In The Crucible

Do your favorite authors live the perfect life? 

The picture in my mind shows they’ve had a healthy breakfast and walked the dog. They take their coffee to their immaculate study and move into a creative state so potent birdsongs and sunshine burst forth after every word they type. They finish a novel just in time to jog, make a healthy lunch, and talk with friends throughout the afternoon. When their spouse arrives home, dinner somehow appears on the table, and they connect on the couch talking about what they did during the day. A movie or reading by firelight and a good night’s sleep prepare them for the next day’s rigorous writing episode.  

The uncomfortable truth is that I don’t want to read that person’s books. I want depth and feeling in my reading, connection and relatability.  

When I became friends with my favorite authors, I discovered their lives were anything but perfect. Many struggle with finances, self-esteem, or unhealthy habits. Others are in painful relationships. Still, many have lost everything due to natural disasters or messy divorces. They question everything, from meaning and purpose to the publishing market and what to write next.  

Usually, they wake up with an over-heightened sense of some emotion, such as existential dread. Others can’t seem to wake up and get out of bed until after lunch. A few glances at their contract show a calendar and clock attached to the back page and the stage 5 hurricane of deadline-panic strikes. Some wonder if it’s worth it and go back to bed. They all have one thing in common. Eventually, they needed to write their overarching questions into novels.  

And still, some wonder what it would be like if______________. You fill in the blank. They wrestle over a historical event or an emotion they have. Some want to explore what it would be like to meet someone who does this or that.  

These are exciting books written in the crucible of pain. 

Now is the time to write if you’re struggling with questions or emotions. These are the moments to be documented, the exploration of what it is to be human, set down on paper, so we know we are not alone as readers.  

No, as a writer, you’ll never live the perfect life. The ideal life isn’t what you want. Instead, know that the trial of your character builds patience, and patience produces hope (Romans 5). Write from your imperfection.  

Not all views expressed are those of every member of ICW.