Christian Writers' Reading Challenge Day 55

Welcome to the last four days of the Christian Writers' Reading Challenge! Thank for sticking with us to the end. :) If you're joining us for the first time, don't worry, there are links to the previous parts of the Challenge below, and it's not necessary to complete all the parts or to do them in order for the reading plans to make sense.

Day 1: Short Works by JRR Tolkien

Days 2-8: Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle

Days 9-16: Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson

Days 17-25: If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland

Day 26: "On Stories" by CS Lewis

Day 27: "On Fairy Stories" by JRR Tolkien

Days 28-39: Two Books on Craft

Days 40-54: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

For these last few days, we'll read The Writing Life by Annie Dillard.

Days 55-58

Quick Guide:

Required Material: The Writing Life by Annie Dillard

Reading Guide: You have four days to read seven chapters. It's a slim book written in a very literary, matter-of-fact voice, and shouldn't give you too much trouble.

Notes: Annotate, and once again reflect on the faith that goes into art. Pay attention to the anecdote about the yellow pine and the tide in Chapter 6. Also, you may want to copy the following Michaelangelo quote and pin it up where you can see it when you write: "Draw, Antonio, draw, Antonio, draw and do not waste time." I have saved the artsiest book for last. You may have noticed that the authors of the books we've read may disagree with each other on aspects of writing such as inspiration, writer's block, Art vs Craft, the purpose of story, the necessity of solitude, etc. That's okay. None of them are necessarily wrong. Different methods work for different people, and no two writers have had the same experience.

Deep Dive:

Hard Words: I'll have to admit, there were some words in this book I had to look up. Here are a few of the more obscure terms Dillard uses:

Epistemological--having to do with the theory of knowledge

Encysted--enclosed is a cyst

Prie-dieu--a stool with elbow-rests, typically knelt on for prayer

Carrel--a cubicle with a desk

Catenary--a U-shaped curve

Titrated--in this context, carefully adjusted and balanced

Peritoneum--the membrane supporting and connecting one's internal organs

Notes for Christians:

"Process is nothing; erase your tracks," Dillard says. As writers, especially in the editing stages, it can be difficult to let go of our original ideas and images. But if they no longer serve the story, then they must go, because they no longer serve the reader or God.

This book is built of anecdotes, metaphors, and quotes. To some extent, all the books we've read have been similarly constructed, but in The Writing Life it is particularly clear, because Dillard doesn't use the smooth transitions and overarching conclusions expected of writers. She instead leaves the reader to make these connections for himself--which a powerful technique, if you can get away with it, and she does.

"The beginning of wisdom... is to get you a roof," so the quote goes. King Solomon wrote books of poetic wisdom--but he was a king. He could afford to meditate on the abstract for long periods of time. Most people don't have that luxury. There is a hierarchy of needs that applies to all living beings: We must survive before we can write about our survival. This goes hand in hand with the idea of having a paying job alongside your writing job.

"He must have faith sufficient to impel and renew the work, yet not so much faith he fancies he is writing well when he is not." In the first half of the sentence, faith is inspiration (a divine word), confidence, however you like to think of it. But in the second half of the sentence, this faith is tempered by discernment. Writers are terrible discerners. We're our own harshest judges as fiercest advocates. Sometimes we need other people to help us. But we can also pray for both the confidence and the discernment necessary to write well.

"A writer looking for subjects inquires not after what he loves best, but after what he alone loves at all." Edgar Allan Poe wrote a poem to this effect, titled "Alone." I suggest you read it.

The analogy about the Alaska cedar and the tide is a good metaphor for how a writer's faith works. We see an idea and we latch onto it, hoping to pull it home and make something of it. But the idea refuses. We're pulling in the wrong direction; the idea cannot go that way right now. (Remember Bird by Bird? The Gulf Stream can flow through a straw only if the straw is aligned with the Gulf Stream.) But we keep pulling, because we know that this idea has value--this resolve almost reminds one of the parable of the treasure hidden in the field, Matthew 13:44. And eventually, our perseverance pays off, and the idea begins to follow us back. But we could not have brought the idea home if we hadn't stuck with it through the hard parts. If we had cut it loose and returned safely home, our safety would be our only reward. And a poor reward safety is.

Writing, like flying, takes skill as well as faith. We gain skill through faith: to become masterful, we must practice, and practice means risk. Perhaps our mess-ups with the pen wouldn't kill us, unlike those of a plane, but they set us back and potentially embarrass us. Writers need faith that things will eventually become easier, or if not easier, then better. Then they will.

Study Questions:

Why does Dillard make "are-writing" a single, hyphenated word? (Near the end of Chapter One.)

Where do you write? What tools aid your process? Is it possible to simplify?

Why might one go to an island to write? Why might one subject oneself to "sensory deprivation" to write? What does this suggest about the art?

How do you prepare yourself to write?

Interpret the dream in chapter four. Why does Dillard tell us this story?

Do you like sentences? (Extra Credit: Rewrite the VeggieTales theme song. Make it about writing.)

How is the writing life like that of Dave Rahm?

Bonus Materials:

Sixty days of reading wasn't enough for you?

If you want poetry, try Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Gerard Manley Hopkins, William Wordsworth, and many others--these are just a few of my favorite Christian poets. (Linked to each name is a work by the poet.)

If you want nonfiction, try The Truth and Beauty by Andrew Klavan, about Jesus and the great Romantic poets.

If you want nonfiction about poetry, try The Roar on the Other Side by Suzanne U. Rhodes, a manual to writing poetry by a Christian poet.

If you're curious about what nonbelievers think about art and spirituality, try Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, a Buddhist. The writing advice is sound and the perspective intriguing. Then again, I've always been curious about how people with beliefs different from mine see the world, so perhaps this book isn't for everyone.

Want more great reading material to improve your writing? Here are some books that didn't make it into the Challenge, but are sure to earn a place on your desk:

• Several Short Sentences About Writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg
• Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark
• The Elements of Style by William Strunk and EB White

And here are some online resources for Christian writers:

• The Young Writer--articles on writing, from a Christian worldview
• Story Embers--resources for Christian writers of all ages
• Kingdom Pen--articles on writing, by Christian teens
• The Habit--community and articles for writers, from a Christian worldview
• The Christians Writers section of Quilltree, especially Resources for Christian Writers

Thanks for participating in the Challenge! I hope you've learned a lot about faith and writing and picked up a few tricks to apply to your process and mindset. :)