First Draft Complete

Post 262

This was a stressful and difficult week. My mind was so burned out that I literally forgot to attend a friend's wedding yesterday afternoon.

I have stated before, and I think it’s true, that the body and mind can only handle so much at once. Since the grief of a broken heart is still perpetually there, whether a strong wave, or treading calm water, it uses up the energy that could be applied elsewhere.

Sometimes I can't believe that Morgan has now been gone more than a year. I would have loved to have heard, or seen via text, her congratulations today that I finally finished the first rough draft of my Christian allegory adventure book. I started this particular book in the fall of 2021 and was probably nearly two thirds done when she passed. She had wanted to be a pre-reader, and I know she would have given me her honest opinions. I think some of it may have helped her sort some things out in her own life, too. (It did me writing it and apparently the few friends who pre-read most of it as well.)

I don't know if this will be self-published, which would certainly be more expedient, or if I will try to find a traditional publisher. Prayers for wisdom in this area are welcome!

The working title is The Rebel’s Hike and here's the synopsis.

Four pre-teens from a small Alabama town make appearances in another realm called Wackus-Bonkus. In this realm, they interact with their ‘Others’, the versions of themselves who try to woo them into wrong thinking and wrong actions both there and on Earth. They also interact with God, called OSOLAT, which they learn is an acronym for ORIGINAL SOURCE OF LIGHT AND TRUTH. One boy spends weeks in Wackus-Bonkus gaining Godly wisdom, while the other three make trips back and forth.

They are each given the knowledge that the world isn't exactly as they’ve been told, and it is up to them and their generation to ‘turn the ship around’ or else God's calculated tipping point of how much evil can be tolerated will be reached. They understand they now need, and want, to be rebels in the current culture.

The young man who gained the most direct wisdom returns to his body and eventually begins explaining the Bible in a very relatable way, in podcasts called The Rebel’s Hike, which begin to go viral.

As an example, in one podcast, this young man explains what OSOLAT told him heaven is really like. (Rough)

“But I thought Wackus-Bonkus wasn’t heaven.”

“No, it wasn’t, but OSOLAT told me what heaven will be like. He said I should tell people that it’s gonna be like being the smartest, funniest, best-looking, most giving, grateful person on your best day, spending time with people who are all that, too.  Nothing bad happens. It’s like Earth on steroids with people you really love, who really love you, spending time together, either doing fun things or creating cool things or watching amazing scenes all over the universe. Eating the best food ever, listening to the most rad music, constantly learning about things that interest you.  Just Earth on steroids on your very best day.  But everyone also live each day in awe and gratitude to God for letting them live it like that. Thankful.  He say you remember how bad Earth was and laugh cuz you thought it was good.”

“Is like, everbody the same age?”

“People get to choose what age they want to be on any given day.  If they want to have the best day with their grandma, the grandma’s soul gonna look like a grandma while she’s interacting with him.  But she don’t look like a grandma to herself.  When she looks in the mirror, she see the way she always wanted to look. She looks perfect to herself.  But everybody else seeing her the way they most loved her on Earth.  People see who they remember loving, but the person interacting sees him or herself at their best, while seeing the other people as when they were most loved.

“Do people remember the people who didn’t make it to heaven?”

“No, they can’t. It couldn’t be their best days if somebody on Earth they loved wasn’t there.  That person forgotten. Wiped out. Doesn’t exist in any eternal mind.”

“That makes sense.”

At the end of the book, the reader is left wanting more, and my current plan, once published, is that a chapter a month will go up on substack. Free subscribers will be able to read it, but paid subscribers will be able to digest, discuss, and give ideas for the action they want the characters to take in the next month's chapter. I have a pretty good feeling adults will want to be involved in it, too.

I have felt compelled to write this book, and often felt a sense of guilt when I could have been working on it, but wasn't. I think a lot of the podcast information I have gained on so many of my walks, came spilling back out in this fictional form.

I can use several more pre-readers once I edit it myself again, who will read and give me honest critical feedback. If you want to be one, let me know. If anyone has a friend or family member who is a professional editor, I would also like any referrals.

In other news, I have had no shortage of GBH sitings, almost no matter what walk I take, with the exception of “in town” to The Spot. I’m thankful my mind has fully equated these sitings as a visit from her. It just helps.

Have a wonderful week!