While the words and story ideas haven’t been coming to me lately, and my fingers missed the sense of productivity that comes with typing or writing, I have perceived an overwhelming need to do something with my hands. And since most of us are familiar with what happens to idle hands, I have decided to bake bread. I’ve dabbled with it before, but this time, I want to explore the deeper, more complex world of bread baking.

The idea came to me when the writing began to dwindle, and that’s usually an indication that I need to focus on something else for a while. I’ve learned to pay attention to Adonai nudging me in a different direction as well as walking in faith that I’ll return to my writing with a backpack full of ideas gleaned from my experiences.

I knew I was on the right track with my decision when the following blog post by my editor, Kori Frazier Morgan of Inkling Creative Strategies, popped up in my inbox. While I strongly encourage you to read the entire article, the following passage made a deep impression on me:

But still, I hadn’t released myself from the task of writing until Kori’s next blog post arrived with more suggestions that I needed to hear.

“You have to do something other than write. If you assume that writing is your passion, and therefore, you don’t need anything else, you will instill a monotonous pattern into your life rather than a rhythm of creativity that lets you interact with the world in ways that inspire and invigorate.”

Backed up with Kori’s personal statement of:

“. . . I didn’t really have any hobbies. Writing is too much a part of what I do vocationally to be a hobby, and because reading is a huge part of what makes me a better writer, it’s not a hobby but rather a conduit for my work.”

That explained why my pleasure reading had become an uninspiring, boring chore. I mean, seriously, me not love to read. That’s unthinkable! But Adonai’s words through Kori’s posts provided the permission I sought to stop writing, and I freed myself from what had become my creative process ground between the millstones of fruitless drudgery.

Now, before you think that I have abandoned reading altogether, I still find that my non-fiction reading/studies to be quite productive, and since I also glean great story ideas from such reading, I’ve decided to embark upon a study with my friend and mentor, Dr. Sharon Stern, as we read The Rivkah Remnant by Dr. Rabbi Itzhak Shapira together.

I’ll keep you posted on how my new hobbies are progressing, most specifically bread baking. Recipes will be featured on my blog and archived under the section called Lightning Juice, which is about Gibson family life and where I tuck personal posts.

Please do not think that the randomness of my blog posts appearing on different days at odd hours means that I will not strive to offer you quality content. Nothing could be further from the truth. Think of my posts like an old friend arriving to sit on your front porch in the early morning with a cup of coffee, midafternoon with a glass of iced tea, or late in the evening with a glass of wine. We’ll still chat, and our relationship will grow.

In closing, I encourage you to obtain a copy of my debut novel, Realm. I’ve included links below to assist with the purchase. After you’ve read Realm and fallen in love with the story and characters, please remember to leave a review at BookBaby, Goodreads, or an online location of your choice. Thank you!

Softcover

Hardback