First draft of manuscript printed!

I printed my draft transcript last week. At Officeworks in Western Australia. It’s now in Tabanan, Bali, with Nyoman and Eka the co-protagonists. I can hardly believe it, but with God, all things are possible right?! He wrote about it in his book.

I think it’s quite critical Nyoman and Eka have the final say on what goes to print, after all, it’s their story, and it gets into the nitty gritty of their lives. Nyoman has given me a fair bit of creative licence, but we really want to emphasise the transformative power of Jesus in the lives of the lost. How he redeems those who aren’t even aware of their need for redemption.

Nyoman’s character arc is really quite spectacular, I’m excited for you all to read the work Jesus has done in him and his family.

For those unfamiliar with a character arc, an article posted by Dario Villirilli on reedsy.com describes it aptly:

“A character arc in storytelling is the inner journey that a character takes to transform or evolve throughout a story. This transformation will usually change their personality, belief system, or thinking, and it's marked by how they respond to the obstacles and challenges they face as well as the choices they make. The changes experienced by the character may not always be monumental, but they should play a central role in how their story unfolds.”

This blog post is a guide for authors writing stories about a particular character. My characters were not formed in my creative imagination, but are real people in real places who went through this real arc themselves in real time. Wow.

Tomorrow, Beth and I will be attending Nyoman and Eka’s church in Tabanan to fellowship with them and share a little bit about the status of the book. I am not taking lightly the blessing of coming to Bali twice in the same year, it was not part of the original plan but here we are. Thank you, Lord for your provision.

I am currently looking out at the green rice paddies and watching the young staff do some brilliant work – you may like to take a look at my article if you haven’t already - A cup filling, content gathering success from May. I wrote about the contrast of the photos on the website to the reality. The rice stalks are currently bursting with grains of rice, I’m sure it won’t be long before they are ready for harvesting and the process will begin again with the cutting, gathering, slashing and burning the fields.

I was recording some footage last night as the sun went down over the rice fields. There are bats. A lot of bats. They come out at dusk here to feast on the insects, and one flew past very close to my head! I caught it on film which is brilliant! I hope to post it on Instagram soon.

One of the joys of returning to the same accommodation is the people. I have had the privilege to reconnect with some of the beautiful staff at our villa. Boy, the people are one of the reasons we adore Bali!

I’m nervous and excited to get the manuscript back from Nyoman. God is equipping me with strength to be able to cope with any disappointments that may arise in the process, but I know this book is for His glory so what stays in He wants, and what comes out He doesn’t want. Thanks for keeping on the journey.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Be blessed.