Music has always been a big part of my life, as a performer and a listener. I was your typical Band kid who played not just one instrument, but several. I also discovered I loved to sing. Most of my singing took place at church so I felt that I could use my voice to glorify God. I frequently sang solos at church, and as my friends and relatives got married, I was often the wedding soloist.
At times I’d get tired of always being on the stage, performing, when I could just be in the audience, enjoying stress-free. I put a lot of pressure on myself to deliver a quality performance. If I was singing for God’s glory, I certainly didn’t want to mess it up!
After decades of singing in a church choir, practicing and singing every week, I moved into a new stage of life. Not only did I move away physically to a new area, I took an intentional break from singing. My husband and I settled into our new home and began to establish our new life, friends and activities. Eventually God led us to a new church, and I was thrilled to discover that the services are filled with lots of singing.
I remember standing in the pews on the first day. I was excited about getting back to singing my favorite hymns and praise songs. I’d missed the songs, and I’d missed singing! I always loved singing loudly and strongly, sending my adoration heavenward. I listened to the musical intro swirl around me, excitement in my heart. I opened my mouth to sing the first verse and …
My voice wasn’t there! It crackled and popped. I cleared my throat and tried again … nope. A sound came out but definitely not the trained choral voice I remembered. Try as I might, I couldn’t get my voice to respond. It wouldn’t hit the right notes … or any note at all!
This discovery was very disturbing. I thought I’d always be a singer. But apparently not. Musical skill is like a muscle. If you don’t work a muscle regularly, it goes soft.
I’m happy to report that I didn’t give up or walk away. Now, after several months of singing at church several times a week, my voice is starting to get back in shape. No, it’s not as strong or reliable as when I was performing weekly, but it’s not a complete disaster either. I feel like if I wanted to dedicate the time and hard work to weekly choir rehearsals and performances, I could probably restore it to its former quality.
Writing is also like a muscle. In the twenty-two years that I have been writing novels, I’ve written and published twenty-six books. That’s a lot of sitting at my computer and working that muscle!
I decided this is the year I would Preserve My Legacy. What does that mean? I set aside the year 2021 to go back through my backlist of books and make sure that any of my books that a new reader picks up, it is truly my finest offering. After all, my inspirational romances are my ministry to the world. God deserves to get my finest work and best effort. So instead of writing new books this year like all my previous years, I went back and revitalized my first series, Pawleys Island Paradise. I invested in beautiful new covers and I re-read and polished all six books to a shine. I completed that task in the first quarter of the year, and I fell in love with those books all over again.
Then I revisited my backlist of books and I pulled three out that I had written earlier in my career. By making some edits and revisions, I figured out how I could present them to my readers as a trilogy of heartwarming inspirational romances, even though they were originally written as standalone contemporary romances. These books are my Big Apple Blessings series. The first one released in June, the second in October and the final one will release in February.
I’m glad that I spent 2021 preserving my legacy but when I think about that writing muscle that is now soft, I worry. I have spent a full year revising and editing and publishing and promoting and marketing. But I haven’t been WRITING.
I have a new book in my heart, knock-knock-knocking away at my brain. Soon it’ll be time to start getting the words down and building a new story. My writing muscle will most definitely be out of shape. Like my voice, it’ll be a little hoarse, a little unreliable, a little weak. The words surely won’t flow from my brain onto the page with the ease that they used to when I was writing regularly.
But like my singing, I will stick with it. With God’s help, I need to keep working the muscle, getting it back in shape by sheer determination and perseverance. And when I have the finished result ready, I can’t wait to share it with you!
Questions to consider: What skill or talent do you have that you let go soft? What skill do you want to re-work so it’s back in shape?
Apparently you can forget how to ride a bike.
Hahaha! Unlike singing or writing, re-learning how to ride a bike could cause injury!
I used to sing in church a lot but after moving I put it on the back burner to care for my parents. They have both went to heaven now but I’m just not ready to revisit as my grief overcomes me at times when singing on Sunday mornings during praise and worship.
Oh Lucy I’m so sorry to hear that’. Music speaks to me powerfully as well. I hope, with time, you can move back to the joy you once found in singing. God bless you.
Riding a bike and swimming … forget it completely!
I suppose that because of things in life I didn’t have so many opportunities or interest in practicing.
Hi, Laurie! Singing has been one for me, too. I used to be a worship leader at my church back in the more traditional days. Now that they have gone almost all contemporary and I have had health issues to deal with, my voice is a shadow of its former self. When I was leading 3 services a Sunday and singing in the choir, it was strong. But every Monday I could tell that I had had a workout. If I had been active doing voice-over work, Monday was the day to get my baritone-tenor voice to do all the bass notes. (Darth Vader anyone?)
Long story short, my mid range is still doing pretty well but upper harmonies are on vacation. :-)
When it comes to writing, I wonder if it might be more like an athlete switching up the kind of training they do in order to become more flexible and not get stuck in the proverbial rut. Maybe you will discover a style of writing that you have not tried yet or a new way of approaching common tropes that will make the whole thing fresh for you.
Wishing you many blessings as you get back in the swing!
Swimming — I agree with you. The only “swimming” I do is floating in a pool or the ocean. Very little actually swimming involved. Now biking — that’s something my husband and I revisited recently. He and I used to take bicycling trips before our kids were born, but once I was pregnant (my son is 30 now) I rarely rode again. Now that we’re retired he thought biking might be a nice way to keep in shape. We bought matching bikes — nothing fancy, just a bike with handbrakes, no complicated gears or speeds to figure out — and we ride around our neighborhood and occasionally put them in the truck and ride on a bike trail. I’m so glad we picked it up again!
Hi Lincoln! Thanks for the food for thought! So happy to run into a fellow singer. I never dreamed that after YEARS and YEARS of regular singing, after such a (relatively) short time, my voice would abandon me. So glad it’s starting to make a comeback.
Yes, actually the book that I’m percolating in my mind is different from anything I’ve written before. I want to just write it as it comes to me and not worry about fitting it into an established genre. Remove all barriers and just create. I haven’t done that in a long while!
My embroidery skills are definitely lacking! I need to finish a tablecloth I started over 25 years ago, and I know I’m going to be extremely rusty!!
I used to play the piano for several years and really enjoyed it but then I let life get in the way and I’ve found that I don’t remember how to read the music as well or which notes are which. I want to try to regain that talent that I let be lost. Thank you for the encouragement and idea!
Hi, I enjoyed reading your post and how encouraging it is, Thank you. I used to ride my bicycle just about every day, but I have not been on it for a long time. I do go on walks every day to walk our pup. I definitely need to get back on the bicycle, my husband and I are both retired so maybe we should go on bike rides. Have a great week and stay safe.
Oh needlework! I used to thoroughly enjoy doing counted cross stitch while watching tv. There’s no way my eyes would let me do that now!
Oh piano is a perfect example! It seems so complex and intricate. I wish you all the best in building back that muscle!
Hi Alicia! I’m so glad my post was meaningful to you. I highly recommend the biking idea. It’s a great way to get out and enjoy the outdoors while getting exercise!
I haven’t danced other then for fun with my family in a while & would love to do it again
I’d like to get back playing the guitar & learn the piano too.
Oh dancing! You should go for it!!
Sylvain, you and me both! I played the guitar regularly for at least a decade. I’d guess of all my instruments I could most easily pick up the guitar again and play.
The piano and I have a tortured relationship. I took lessons twice, once as a child and once as an adult. With all my musical experience there’s no reason why I couldn’t learn that instrument! But I just couldn’t pick it up! Good luck to you in your efforts!
For me, it’s playing the recorder. I’ve been doing it for years but pretty much stopped ever since the pandemic started. Still, I look forward to picking it up again and getting to play weekly at church.
Oh what a cool instrument! In my school they taught us how to play the recorder in the 3rd or 4th grade so we could decide to go on to other instruments. Good luck to you!
Hm…I’m learning to wakeboard….Not easy…