Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Creating a World

by Connie S. Hall

In Genesis 1:11 it says, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.”

We all know the story of the creation, how God created day and night. He created the dry land we call earth, and the water we call seas. Then He created the sun, moon, and stars as well as the grass, seeds, fruit, and every living creature. Next God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

President Spencer W. Kimball gave a talk ‘Our Great Potential’. “You and I—what helpless creatures are we! Such limited power we have, and how little can we control the wind and the waves and the storms! We remember the numerous scriptures which, concentrated in a single line, were said by a former prophet, Lorenzo Snow: ‘As man is, God once was; and as God is, man may become.’ This is a power available to us as we reach perfection and receive the experience and power to create, to organize, to control native elements. How limited we are now! We have no power to force the grass to grow, the plants to emerge, the seeds to develop.”

As a writer, I sometimes feel all-powerful. No, I’m not as powerful as God is, but I create people, places, situations, moods, and make believe worlds. I can give a character any personality I want, or make them look or act a certain way, such as attractive, ugly, fun, or grumpy. They can be angry, confused, curious, or jealous. Maybe I want my character to seek revenge, or if I want them to live in another world and fly, then they do what I say.

I guess you could say that as writers we are control freaks. We find it fun being in control as we create our own world. However, God is wiser than writers are because He lets people make their own choices. Unlike Him, I make my characters do what I want them to do, and I love every minute of it.

1 comment:

Keith N Fisher said...

In the beginning there was the computer screen, then there was light on the computer screen.