The Story Behind the Story

I posted a six-part video series in September regarding a children’s book I hope to publish this spring. I’ve been a little less active on this blog due to focusing on that story and the general busyness of life as of late, but I wanted to share what I did on social media since I have grown fond of this blogging community and consider quite a few of you dear friends. If you would rather watch the video series, you can find it on Instagram at colleenjamesgetspublished. Otherwise, please enjoy this written rendition of how God has brought me to this point.

 I’m no longer writing the book. As I drank a coffee at a quaint little café across from my brother and sister-in-law over a year ago, my sister-in-law told me how she and my brother had been praying about writing the book themselves. Furthermore, after a series of recent events, they believed God was calling them to do just that.

I had been writing about the spiritual lessons that my family and I had learned while my brother was sick in 2011 for over three years now, so it was really disappointing to hear those words at first. However, writing that book had been so painstaking and a much slower process than it ever should have been, so I could only imagine the huge sense of relief I would feel at some point to be freed of this responsibility. 

Days passed by, and although that relief never washed over me, I did feel lighter. Lighter and free to dream again. But before committing myself to working on another big writing project, I decided to pray about what God would have me work on next. I didn’t want to rush ahead of Him on this. 

After around a week of praying, I was washing dishes when a children’s story idea came to me with very few details for me to flesh out on my own. I was equally surprised and delighted by the idea and could only attribute the plot to God. I somehow failed to realize that this was God’s answer to my prayer, however. The truth is, I wanted to do something more “important” with my writing. Something the likes of a novel or non-fiction, and I kept waiting for Him to show me which of these ideas to pursue. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the momentary “distraction” of this story idea in the meantime as I tried to figure out the two details that needed to be determined for it. What hardships would the main character face? And, since she was to be a personified instrument in this tale, which one would she be?

About a week later, my son was watching a show while I cleaned the kitchen, and as soon as the cartoon featured a girl with her mandolin, I instinctively knew that this was the instrument that my main character had to be. Choosing some hardships for her (the personified mandolin) became easy after that. Still, the fleshed-out story idea remained in the notes section of my phone for three more months because I was still waiting for God to answer my prayer.

By January, I was starting to accept the fact that perhaps God didn’t intend for me to get published. Maybe I was supposed to just stick with blogging. But then I watched a movie in a rare moment of free time, and as I soon realized that the life and legacy of Beatrix Potter (the author of the Peter Rabbit books) was unfolding before my eyes, I sensed God’s plan for my writing unfolding for me, too.

With the plot still in the notes section of my phone and a newfound confidence that I was supposed to be writing children’s books, I began to work feverishly on the story, sensing God’s favor that week as my baby napped better than ever.

The day after my birthday, the first draft was complete, and I saw God’s favor in the timing of this story, too, thanks to a letter I had written to myself a year prior to be opened on this particular birthday.

Within the letter, I simply stated that “God knows the timing, and He makes no mistake. Just like each note belongs where it does in a symphony, each God-ordained moment of your life belongs where it does, too.” 

The idea of each note in a symphony resonated with me deeply, considering the story that I was writing was about music. I had written about an instrument maker, the mandolin he made, and the purpose she (the mandolin) eventually found as an instrument in his hands. 

If you’ve read some of my past blogposts, you already know how much I’ve struggled with God’s timing throughout my own life. Reading those words, however, was such a succinct reminder that I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing in this season. I could trust God on the timing of this book and this publishing journey, which has been so important to remember in these past months.

There is still so much to do, and I don’t expect to be ready to publish this story until March 2025 at the earliest, but I’m so thankful for the gift of this story and for how God has been guiding me and providing for this story thus far. Ephesians 3:20 comes to mind as I think of all God has been doing in my life as of late, and all I can say is that I’m just so thankful that His dreams for us are bigger than anything we could have imagined. In the meantime, I’ll keep you all updated as the exact publishing date draws near!

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Ephesians 3:20-21