When Formula Sneaks In

by Allen Arnold

One of the most deadly assaults on your creativity comes in the form of formula.

We desire success for our stories. And formulas seem to offer us that promise. All we need to do is master the ten steps or four laws or read the new book. Or follow the blueprint that worked for that other successful author. Surely it would work for us as well.

Except it won’t.

Because no one in publishing has the formula.

If they did, we’d know it by now. Every publisher and industry expert would regularly predict next year’s big books and breakout authors.

Except they don’t.

But the pull is magnetic. Some formulas make us feel productive or in control–like relentlessly hitting our daily word count no matter what. Other formulas feel impossible to ignore–like the constraints of a genre or the man-made rules of an industry.

They can also be subtle. Formulas attach themselves to our gifting while whispering in our ears that any hope of success is dependent on them.

And here’s where it gets confusing. Some formulas do work–at least outwardly and at least for a time. Once a writer has a bestseller, the pressure is immense to figure out how to make lightning strike again. So the author and publishing team attempt to retrace the path that led to the initial fame. And though the first breakout was almost always based on a fresh new concept involving some level of risk, somehow the thinking goes that future success can be bottled or repeated. What was fresh becomes stale.

God doesn’t appear to be a fan of formulas. In Old Testament battles, he constantly revealed disruptive new ways for his followers to achieve victory. The same with Jesus. He rarely approached healings the same way. And during the Israelites 40-year desert tour, they learned the hard way not to depend on yesterday’s manna.

Rather than give us a formula that works, God instead gives us himself.  He is far less interested in our success (or repeated success) than in our intimacy with him. Yet when we place our faith, hope and trust in formulas to achieve the dreams God has placed in our hearts, we lose what matters most. The reason why is simple.  Formulas don’t require God’s presence. Worse, they offer the illusion of control in place of intimacy and dependence on a wild, unpredictable, playful, non-formulaic Creator.

So while discipline, productivity, and hard work are helpful tools for any serious writer, they are far too dull to carve a path to true creative intimacy with the Father. The tools aren’t bad. They’re just woefully inadequate for the higher journey we are invited on.

Imagine what’s possible as you–and your stories–break free from formulas. The process requires a daily dependence on God, trusting him to provide all that’s needed each day. Which, as it turns out, is not only the best way to eat manna but also the best way to write stories.

Allen Arnold loves the epic adventure God has set before him. From the mountains of Colorado, he leads Content & Resources for Ransomed Heart Ministries (led by John Eldredge). Before that, he spent 20 years in Christian Publishing - overseeing  the development of more than 500 novels as founder and Publisher of Thomas Nelson Fiction. He was awarded the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. But that doesn't really describe the man. Allen savors time with his family, craves the beach, drinks salsa by the glass, is hooked on the TV series "Once Upon a Time" and is passionate about helping storytellers tell better stories from an awakened heart.