It goes without saying that the beginning of ideas, initiatives, or stories often shapes the end. But there are also times when the end shapes the beginning. And the middle does, too.
I’ve been working on a book – very slowly but very diligently – since the beginning of 2025. Sometimes I only write three sentences in a day. But all of that has added up, and I’ve now written eight of what will eventually be twelve chapters.
Not surprisingly, those first eight chapters have changed what I initially envisioned for chapters nine through twelve. But also, the unwritten chapters are now shaping the written ones, too. Rather than pushing ahead and finishing the book, I realized this was actually a good time to go back and revise those first eight chapters in light of where I now want to go. I’ve been doing that, and it’s been deeply satisfying.
I suspect there are many experiences in life where the beginning, middle, and end are all shaping one another, often without our even realizing it. A book just makes that process easier to see.
It would be wonderful to finish it this year so that I can publish it next year. Stay tuned for Beheld: A Spirituality of Kinship.
Do you have anything like that in your own life – where you can see all the parts influencing one another?
It’s a fun thing to notice.
Smuggling Grace 
Hi Renee,
I loved reading about the progress you’ve made on your book and how it has changed as you’ve moved forward on it. It just goes to show that we don’t have to have everything all figured out before we make a start on it. Sometimes, all we need to do is start the thing. And if you find you need someone to beta-read it before you publish it, I would like to throw my hat in the ring (or should I say my bookmark?). You’ve got this!!!
Carolyn
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