Summer of 2018 I pulled open my ‘writing ideas’ notebook and decided to tap into an idea for a potential young adult novel series that includes the Nephilim.

Yes, the Nephilim. The odd reference in Genesis that makes you go “huh?” and everyone seems to have a different interpretation about who and what the Nephilim were.

‘The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.’ Genesis 6:4

The book of Genesis reveals very little about the Nephilim, so in order to craft a believable story, taking creative liberties would be a must. And I’m all over creative story telling. Yes, please! Yet, if I could find any historical information, any myths or legends to build on or around, I wanted to consider it for potential use if it fits the story I’m crafting. Aware of references to the Nephilim in apocryphal texts, such as Enoch, I knew there must be more out there somewhere. I sent an email to a friend who has a degree in Comparative Mythology and she pointed me in the right direction for research materials.

As I dove into those resources and more, I discovered very strange yet intriguing texts from ancient times. I was hooked. I kept reading book after book, marking up pages, taking down notes.

Meanwhile, my writing friend, Amy, told me about her first movie script she’d just completed. She told me I should write a movie script as well, convinced I would love it.  I brushed the suggestion aside. I have SO MANY ideas for children’s books and young adult novels, with way too many works in progress already. I wanted and needed to conquer those mountains first. “One day,” I told myself, “when I’m old, lounging on a warm, tropical island, sipping mimosas from a pineapple, with lots of time on my hands, I’ll be ready to dive into the world of movie script writing and all that it entails.”

And yet, I couldn’t shake the idea that perhaps I really should start looking into how to write a movie script. But when would I have time? THAT is the big question. Squeezing in another writing project just didn’t seem practical or feasible. I ordered a book called “Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need” and allowed myself to think ‘what if?’ as I washed dishes, drove to work, and went about my daily activities.

But then the question came up, “What if I don’t even like writing movie scripts?” It was time to test it out. I grabbed an in-progress middle grade novel manuscript that has already been outlined, with plots, subplots and characters developed and in place.  I followed “Save the Cat’s” formula on board-mapping and when/where to hit the right beats.

And Amy was right. I DO love screenwriting!! (Bring on the sunglasses and mimosas, people, I’m ready to retire to an island retreat now instead of when I’m an old lady.)  

Then it hit me —

What if I were to write about the Nephilim in movie script form, instead of a Young Adult series? Then if the story never sells as a movie script, I can use it as a kickin’ outline to write the young adult series later.

But still, this would take a lot of time. I decided it wasn’t a priority project and it took a backseat to everything else.

Ah, but here is where things get interesting…

I enjoy reading before going to sleep each night, and one evening, instead of grabbing fiction as usual (I was reading a fantastic novel by Charles Martin), I noticed a nonfiction book leaning against  my nightstand that had just a few chapters left. It was a book I had started a while back to research a topic of interest. It wouldn’t take much to finish it, so I might as well read through it then move it to the ‘read’ section of my bookcase, right?  My bookmark was left mid-chapter, so I finished those pages, and as I turned to the next chapter, I laughed out loud — it was about the Nephilim!

Not long after, something similar happened. I have a stack of teaching discs about Christian growth, spiritual warfare, etc, that I will listen to while folding laundry. I had a new one called Bent, by Katie Souza (by the way, I LOVE her teachings. If you haven’t heard her speak, I highly recommend everything on her list.). On this disc, she began talking about the book of Genesis and disclosed that she would be teaching about… the Nephilim. Ha!

This can’t be coincidence.

I decided to take this story idea more seriously and began plotting out more ideas, thoughts, and possibilities. It seemed there were two different avenues I could take, but which one? Then I had a dream. In this dream, I saw one storyline unfolding in a way that produced joy in my life. While the other storyline brought complications. I awoke, jotted down the dream and realized:  now I know which direction to take this story.

Since then, I’ve continued with my research, devouring books, filling Scrivener pages with notes and ideas.  I’ve even hung a story-board in my hallway, using art-poster paper with colored note cards indicating different topics, and the plots and subplots they are generating.  Some sections have more cards than others and my youngest son says the one with the most cards is ‘winning’. (Yes, it’s a little strange when my kids have guests over, eye-balling this odd creation hanging in the hallway and wondering what kind of weird home they’ve stepped into. But until I have my own home office, I gotta use the spaces that are open. So the weirdness will continue, kids. Sorry, not sorry).

What this story board has taught me is that I have too much to work with (that’s not a bad problem). Or at least, it’s too much for one movie. So perhaps, this needs to be a TV series? And while that’s still scriptwriting, it’s a different writing format than a movie.

I’m still pondering which one I want to go with, but I’m leaning toward a series.

Something I hadn’t anticipated in the process of all this research, is that it has sparked SO many ideas for other writing projects: picture books, nonfiction books, middle grade novels. Not on the topic of Nephilim but on other topics I came across. I need to press the “Pause” button on ‘time and space’ and spend a few years just writing – no working, no eating, no sleeping. Just writing. Think I can make that happen?

It may be a long while before you hear another update on this beast of a project. Just know that while you are sleeping, I’m likely researching, writing, and imagining.

And that makes me a very happy writer. Very happy indeed.