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Essential Titles on Christian Writing By Kent d Curry There are many excellent books on the craft of writing;
however most of them aren’t from a Christian viewpoint. While much of this
craft has nothing to do with religious beliefs, the essential
choices—metaphors, themes, symbols, and characters—in any art reflects
distinct worldviews. Whether that worldview is only of this natural world (as
most choose) or also infuses the supernatural presence of a biblical God, even
through subtle means, allows the story to resonate with the reader on every
level. After all it’s only when
combining the spiritual dimension with the physical, mental, and social that a
complete picture of a character and his society can be seen. The following books offer quality guidance comparable—and
even superior to—the usual creative benchmarks of John Gardner (The
Art of Fiction) and Rainer Maria Rilke (Letters
to a Young Poet), among others. In most ways their thoughts on creative
choices are applicable to anyone wishing to tell the best type of story through
any medium, but all, in this case, are writers themselves. Mystery
and Manners—Flannery O’Conner This is the classic. If you have even the slightest interest
in writing fiction, skip the opening essay on peacocks and memorize the rest of
the book. O’Conner is one of those rare talents who made it into the
Western canon on the strength of her short stories alone.
She took her craft almost as seriously as her faith, and both are
inseparable in her stories. She observed life from a doubly unique vantage
point—as a devout Catholic living in the Protestant Bible Belt and as a
Christian in an increasingly humanistic culture. In these essays, articles, and speeches, O’Conner ponders
the friction between writing what Christians expect and writing literature
that’s Christian, of giving credibility to the supernatural world by infusing
an almost super-reality into a character’s world, and methods of using the
tools of art to greatest effect, “The good novelist not only finds a symbol
for feeling, he finds a symbol and a way of lodging it which tells the
intelligent reader whether this feeling is adequate or inadequate, whether it is
moral or immoral, whether it is good or evil. And his theology, even in its most
remote reaches, will have a direct bearing on this” (p.156). Like this
quote—and my copy is slathered in yellow highlighter—almost all of her
thoughts apply to everyone who wishes to be a Christian storyteller. Walking
on Water—Madeline L'Engle L’ Engle’s big moment came when her A
Wrinkle in Time won the Newberry Medal. Here, she takes a bright slash
at investigating Christian art, if that’s even an issue, for she sees little
difference between Christian art and art itself. As she proclaims, “If my
stories are incomprehensible to Jews or Muslims or Taoists, then I have failed
as a Christian writer. We draw people to Christ not by loudly discrediting what
they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by
showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to
know the source of it” (p.141). Richly interlaced with biblical insights, personal stories
(the frustrations of getting published, the under-appreciation of
“children’s books”), examples from her own writings (though you needn’t
be familiar with her oeuvre to enjoy them), thoughts on craft (the essentials
for a good children’s book), and tips on “high creativity” (“Thinking
time is not wasted time. There are some obvious time wasters…all the things
Paul warns us about. A more subtle time waster is being bored. Jesus was never
bored.” p. 108), the Anglican L’ Engle has created an accessible work that
resonates and challenges the faithful to shine that lovely light through every
written word. Intruding
Upon the Timeless—Geoffrey Wolfe This is the idea book on the list. Shot through with artistic
concepts and infrequent words from unusual authors, Wolfe, the editor of the
Christian literary quarterly Image,
maps the current Christian imagination. There’s no reason to be intimidated by
his academic bent—the Catholic Wolfe argues so passionately, explains so
clearly, and explores so curiously that you can’t help but enjoy the ride
through today’s artistic landscape. As he writes, “Art, when it sees no
creation to celebrate and no soul in need of saving, loses its respect for
truth” (p. 17). Happily, Wolfe’s high standards leave every striving artist
with a respect for truth and interesting ideas to celebrate God’s creation. Write
His Answer—Marlene Bagnull This is a devotion book by the Evangelical Bagnull, author of numerous books and director of the Christian Colorado Writer’s Conference. No matter your chosen genre, these 33 devotions challenge you to maintain your focus on who you’re writing for instead of what you’re writing. Like most devotionals, the content is basic, but it’s these fundamentals that keep you focused on your task. So if you are getting started on an article, need courage to retackle an unfinished novel, or just can’t find the right tone for your biography, this little volume (166 pages) might be perfect for you. The
Christian Imagination: G.K. Chesterton on the Arts—Thomas
C. Peters At the turn of the last century Chesterton was one of the
first writers to map out a Christian consciousness of the arts, thereby
influencing both Tolkein and Lewis among many others. This survey of his work is
a perfect primer on the man and his lively opinions. While the book can read like a thesis in places and is
sometimes redundant, Peters manages to condense Chesterton’s irrepressible
thoughts into applicable truths, especially during the middle chapters. Starting
with Chesterton’s insight that it is the creative imagination that separates
us from animals, while imagination’s clearest attribute is fun, and its
function “…is not to make strange things settled, so much as to make settled
things strange” (p. 97). Or as Peters writes on this Catholic convert’s defense of
poetry, “Chesterton put himself in a position very familiar to the Christian
believer—that is, being a revolutionary advocate of a traditional cause” (p.
98). (“Revolutionary
traditionalist” has a nice ring to it, yes?) By examining Chesterton’s
choicest thoughts on artistic issues that remain relevant in a humanistic
society you can expect some contemplative idea-chewing about your own
storytelling goals. ninetyandnine.com © 2006 Kent d Curry ----------- Kent d Curry is an executive
editor of ninetyandnine.com and Youth Field Editor for Word Aflame
Publications. |
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