Sometimes writing is a joy, sometimes it’s a task, and sometimes it’s a job. No matter which it feels like, though, the task is always the same: come up with words to describe stuff, tell a story, or relay some information. So whether its diet pill reviews or the great novel you’ve been slaving over, the blank page is something we all must face regularly.

At times like that, I do admit I prefer to write reviews or interview or whatnot, rather than my creative pursuits, simply because without that spark of creativity, the results are never the same.

I have to admit that I learned a lot in doing my interview with Charlaine Harris. First, Ms. Harris has lived a charmed life, selling pretty much every novel she’s ever written! What a blessing!

But green-eyed jealousy aside, the best lesson I learned from her is that mysteries don’t have to be quite so intimidating to write as I often have built them up to be in my head. They’re not rocket science or even Stimerex ES. They’re simply stories that you can go back and revise like any other novel, once you figure out everything.

What a relief. I don’t have to be a brilliant plotter on the first draft? That makes things a bit easier. It honestly does!

For several months, I have been writing and delivering Torah commentaries at my local Messianic congregation. It’s a fun exercise and a regular writing gig and fulfilling on many levels. These 15-minute mini-sermons are the highlight of my week and often the best discipline to make sure I’m writing something every week. It’s certainly more fun than, say, inventorying office furniture.

However, I’ve rarely been asked to do the full-length sermons until recently. This weekend, I found out I’ll be doing my third-ever full-length sermon and it’s got me excited… and a bit intimidated. I’m really looking forward to the study and prayer that will come before it, as well as the extra length to really explore a topic in; yet I’m such a novelist at heart that such a one-off message even seems limiting in some way; I’d love a chance to do a multi-part message sometime.

Patience, however, is a key virtue in this particular writing calling. So long as I handle what I’ve been given so far, I have to trust that more such opportunities will come my way.