I have fallen behind, but not without reason. There simply are not enough hours on a week's end for writing blog posts; the last few, I 'cheated' and wrote ahead. I was not so forth-looking this time because I thought, 'Ha! Favourite book? Quote? Easy enough! I shan't have to write a thing!' ...and then promptly neglected to do anything about it on Saturday. 'That's very well,' I told myself Saturday night at work, 'I shall just put quote and book together on Sunday evening and it will all make sense.' Well... yes. I don't generally blog on Sunday, either, except when I write ahead. And then yesterday we were canning peaches all day, which was much more engrossing than the prospect of smashing the last three days into one post. So I let it slide another day. But I'm ready to be moving on beyond this line of posts - ready to be done (much as I have enjoyed it). So here we go: the last three days, like tin soldiers all in a row.
the thirteenth day - your favourite book about writing
It has been a very long time since I read a book specifically about writing in a how-to sense - and even then, much as I enjoyed my Rhetoric teacher's curriculum, I should not call it my favorite. Every book should be instructive as long as the reader is paying attention, but that hardly helps narrow things down. So I have chosen the middle ground: a book that does not necessarily teach grammar or style, but which delves philosophically into the motives and aim and source of the creative spirit of the artist - indeed, the creative spirit of every human being, though so many pretend their professions do not allow for it.
The Mind of the Maker - Dorothy L. Sayers
"I liked Dorothy Sayers at first because she liked me; later, for the extraordinary zest and edge of her conversation - as I like a high wind." -C.S. Lewis
Sayers begins with the idea that man is created in the image of God, highlighting the facts that the Bible says so plainly enough, and that its declaration of "man in the image of God" is preceded by the revelation that God creates. We are given little else to describe God before we are instructed that God made us in his image: create. Of course there is much more to be learned of the character of God throughout the rest of the Bible, but it begins there and the neglect of man's identity as a created being in the image of God, who is the Creator, has (Sayers argues) a lot to do with the squallor and stupidity of mankind today. Man does not take the divine mandate to create into all his professions.
So this, then, is the identity of a writer: not that he or she is one of the few creative souls left on earth, but that the work of creation through writing is simply being who God created us to be. There is a way to write that neglects this, just as there is a way to sulk through every other profession ignoring the calling and image of God. We have left creativity out of so many spheres and professions; it has turned the medical profession into an insurance-pleasing, lawsuit-dodging game, for one. Sayers does not write for the writer alone; she starts with God making humanity, and thus what she has to say is for humanity. So even if you are not a "writer" or "artistic," this book is still highly relevant.
Of course, if you are looking for step-by-step instructions on how to craft a novel, this book will disappoint you. But if you simply want to know what it is all about, this human fascination with the ability to create works of literature and art and music (professions which have proved scarcely lucrative throughout the expanse of human history), then read this book. Or, if you are a writer and want a better reason to write than "people say I'm good at it."
the fourteenth day - a favourite quote about writing or books
I very nearly typed up two pages from an essay by Dorothy Sayers. Then I realized that you are (perhaps) rather tired of her, and anyway that can always wait for another day - and wiggling five or six paragraphs into one "quote" is rather letter-without-spirit. But on the other hand, singularity is nearly impossible with such a request as this. As a compromise, I give you three shorter quotes by the same author: Flannery O'Connor.
"Fiction is about everything human and we are made out of dust, and if you scorn getting yourself dusty, then you shouldn't try to write fiction.""I'm always highly irritated by people who imply that writing fiction is an escape from reality. It is a plunge into reality.""Any discipline can help your writing: logic, mathematics, theology, and of course and particularly drawing. Anything that helps you to see, anything that makes you look. The writer should never be ashamed of staring. There is nothing that doesn't require his attention."
Of course there are a myriad of others by a myriad of others; you may have the pleasure of digging them up for yourself.
the fifteenth day - your favourite song to write to
Song? One? Yeah. Right.
- Surprise - Jars of Clay. I love the ebb-and-flow of this song. It feels like staring out of a window on a long but not-uncomfortable ride - which is perfect for writing.
- If You Believe Me - Relient K. This is more like blowing down the interstate in a convertible. The pace of the song and the pace of my writing are not so closely linked as the idea of Truth coming so directly head-to-head with what we generally find believable. My character undergo a lot of healthy self-disbelief (think not the conflicted Disney character, here...).
- Southbound Train - Jon Foreman. Another tide-like, train-ride of a song... I like quiet music. I'd rather not have my writing simply be the emotional effects of a song on my weak mind, and anyway I can get a hold of my thoughts better with these songs.
- A Lot of Life Behind Us - Murray Gold. Writing to soundtracks is the best idea since sliced bread, simply because soundtracks (at least the good ones) work with a story without dominating the senses. So...
- The World Has Left Us Behind - Samuel Sim. No, I don't write all depressing stories. Well, maybe a little. You can't totally depress the spirits with a piano, anyway - not without a lilt of the uplifting.
- Anything from my moderate collection of The Decemberists and U2, and my not-so moderate collection of Andrew Peterson. Hilary Hahn's Bach Violin Concertos are splendid; I intentionally write to those more than anything else, simply because they have no lyrics (really helps with processing issues) and yet are complex enough to keep me awake.
- If all else fails, I take a hike with Thornton or Knightley.
Yea! Time to write about something else! :)