program specifically about idea generation to present at a writer's conference--because who needed some techniques to do just that? Me! (Another common saying among professional writers is that the more you teach, critique, or mentor, the more you yourself learn. That one I can vouch for. Also, when two people emailed me to say they'd sold projects as a direct result of ideas they generated during my session, I was soooo blessed. And when I was asked to repeat the session at a later conference, blessed again.)  

For years--decades--I seldom had more than one viable book idea at a time, although you can make a career this way, to paraphrase E. L. Doctorow. (He said, "Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.") And when you consider that the majority of the ideas other writers seem to be bursting with will not eventually become books--they never get to the concept stage, or they won't pass the market test, or somebody else will publish almost the exact same thing first, which happens way oftener than you think--you realize you really do need quite a lot of ideas indeed. 

That was never me.

Now, though? Writing for this blog? I have so many ideas I may never write them all.

They spring up at any moment, no matter what I may be doing. Often they're triggered by Scripture; sometimes a line or thought from another book suggests a topic; sometimes a conversation; sometimes they do just pop and glow like a lightbulb, seemingly from nowhere. What they are, I believe, is gifts from the Holy Spirit, whispers from Him to me, specific assignments different from those He may be giving to others. They give a sense of life, refreshment, movement, encouragement, and they make the point that this is all Him. They help me become less of me, more a vessel for Him. 

Overflowing with ideas? That was never me. All the better to see the Holy Spirit work through me.