by D.L. Graser
Writing a second book about Moustache and Macintosh a memory from my seventh grade art class stirred within me recalling when my art teacher gave us a simple, but difficult assignment (if that makes any sense).
We had to draw a picture using letters that make up the objects which we were creating in the composition of our drawing, but there was a catch…no one could use an eraser or get a new sheet of paper. If you mess up your drawing you keep going and make any mistakes part of the drawing. In my art world this was unheard of… no eraser, no new sheet of paper that was crazy!
My drawing was a mess. I did the only thing I could do and that was to do as the teacher required. To make a long story short, the end result of my drawing turned out pretty good. I had worked hard on it and I learned a lot, even though I was frustrated at times. My art teacher taught me a valuable lesson that year and it was to think creatively, get out of the box and use my imagination and most of all finish.
I never forgot this teacher or the lesson she instilled in me. I wonder if she intended for this to be a life lesson for us young teenagers at the time or just an art assignment. For me this was valuable lesson that went beyond art class.
So what does that have to do with writing a book you ask?
Unlike my first book I wasn’t awakened early in the morning to get up and write. I had to make much more of an effort to find the time. My imagination for some reason didn’t flow like it did before, I had to press in and make it expand and I couldn’t quit working and stay home and write all day. Everything was different with my second book.
Being stuck one day a thought came to me and said “I have shown you how to do it,” meaning, I had been shown how to write a book. I just need to keep going.
Amazed by these words I said to myself it’s true, I had been shown how to write a book. The Authority which flowed through me then still remains within me now. Heading to my laptop I was determined to finish what I had started.
I write this to say don’t give up on your book; if it’s jiggling around in your brain start writing it down or if you have already started writing and feel like you’re stuck get out of the box, be creative and keep going. It may not be perfect, but keep going, perseverance pays off.
Just as in seventh grade art class many decades ago struggling to create a drawing with letters, getting past the mistakes, stretching my imagination and working hard, I am using those same valuable tools today to create with letters once again.
ABOUT THE COLUMNIST
D.L. Graser, was born and raised in the Midwest and has traveled worldwide with medical missions volunteering her time and talents for over twenty years. D.L. Graser has always dreamed of writing a fun book.