The Pilgrim Writer by Felicia Ferguson

The Pilgrim Writer

by Felicia Ferguson

 

 

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage … They go from strength to strength until each appears before God in Zion”

(Psalm 84:5, 7, NIV).

 

 

A couple of years ago, I took a fiction intensive class taught by DiAnn Mills. At the end of the writers’ conference, I returned home to my laptop with a vague idea for my latest characters. I stared at the screen as if an elephant swamped my dinner plate and I had only a spoon. Despite my positive experience and the incredible things I learned from DiAnn’s class, questions still circled in my head. Had God really called me to write? And had he called me to write this?

Over time, I realized I didn’t sit at the keyboard alone. My characters awaited me there, ready to tell the rest of their stories. And DiAnn’s encouraging teaching replayed in my mind, giving me insight into how best to tell my characters’ stories. Most importantly, God sat with me, whispering gentle confirmations that yes, he did call me to write. I could do this. He also reminded me he would be with me every step of the way.

With those reminders, I put down the spoon, found my figurative knife and fork, and got to work. As I wrote and revised, I remembered no final destination exists in writing. Even most bestselling and award-winning authors will say they don’t feel like they’ve “made it.” Instead, writing is a journey, an ongoing pilgrimage of learning, practicing, and honing the craft.

As long as we writers keep good company on this walk and our eyes and hearts remain fixed on the reason we write, we will cut a good path. And blessings will follow. We will go from strength to strength until we stand before God in Zion, where our writer’s journey really ends.

Oh, and that work in progress? It was finished in under three months, has already won an award, and is under contract for a 2024 release. Talk about a blessing.

 

Lord, please help us keep our eyes, heart, and minds fixed on you and what you’ve called us to write.

 

Felicia Ferguson calls the Florida panhandle home though she was raised in Kentucky on a horse and cattle farm. She has written since childhood and dreamed of authoring books that teach and inspire others. Her four-legged children, French bulldogs Buttercup and Lillie, fill her heart while her backyard lake and butterfly garden fuel her soul. Find out more at feliciafergusonauthor.com or facebook.com/feliciafergusonauthor.