The Little 'G' Complex

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Every morning I time my French Press coffee for 5 minutes exactly before I pour it into my cup. In the afternoon, Darjeeling tea for 3.5. My flower pots are spaced out every two paces along the side of the garage. Socks are matched and folded in the top right drawer--for heaven's sake not the left. And don't even think about messing with the cleaning supply arrangement beneath the bathroom sink. The Scrubbing Bubbles have to be next to the toilet cleaner or we're talking a Cherynobyl meltdown. Sound like I'm a control freak? You'd be right.

But I'm not the only one. Pretty much every writer I know wears a CF badge like a scarlet letter. Okay, that's technically two letters, but the point is...what's up with that?

Here's the deal. Writers control every aspect of their stories. What their characters eat, wear, think, say, or smoke (unless it's a Christian novel, mind you). They choose the hero's deodorant, shoe size, and whether he splits his Oreos apart before he eats them or pops a whole one in his mouth. In storyland, the writer is god, wielding pure, raw power. It's intoxicating. Exhilarating. Fan-flippity-tastic awesome!

And very, very short lived.

Because in the real word, writers do not get to choose their covers, control their advances, decide on endcap bookstore placement, or sway Ted Dekker to endorse their book (seriously, don't even try).

So next time you see a writer counting the sesame seeds on top of their Big Mac to make sure there are 380 (not kidding), just pat the poor little buddy on the head as you pass by and tell them everything will be just fine.

Ultimately, God is in control.