What are these "other books" referred to in 1 Nephi 13:39, how do they "come forth", and is it possible for me to write one of them?

What are these "other books" referred to in 1 Nephi 13:39, how do they "come forth", and is it possible for me to write one of them?

The footnote leads to Doctrine and Covenants 9:2 and specifically says this refers to: "An allusion to additional translation activity, i.e., the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible and the Book of Abraham, in which Oliver Cowdery assisted as a scribe. See also BD Joseph Smith Translation."

However, is that exclusively what this is referring to? I am not sure. Very often in the scriptures the prophecies refer to multiple specific things. Isaiah did this a lot of times, actually.

How revealed books have "come forth" to people like Joseph Smith is described in detail in Chapter 6 of Saints. It is pretty weird - and cool - if you ask me. I don't feel like I know enough to write about it in any kind of detail.

By the way, this is a book basically takes the prize for having the largest gulf between love of the content and hatred of the cover, for me. Number two might be the new "Come, Follow Me for Individuals and Families" which is the new church curriculum that we will be implementing in our home starting...actually, it starts tomorrow!

The final question about writing "other books" is...complicated.

First, are the "other books" all scriptures? I don't know.

Can scriptures be written by people like me? I don't know. Scriptures in the past have mostly been written by men. Actually, a big theme for me in reading the Book of Mormon in 2018 was noticing how often the scriptures are defined, as well as defining the authors of the scriptures, which I guess are generally the prophets - but not always? I cannot answer this question quickly, either, so I'll leave it alone for a while.

My gut says: why not? If it's God's will for people like me to write scripture, why not. I know that God reveals his word through his servants the prophets. I know that this includes modern revelation. Latter-day saints treat general conference talks as scripture. They aren't quite the same as the ancient records of scripture - except...well...except they kind of are. If you look at the Pauline epistles, a whole bunch of them are just transcriptions of talks he gave at what could be perceived as the equivalent of general conferences of the Church of Jesus Christ (of Middle Day Saints?).

The more personal implied question, is this something for me to do - well, that's deeply personal and obviously not something I have the answer for.

I guess the best way for me to answer it at this time is like this:

I am willing to fulfill the mission that God sent me to do on this earth.

I don't necessarily know all of the things that it entails.

I do feel like I have had some strong directions given to me, usually in the form of impressions or feelings. These are not whims or fancies merely from my heart. They usually make sense in my mind as well. They are often things that I don't tend to share with others (except Danny) because they are private, spiritual things that I hold sacred.

However, there are a few of them that I can share. They are pretty obvious to anybody who has known me for any amount of time:

My most important work in this life is being a wife and mother. These roles are deeply intertwined for me. I find deep joy in teaching my children the gospel. That's actually not a joke or understatement or a canned response. It is totally true. I have not discovered a way to explain this feeling with words to other people, and most of the time when I am writing, it's not about that but other interests and plans I have.

I am willing to accept whatever church callings I am given. Right now I am the Temple and Family History Consultant - Lead (ohhhh man. I challenge you to find a calling with more syllables than that!) as well as the Teacher Council (or is it counsel? I never know which is which) Facilitator.

I love finding my ancestors. I love preparing their names for proxy temple work. I love doing that temple work. I really, really love this. It is one of the most fulfilling things I can do with my time.

It's important for me to learn Czech.

Whether or not I will be involved in writing "other books" that testify of Jesus Christ and help influence the world in a positive way to come to him, I certainly feel deeply drawn towards the act of writing itself. Writing fiction. Writing non-fiction. Writing reference books. Writing short stories. Writing facebook updates. Writing soooo many letters. Writing texts and messages to friends. Writing stupid poetry. Writing my testimony. Writing my thoughts and feelings. I think that is part of my "calling" on this earth.

So...unsatisfactory answer. I will have to set this particular question aside to study for later.