The Heart of the Story by Nina Faye Morey

Many of my stories are based on events in my life. My stories aren’t driven by these experiences, but by the emotions they elicit. Writing about these memories from the heart means my feelings will form the heart of the story. If I can tap into these emotions, then my tales will touch my readers. They may not have experienced a similar event, but I know they will have experienced the same emotions.

My readers want to be immersed in my fictional world. They want to identify with my protagonist—or perhaps, they favour the antagonist. Therefore, I need to create characters my readers can become emotionally invested in. Then what touches my characters’ hearts will also move the hearts of my readers. They will see the world through her eyes; feel what she feels. For instance, they may never have experienced skydiving, but they want to feel the adrenaline rush, the emotional high, the heart-pounding fear my character feels as she steps out of the plane into the void of space, putting her faith in a skimpy piece of nylon.

Whether my readers will be drawn into and emotionally satisfied by this scene depends solely on my skill as a writer. You see, I’ve never actually parachuted from a plane, but that needn’t stop me from creating a spellbinding scene. Remember, it’s not the events but the feelings that are at the heart of the story. So to make it believable, I’ll need to mine memorable events in my life for those strong feelings of excitement, fear, and faith. I can’t be afraid to relive and reveal my personal memories and heartfelt emotions. They’re vital to my success as a writer.

Therefore, I’m pleased to share “the story behind the story” of “Isabella’s Green Shamrock Sweater” (Canadian Messenger, March 2010, pp. 24-5). The inspiration for this story was my memory of being bullied by classmates for wearing green to school the Friday before St. Patrick’s Day. Managing to free my heart from the pain of hurt feelings through forgiveness is what forms the heart of the story. Here is an excerpt:

“Why are you wearing that sweater with green shamrocks?” Jenna demanded to know in a haughty tone as she came up behind Isabella.

“My grandmother knit this sweater for me to wear on St. Patrick’s Day,” Isabella replied proudly.

“Today isn’t St. Patrick’s Day, stupid!” Robin sneered.

“Yeah, St. Patrick’s Day isn’t until Saturday,” Jenna added with her usual air of superiority.

“And you’re not Irish, anyway! So why are you even celebrating St. Patrick’s Day?” Robin taunted Isabella as she shoved her into a corner of the cloakroom. Isabella recovered her balance just in time to feel Jenna shove her from the other side.

A crowd of students began to gather around the threesome. Isabella felt her face flush and tears welled up in her eyes as she turned to see that some were merely staring, while several others were laughing at her.

When Miss Fran, Isabella’s history teacher, learns of her classmates’ bullying, she uses it as an opportunity to teach her class the story of St. Patrick. They learn how he was captured by Irish marauders as a teenager and sold into slavery. Relying on prayer and a vision from the Holy Spirit, he escapes after six years. He eventually forgives his captors for the hardship and hurt they caused him and returns to Ireland as a Christian missionary and bishop. Miss Fran urges her class to honour him on St. Patrick’s Day by following his example of forgiveness.

Unfortunately, it’s the traumatic events in our lives that form our most indelible memories and trigger our most intense emotions. That’s the reason I chose this childhood incident of bullying as “the story behind the story.” 

Photo Credits: Pixabay

The Story Behind the Story by Sandi Somers

Creative Nonfiction magazine has sometimes featured an article on the background of a writer’s particular work. They called it, “The Story Behind the Story.” Sometimes these background stories are as interesting—or more interesting—than the story itself. Our own Sally Meadows recently wrote a blog that illustrates perfectly this concept.

All of us can tell how we conceptualized, planned and wrote a particular work, or what happened after it was published. This is our topic for October.

          

Ministry in Refreshing

Years ago, my work situation had been conflict-ridden and I was frustrated. And yet as I read Isaiah 41:18, God spoke into my spirit, “I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys”.

And so it was that a few months later I travelled through the dry

plain in Washington State, through an area that was irrigated and producing lush vegetable gardens, fruit trees and hay crops. As I left the valley, I was surprised to see an irrigated orchard partway up the pass, and then another at the top of the pass. I expected lush groves in the valley, but not on the heights!

It was a mystery how water could reach the heights. It was a mystery how God would water my dry spirit. And yet it was a visual reminder of God’s promise from Isaiah that He would refresh me. My response was to leave everything in Gods’ hands. He would make all things work together for my good and for His greatest glory.

* * *

I wrote that story as a devotional, and it was published in The Upper Room. Some time later, I received a letter (this was before emails) from a woman in Yakima, Washington, asking where I had seen these groves. She shared how she and her Bible study group used The Upper Room as one of their study guides, and the group was pleased that a devotional was written about a location close to home. It was great to know that my words had refreshed their spirits.

PS. In a return letter, I told her that I had stopped in Yakima to pick up a small bottle of mouthwash. Walmart, where I had stopped, was holding a special sale, and I picked up three pairs of shoes, a purse, a jean skirt and jean dress, all for $59. And I shared how my less-than-a-dollar mouthwash had cost $59.Perhap this too was a confirmation of how God could supply refreshment and abundance for my needs.

Now it’s your turn. I look forward to hearing your story behind the story.