Monday, May 30, 2016

WHEN IT DOESN'T FIT/Donna Mann


Over the past several weeks I've been working on an old manuscript. "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins." Mark 2:22

With this scripture in mind, I began to sift through what was new and what I was trying to wring new truths out of old settings, goals, conflicts and conclusions. Something was wrong. It wasn't hanging together as it should.


I went back to my outline and premise. Yes, secure and ready to rebuild or revise. I thought of the wineskins. And began to think how the idea of putting new wine in new skins definitely made sense. Old wineskins, used wineskins and immoveable old wineskins - I don't think so. And old wine into old wineskins just plain stunk.

How can I manage this? Manipulation? Not a good idea. Force feed? Not a chance.  A truth is a truth isn't it? A truth will stand against all and any manipulations one might apply. So what could I salvage from this old tired, immovable thought process that was timeless? 

I went back to the manuscript's premise. Yes, it's solid. Ageless! There is a truth there. There is a good story here. Like the idea of putting wine in wineskins, which has proven itself through the years, I began to compare this idea to my words, phases and chapters. What could not go in? What was tired and just wouldn't fit.

As these thoughts began to challenge my thinking, new wineskins began to take shape along with new wine. Yes, same old concept that's been used since forever. This would work. Six months later I confess, "Yes, this did work."


Sweet wine!

Blessings,
Donna Mann
Check out donnamann.org

3 comments:

Peter Black said...

Thanks for sharing your 'writer's case in point' application of the wine and wineskins analogy, Donna. Your account provides a good example of how some analogies in the scripture, although having a primary spiritual application, can also apply to many areas of life. ~~+~~

Donna Mann said...

Thanks Peter. As I wrestled with the rewrite, this scripture was a warning not to force it to fit or to 'make it happen'. I learned to work with the premise and not just the content. Good lesson. Have a lovely day. D.

Glynis said...

Nice analogy, Donna. And I like what you just said to Peter, too, in your comment. 'I learned to work with the premise and not just the content'. Isn't that the truth. After all, we are reminded often that there is nothing new under the sun after all.

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