~Writing: A self-indulgent practice?~

Now that I have your attention (I hope), I should revise the title of this entry to "Writing Fiction: A self-indulgent practice?"

When I was growing up, I was a very focused person. When I set my mind on something, I would sit down and toil away until it was complete. No snack breaks. No checking email...it did not exist as of yet...that's probably why. No starting upon other endeavors. I have already shared my thoughts about novelty in general. I am a lover of novelty. I thrive in novelty. Sometimes that can be a great attribute, but more than often, it only adds up to a bunch of unfinished business, which can be dangerous, especially when it comes to ministry.

On that note, I have a lot of "unfinished business" floating around. I have lyrics and melody riffs scribbled here and there, awaiting the next rainy day when I am television deprived and am inspired enough to pick it up again. I have Japanese books and Mandarin books and French books and European phrase books. As Lue would say, I am "a jack of all trades but a master of none!" I have a novel I've been writing for two years, left dormant on my hard-drive, only to be pushed aside by a new story that has been occupying my free time.

I believe that writing has a lot of pros. For one thing, I enjoy it immensely. If we didn't have writers, we couldn't gobble up all the knowledge, sorting the good and the bad, like we do. A good book makes you think. Writing a book lets you escape into a world all your own.

Sometimes I wonder though...is it selfish of me to spend my energies on a book that will most likely never be published? After all, I'm a science major, semi-retired musician, passionate about languages who likes to write when convenient on co-op terms! But even if my subject matter and my intentions are glorifying to God, is my time better spent actively serving other people rather than getting home to my apartment and creatively spinning up a tale?

I suppose everything comes down to balance. For now, I will continue to add to the pages and attend my weekly commitments, but I will continue to ponder this question of "beneficial time offering".