Monday, February 22, 2010


Lessons

I am a first year student. According to those who run around in the halls of the school of writing, I am a freshman with many years of study and crafting ahead of me.
Many times I have used the word fledgling to describe my position as writer.  Fledgling.
I love that word. I like its meaning as much as I like to say it. Fledgling. Fledgling (It's up there with some of my other favorite words like, delicious and scullery.)
So what is a fledgling anyway? Well, it's a young, new or inexperienced person, according to one dictionary. It is also a young bird, newly fledged, having the plumage or feathers necessary for flight, or having the characteristics of maturity.

For a chick, the possibility of flight is evident in its wings and feathers. The dream of flying is further away, more likely to be realized when a mother bird does some serious flight training. Or just noses her fledgling out of the nest. Between flight and now, there are lessons to be learned. And so it is with me.

But there is another meaning for fledge. It can also mean to provide an arrow with feathers to assist with flight accuracy and balance. Lost in the mists of time, there must be a legend about the placement of a turkey feather on the end of a whittled arrow, which turned the bowman into a skilled archer.

Yes, these feathers have their purpose. And I'm collecting. With each new writing lesson, attempt and discovery, I grow just a little bit more. And I'm doing it in good company. Over the last few months God has gifted me with a beautiful writing buddy who encourages me and shares what she is learning. Even though she lives in another hemisphere, there is a little slice of each day where we chat and explore the writing life together. Every writer needs a kindred spirit like that!!  I have also become a member of a critique group, where I can share my work with others and learn from them.

God has not left us to discover life's lessons on our own. He uses His people to teach us about the road ahead and equip us for each task.

Proverbs 24:3
I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw.