An Eclipse Inspired Perspective for Writers

by Tim Suddeth @TimSuddeth

A solar eclipse is coming in a few days that will be visible to much of the eastern United States. I remember our last eclipse back in August 2017. We lived in the path of totality, where the moon blocks out all of the sun but a thin ring. (Doesn’t that sound like something out of sci-fi?) 

My wife and I didn’t think much of the eclipse, so we didn’t make any special plans. For days, the newspaper had included events of groups gathering, but we hadn’t paid much attention. We didn’t see why we should go to any bother and planned to stay home, doing inside stuff.

Until I walked my dogs. I get a lot of ideas when I walk my two lovable pups. It was over an hour until the actual eclipse. The sky was clear, but it began to look and feel like twilight. At 1:30 in the afternoon.

I hurried home and, like the Beverly Hillbillies, we “loaded up the truck and headed to—” the nearest place to watch the eclipse with a crowd. In this case, at our veterinarian’s.

And I found it to be an incredible experience. We were standing outside in the parking lot wearing our ‘eclipse glasses’ (very chic). As well as the day growing darker, it was getting noticeably cooler. That’s astonishing anywhere in South Carolina in August. Even the birds had gotten quieter.

And we all stared upward in awe as the moon blocked out the sun.

As amazing as an eclipse is, it’s really an incredible magic trick God pulls. (He should sell tickets.) A ginormous illusion. Although the moon blocks out the sun, appearing to be equal in size, the moon is in fact 400 times smaller.

So, if the sun is so much larger, why do they look similar in size? It’s because of our perspective. Although the sun is 400 times larger than the moon, it’s also 400 times farther away from earth. (See what God did there? Pretty cool, huh? I bet he used a slide rule. (Sorry, old person’s joke. Like you didn’t know.))

It’s all in our perspective from where we are watching here on earth. When looking at the sun and moon from our perspective, their correct sizes become distorted.

Getting a false perspective also happens in our writing journeys. One area where we need to be careful to keep a proper perspective is when we consider whether all our effort is worth it. I would say that most writers set goals for themselves. I know I did. But when I started writing, I didn’t know what I was doing, what opportunities would come, or what I wanted to write. If I had set a goal to have my book on the shelves beside John Grisham’s in three years, I’d be disappointed. Did I have a book contract? No.

But I did have an article in Guidepost. And I found a community of like-minded writers who have helped me grow.

So, will I be a miserable failure, or a writer enjoying the journey that God has planned and placed before me? Perspective.

Keeping the right perspective has never been easy. Tennessee Williams admitted, “I don’t believe anyone ever suspects how completely unsure I am of my work and myself and what tortures of self-doubting the doubts of others has always given me.”

We are never fair to ourselves when we compare ourselves to others. Or when we determine our success and value by our perception of someone else. They always seem to write better, write faster, get the best agents, win all the awards, understand AI, have great hair, and have great penmanship. And the only response we can give them is to paste on our best fake smile and say “bless ‘em.” (I’m a southerner.)

Because really we shouldn’t be comparing ourselves to anyone else. God has created each of us uniquely with a specific path He has designed for us. Individually.

I used to argue about this. I could believe God loves us collectively, as His church. But individually? That was asking too much. Then I looked closer at the parable of the lost sheep. A sheep got out fence and the Shepherd left the 99 to find the one. The stinker that snuck away. Me.

So what eclipse is blocking your sight? Is it given you doubts that are making it harder for you to write? Or is it taking the joy out of your writing? In II Corinthians 10:5, Paul tells us to “take every thought captive.” Not to let them sneak in to steal our joy or hide the truth. To take care that our thoughts don’t mislead us.

From my yard on Monday, the moon is going to appear the same size as the sun, even though the sun is hundreds of times larger. Sometimes, the work that goes into the writing God has called us to seems to be too much. The truth is, we haven’t yet seen how God is going to use it. And us. Our church has just finished a study on the book of Revelation. I can tell you with complete confidence, the final chapter is pretty amazing.

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An Eclipse Perspective for Writers from @TimSuddeth on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Tim Suddeth is a stay-at-home dad and butler for his wonderful, adult son with autism. He has written numerous blogs posts, short stories, and three novels waiting for publication. He is a frequent attendee at writers conferences, including the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and a member of Word Weavers and ACFW. He lives near Greenville, SC where he shares a house with a bossy Shorky and three too-curious Persians. You can find him on Facebook and Twitter, as well as at www.timingreenville.com and www.openingamystery.com.

Featured image courtesy of https://ediemelson.com/