Pen and Hammer



Dear Eugene,

I think I am finally getting some good traction with my novel after two false starts.

I know you've read many novels but never written any.  Probably you didn't need to, already being so immersed in the stories of other.  Or you couldn't, being in the precarious position of a pastor, held accountable for your every word and often by ham-fisted literalism.

But I know you would know what I mean when I say I was struggling with, for example, choosing the right point-of-view or which tense (past vs present) to use.  By "right" I mean right for the story, faithful to the voice of the character that I am speaking through and for.  The Word speaks the Man into existence.

I am also busy helping my brother-in-law with home renovation, a great training for writer, hammered some good common sense into me.  And then there's the great generosity of the many people I've served and worked with in the past month.  It's been surreal.  I feel very tired--not weary, not weighted down, but like a summer dog in heat, exhausted but hungry and ready for more.

I think I am at the right place to hear the voice and receive the words.

Yours, Alex

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