Time for a wellness check!
Hello! It’s been a while since I’ve posted here at Chapter 3 Ministries. I am still alive! Life has been good and busy. I am still in treatment for CIRS and dealing with the daily, painful symptoms. There has been some improvement, but it is a long and difficult path. Please keep me in your prayers!
And I am still writing! Primarily, I’m focused on finishing my manuscript. There’s good news in that department. I’ve been working hard and making progress. My work in progress (WIP) is an epic biblical allegory. Despite years of interruptions, I believe in this story too much to let it fade away.
While I haven’t been posting new articles on my website recently, I have been posting for my ministry on Facebook, X, Instagram, and now Tik Tok! (If you are not already following one of those accounts, please follow for ministry and writing content.)
Yes, I recently made a Tik Tok account. It is scary over there. lol
Booktok, a community on Tik Tok, is becoming more relevant in the publishing industry. So, I figured I should join and learn the ropes in case, Lord willing, I finish my manuscript.
My WIP has been in the works since 2006. It’s a story awash in biblical themes and symbols. The idea to write it came to me after seeing The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I loved the idea of using allegory to show biblical themes in a story and wondered if I could create something like that.
At the time, I was studying a great biblical truth that is expressed as a metaphor. It was a perfect fit for the kind of writing I wanted to do.
While my story has biblical parallels like the Lewis classic, I wouldn’t put it in the “fantasy” genre. It’s real, raw, and even gut wrenching at times. Yet, my goal is to be true to God’s word and the power of the gospel.
History of My Writing Adventure
2006: Birth of the BIG idea. Novel work begins and continues as life and my health allows.
2008: Due to an undiagnosed illness, I became mostly couchbound. Belly down. No more typing. 🥺 Then I discovered speech recognition software. Almost half of my first draft was “written” with it! So thankful that it exists. ❤️
November 2013: Chapter 3 Ministries’ website launched. It expanded my online ministry outreach that started in 2010.
June 2015: Completed eighteen years of homeschooling. (Had to slip that in!) ❤️
2017 – present: Mostly housebound now, but still need time on the couch each day. And still need speech recognition software to write when certain symptoms flare.
April 2020: A different book published. (A Zero Fluff Bible Study for Women: The Deity of Christ)
September 2023: First full draft of manuscript done. Hooray! 🎉🎉 It took seventeen and a half years. Some dreams are worth holding on to despite the obstacles.
July 2024: Diagnosed with CIRS. Symptoms often contribute to writing delays. (Symptoms started in 1996 and were undiagnosed all that time.)
May 2025: Halfway through the first major revision. The first draft was 163,000+ words. My manuscript is growing with revisions. Norms in the publishing world state that this will have to be cut down a lot, if I’m going to pursue traditional publishing, or spit into two books. But for now, I’m writing the story as it needs to be written, while attempting to avoid extraneous descriptions, dialogue, and details. I’ll adjust the word count later if need be.
April 2026: Only nine months to a year left, Lord willing, before working with beta readers and other publishing steps.
I’m writing this story foremost for the glory of God. And Lord willing, for the salvation of souls and the healing of hearts. And even for the possibility that lives will be saved. That last part isn’t hyperbole. I mean it!
Thanks for reading and for hanging on with me while I walk this aspiring fiction author path. Lord willing, in time, I will return to posting more frequently here on topics that sit at the heart of Chapter 3 Ministries – marriage, apologetics, and the Christian life.
~ Sharon
*Originally posted in part on my Instagram
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Sharon Lareau
Founder of Chapter 3 Ministries. Ministering in the spirit of Titus 2:3-5 and encouraging women to contend for the faith. Wife, mom, and gigi! Homeschooler for 18 years. Mostly housebound since 2008 due to chronic pain illness that started in 1996. Diagnosed with CIRS in 2024. Trusting in a good and sovereign God.
