Tools For Navigation, Part Two

Last week we examined the navigation tools of the map, compass, and rudder. If you didn’t have a chance to read about them, please check with the archives list as it will enhance this week’s post a great deal.

Sail – This tool is of great value to a sailor for it saves him a tremendous amount of work and effort. He can still move without it but only by the sweat of his brow. Of course, it is of no use when caught in the doldrums. The writer knows that without that wind to blow into his sail, he will go nowhere as well. His creativity is what fills his sail with the push to form ideas into plots and vague character traits into people who leap off the page and into the hearts of readers. For the Christian, this tool is the breath of a mighty God who is in control of the seas, the winds, and the weather on land and water alike—and our writing as well. He brings to our lives the incredible beauty of nature all around us that makes life so enjoyable and gives us the promise of an eternity in a Heaven beyond description.

Common Sense/Experience – This tool is priceless for the sailor, for it offers him a vast array of memories of similar situations and solutions from which to choose as he navigates new waters. This one pulls all the others together into a cohesive whole and is the reason Naval Commanders must prove themselves before taking the helm of a battleship or destroyer. The ability to make those instantaneous hard choices are what separates them from the less-experienced men who might hesitate one moment too long, resulting in disaster for everyone on board. The same goes for a writer, who needs to have at the very least some amount of knowledge under his belt before venturing out into the dark unknown of publishing. That can include but is not limited to an advanced college degree; but, even someone with an insatiable hunger for learning about the industry can be solidly grounded without those letters following his name. A prevalent attitude is that a multi-published author knows more simply because he has “been through it before” and to some extent this is very true. However, on a few occasions even professionals seem to lose their way with an arrogance that allows them to become lazy and refuse to do on-going study of their career field. The bottom line is that at times one without the first-hand experience but a broad understanding of the industry can be a better choice for an editor. For the Christian, the longer we walk with the Lord, the more instances we have of His mercy, grace, and provision. But if we waste that time and don’t stay immersed in His Word every day, we are of no more use to Him (and maybe less!) than someone who is an infant in his faith. We have to learn to listen to our God-given instincts, pay attention to our intuition, and seek His wisdom to make them all work. Using the tool of these life experiences combined with reading voraciously to learn more produces a richening and deepening of our fellowship with Him beyond measure.

It is my prayer these Tools For Navigation will aid you in your journey, whether as a Christian or writer or both!