Sometimes I don't know where the story is going. I just follow the characters.
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)
I've discovered something interesting while writing the Mateo series.
When I finish a book, the story doesn't necessarily end.
In fact, sometimes the ending creates more questions than it answers.
I like to leave readers wondering what will happen next. A little mystery. An unexpected development. Something that makes them turn the final page and wish there were just one more chapter.
But there's something readers might not realize.
Sometimes I'm wondering what happens next, too.
Book Two of Mateo and the Secrets of the Eternal Word ended with a surprise cliffhanger.
I knew what had happened.
What I didn't know was everything that would happen because of it.
How would the characters react? What would they say? How would this unexpected turn change their lives?
Those were the questions waiting for me when I opened the manuscript for Book Three.
When a character finds himself in an unexpected situation, he has to adapt. He can't simply close the book and return to the life he knew before.
He has to deal with whatever is in front of him.
And isn't that true of us as well?
We often find ourselves in unfamiliar circumstances. Sometimes they're exciting. Sometimes they're frightening. Sometimes we have no idea what we're supposed to do next.
But life doesn't stop while we figure things out.
We learn. We adjust. We make mistakes. We discover abilities we didn't know we had.
And gradually, we find our way.
That's how I want my characters to experience their adventures.
I don't want them to know everything in advance. I don't want them to have all the answers simply because I happen to be the author.
I want them to feel the uncertainty of their situation.
To wonder.
To struggle.
To discover.
So I place them in the situation and let them experience it.
Then I follow them and write what I see them doing.
Sometimes their reactions surprise me. A character I expected to be frightened might discover courage. Someone who seemed confident might suddenly realize how little he knows.
And sometimes a character I thought would have only a small part in the story begins to reveal something much more important.
That's one of the reasons I enjoy writing this series.
The biblical events provide the setting, but my characters must learn how to live within that world.
They don't arrive with all the answers.
Neither do we.
And that's where faith becomes important.
Proverbs reminds us to trust God rather than depend entirely on our own understanding. We don't always know where the next step will lead, but we can trust Him to guide us along the way.
We may not get to choose every situation life places before us. But we do have choices about how we respond.
We can learn from what happens. We can grow through difficulties. And we can discover that an unexpected change isn't always the end of something.
Sometimes it's the beginning.
That's where I find myself with Book Three.
Book Two ended with a surprise.
Now I'm following the characters to discover where that surprise leads.
And just like the readers, I'm looking forward to finding out.
After all, the ending of one adventure may simply be the beginning of another.
