BIGGER THAN MY WRITING GOALS

BIGGER THAN MY WRITING GOALS
Friday, June 21, 2024 by SUE A. FAIRCHILD

Categories: Friday's Fiction / GUEST AUTHORS

PLEASE WELCOME

SUE A. FAIRCHILD

FICTION FRIDAY

God’s Purpose Is Bigger Than My Writing Goals

How would a man deal with the loss of his wife if she died at a young age? How do men and women grieve differently? These are the questions I started to ask as I wrote my latest book Changing Tides.

The story first came to me when I was vacationing in Avon, North Carolina, with my husband and friends. As my hubby and I walked one morning, we noticed locals going about their business. Kids got on school buses, and people opened their businesses for the day. The scenes felt odd because when you go on vacation, you don’t think of the place as somewhere people actually live. Yet, we knew they did. They didn’t commute onto the Outer Banks every day—if you’ve driven onto OBX, you know what a task this would be! As we went about our vacation, I tried to talk to locals, to get the flavor of what it was really like to live at the beach. I’ve always said I should have been a psychologist—I just love learning how people tick. (Maybe that makes me a better writer. I hope.)

I decided I wanted to write a book about Avon and its people.

The two main characters, Ellie and Gabe, are based on me and my husband. I’ve always wanted to move to warmer climes, but not necessarily the beach, and my hubby and I always have this conversation about who will die first. My ancestors tend to die about twenty years earlier than his do, so I contend I’ll die first (although I hope not as young as I’ve killed off Ellie). My husband has always asserted that if I did die first, he’d become a hermit and live out his life alone. Like my character Gabe, my husband is a bit of a loner. He is a workaholic. He doesn’t like people all that much—or so he claims. Yet, I see him interact with others in a way that says differently. He likes being around certain people. When those people are in his life, he has a spark to him. I think even though he might choose to be a hermit when I die, I don’t think others will let him. And I think, in the end, he’ll connect with someone.

Our church currently has several widows and widowers. I’ve seen how each has dealt with their losses in a different way. Some go on with life while trying to ignore their grief—or maybe just tamping it down to act normal. Some make crazy, rash decisions—like quitting a well-paying job and moving to the beach like Gabe does—or some just fall into despair. I’ve not had this kind of grief in my life—although I’ve lost my mom and grandparents, it’s not quite the same as losing a spouse. When I think about losing my husband—God forbid—I think I wouldn’t likely recover easily. He and I are so entwined it would be hard to find a new way forward.

There is also grief that has nothing to do with losing a spouse. Job loss, sickness, not being where you want to be in life, moving trauma … every single person you encounter on a daily basis has suffered some kind of grief.

As I began to write Changing Tides, these musings about how people deal with all sorts of grief shaped my story and my characters—some without me being very aware it was happening. It wasn’t until I was completely done with the story that I realized what God was doing with it. The way, I hope, Changing Tides will encourage people to seek help, connect with others, and draw closer to God.

As I’ve been speaking about this novel, I’ve encountered more stories about loss and have had many people come to tell me how the story affected them. I just smile and say I’m glad, knowing God’s purpose for this book, which started just from a simple vacation, a conversation with my husband, and my love for psychology, is so much bigger than me. I pray God will continue to use this story for His glory and purpose, and maybe He’ll let me write more for Him in the future.

BUY CHANGING TIDES

ABOUT SUE A. FAIRCHILD

Sue A. Fairchild started out as a devotion writer, but now also claims the titles of editor, writing coach, webmistress, and speaker. She has written and self-published three books as well as helped a variety of authors get their manuscripts into readers’ hands. Her latest novel, Changing Tides from Elk Lake Publishing Inc. is now available, and she is already working on her follow-up book Changing Seasons. Sue loves working with clients who are working toward the greater good of sharing God’s message in this world. Learn more about Sue on her website sueafairchild.wordpress.com or on Instagram @suefairchildedits

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