Last year, I wrote backwards! I started with a play, not the story first.
I write stories all the time. I do my best to write one Christmas story a year and I have
begun writing one this year in the midst of the busyness of directing and producing “The
Green Velvet Christmas Dress”. It’s called “The Unopened Christmas Gift” and I like
where it’s going.

After last year’s successful premiere, I began writing the story of “The Green Velvet
Christmas Dress” and I had high hopes for it being available for this year’s reprise of the
play. I had no trouble starting the story and then I came to the part in Emma’s story
where her family passes (Oops, I’ve told you something important if you haven’t seen it
yet!).

It stopped me cold in my story-tracks. I was fine through establishing relationships,
setting scenes, describing places, and the seriousness of writing this story began to set
in on me. Death. Death was on its way to this family and all I could do to stop it was
this—stop writing. So, I did.

The Lord asked me to return to the page, again. It was raining outside and cold for a
California day. I stayed in my flannels and wrote and wrote. I finished the most difficult
part of the story. There was a sense of relief and then this grief began to set in on me.
“They’re all gone now,” replayed in my head over and over. Only my main character,
Emma, remains now. And she must live in a grief that few could survive. I’m not sure I
could survive so deep a loss.

After dinner that night, “my first audience” as I like to call them: my daughter, Gracie,
and husband, David, sat down and heard all that I had written thus far. I wasn’t a very

good storyteller that night. In fact, I had to stop several times to let the tears flow. As I
glanced from the page to my audience, they were crying too. And then I was done.
“That’s all I have so far,” I said with apology. A flurry of compliments and thoughts
tumbled out the mouths of my faithful family listeners. And they asked me to keep
writing more of The Green Velvet Christmas Dress, no matter how long it takes you.
The story is still unfinished, as I write this blog to you. However, I know the arc of the
story, the chapters, too. I even dreamed about the look of the book’s cover. I know to
whom I will dedicate the book. And I know I will ask my faithful editors – Marcia
Coppess and Gary Bayer – to do what they do so well. I think I would like to record it,
too.

And so, I wait for the next portion of The Green Velvet Christmas Dress to pour forth out
of me. It will likely be after this show’s “curtain closes” and all of the play’s set and props
are stored away for next time.

I am hoping and praying for a special rainy day in January to return to the green velvet.
 One of the dearest compliments came to me from someone who attended the play last
year. I greatly admire this person and their work. They know my work and understand
what I’ve described here as the push and drag of a believing artist (when an artist feels
a pushing forward within them from Someone, and their own inability to move forward).
She simply said these words—

Your work made me cry, as always. It got under my skin.

I hope you can come to one of the performances of “The Green Velvet Christmas
Dress”, and let its story get under your skin… Melea