.jpg "Just outside of Glacier National Park on US Hwy 89")
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fritzmb/5944620973/
In 2007, not long after I published my debut novel, I
started a story about an optometry intern who found herself—in more ways than
one—serving the people of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. I’ve
been asked, “Why Montana, and why the Blackfoot?” Sometimes stories come to me
in the strangest ways. But before I get to the root of why I choose this
particular setting, I must disclose the dream that prompted me to write this
story in the first place.
Don’t laugh, but remember that Expedia commercial a few
years back showing the couple planning a trip to Hawaii? The husband searched
the Internet and came across surfing lessons. His excitement about learning the
sport dwindled as soon as he imagined a rather handsome Hawaiian coaching his
wife in the fine art of balancing belly down on a surf board. The husband
didn’t like the insinuation his mind presented, so he suggested an alternate
trip: horseback riding. Here’s the link to jog your memory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tpRVAf3Rwk.
For some reason, I dreamt about that surfing instructor,
only in my dream he was laying shirtless in a hospital bed. When I awoke, the
first thing to enter my mind was, “that was weird”, but that weirdness was
enough for me to create a hero based on that one scene. I laugh about it now
because my hero doesn’t teach surfing lessons and doesn’t really look like that
instructor. He was, however, recovering from surgery when the main
character—the optometry intern—first meets him.
The fun thing about writing is you never know where the
story will take you. Characters take a life of their own and settings develop before
your eyes despite your most detailed plotting. But how does this answer the two
questions of why Montana and why the Blackfoot? All my life, I’ve had a passion for the
history and culture of the American Indian. It’s never been just a passing
fancy, but a deep interest and desire to know more. God put this yearning in my
heart and has used my penning fiction to bring it to life. When the idea of
this story first hit me, I knew it had to involve people indigenous to this
country. After some thought and prayer, God led me to write about the Blackfoot
people. Naturally, the setting would be Montana, the location of the Blackfeet
Indian Reservation.
Yes, you never know where your writing will take you and
it’s never been more apparent than now when God has given me the opportunity to
visit the very place and people I’ve been excited to write about. Thanks to my
brother-in-law who offered to pay the airfare, I’m heading to Big Sky Country
in three weeks. To make this trip even sweeter, I finally get to meet my
“sister” who has mentored and guided me through this journey of writing about
and learning what it means to serve and walk beside the Native People.
Through the coming weeks, I plan to share this journey with
you.
Where has God taken you in your writing journey?
