Writing Fiction with Purpose by Mary Folkerts

There’s a story burning in my gut; a story of familial pain, with cycles and circles of regret that pop up like perennial weeds, where flowers intended to bloom. It’s a story of how one generation's closet sins cast looming shadows over the next generation and generations to come, until someone steps up and says, “No more!”

Closet sins are challenging to write about, thus, they remain in the closet, stuffed in like the proverbial pink elephant that will eventually bust the hinges. It’s easier to broach difficult topics through storytelling, where, though the story isn’t factual, the reader can still relate to and learn from the character’s struggles.

I haven’t started writing this story, even though it’s been brewing for a while. There may be a few reasons for that, one being that it’s been some time since I’ve written fiction. The last few years, I have been writing poetry and devotionals, and it’s easy to just stay with the familiar. But I am challenging myself to delve into the fictional genre and see what comes of the process!

I love to read fictional stories that inspire and inform me in meaningful ways, and one such series, written by Sharon Garlough Brown, is “The Sensible Shoes Series.” It’s these books that gave me the idea to write about generational sin and its effect on families. There are so many people walking around broken, and their brokenness bleeds into the next generation. I would love to shed more light on this challenging topic, and to create a story that would be not only an interesting read, but also one where the reader could say, “Yes! I have felt this pain too! This cycle will end with me!”

Mary Folkerts is mom to four kids and wife to a farmer, living on the southern prairies of Alberta, where the skies are large and the sunsets stunning. She is a Proverbs 31 ministries COMPEL Writers Training member involved in church ministries and music. Mary’s blog aims to encourage and inspire women and advocate for those with Down Syndrome, as their youngest child introduced them to this extraordinary new world. For more inspiration, check out Joy in the Small Things https://maryfolkerts.com/ or connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maryfolkerts/