As much as I lament not writing for twenty years, it has become obvious to me lately that I wouldn’t have been ready to publish anything anyways.

That’s not to say I’m glad I didn’t write for 20 years. I’m not. I’m sure I’d be a better writer today if I had. (maybe – if writing can be taught – I’m still not sure – but more on that later – I’m digressing, I know.)

But honestly, if you are writing with nothing to say, then what’s the point?

For me, there’s no point to write without a point, and for the twenty years I didn’t write, I really don’t think I was ready to say anything.

I’m sure some will disagree with me and say that the writing process in itself is the point, and I can buy that to a degree. But writing that is lacking in focus or purpose is, for me, writing to stay away from.

I want to say something. I want to cause people to think. I want to encourage discussion. I want to, dare I say, instill a moral, or more accurately I think would be to raise a moral. Yes, I like the turn ‘raise a moral’ – and here’s why.

I never want my writing to be preachy in any way. I am fiercely independent in my thinking, and I expect others to enjoy the same privilege. But I don’t think we live in an unrestrained moral-less maelstrom which equates everything with everything else. The great stories of the world teach or at least prod you to think and ponder the issues, whatever they may be.

That’s what I hope my stories do. And the only way I feel confident enough to be able to write stories like that is to have the experience and knowledge of the world which I didn’t have when I was younger.

Living overseas has changed me tremendously. I look at the world in different ways. I have a much deeper understanding of peoples and cultures. I have seen a level of goodness and a level of corruption which was previously unknown to me. I have experienced the compassion of strangers and the heartache of neighbors. I have glimpsed into the lives of the hopeless, and I have witnessed others giving hope and care in tangible and beautiful ways. The world is not a static stage where people do their own thing and live oblivious or unaffected to those around them. Actions have consequences – real consequences – and those consequences make excellent story material.

Honestly, I never could have seen all of that without my 10 years in Vietnam.

I’m finally at the point where I can reap the benefits of my experiences and intimate thoughts that have been rattling around in my head for years. It’s been a wonderfully productive and creative time in my life. I’m loving writing, and I can’t wait for my next two books to get out to the world.

I wasn’t ready to publish in the past.

Now I am.