Dear Writers,
Picture, if you will, a yard in a city, surrounded by houses on all sides. A small green area with a bit of annoying concrete.
On that green, four children are staring up at the clouds and yelling at the top of their lungs, “Seaze! Seaze! Help us!”
No, this is not some strange religious cult acting out a disturbing child-ritual. This is yours truly, my sister, and two of our friends acting out a scene from “The Golden Evergreen,” a Narnia fan-fic that we wrote together at age 5 and even illustrated. (I still have this book in my possession. No you can’t see it 🙂 )
(Seaze, by the way, was the name of the Jesus-lion in this world. He would appear as cloud formations shaped like a lion. Hence the odd ritual chanting…)
And now, because of the door to wonder opened by the wardrobe, I find myself in a position to actually think and act on the idea of mentoring a new generation of heirs to Lewis and Tolkien. It’s amazing to think that a childish game, moved by an experience of words read aloud, can affect people so strongly for so many decades after the event.
Our imagination is cultivated by stories. Stories affect how we live. How we live affects what we write. And what we write changes the world.
Lewis knew this. Tolkien knew this.
In a very real sense, our words can build up (or tear down) our world.
In this newsletter, we’ll explore the responsibility of reading and writing with discernment.
Storytelling Talks
“Every time I open my mouth I’m creating the world.” - Paul Kingnsorth
Writers, you won’t want to miss this conversation between two of our St. Basil Writers’ Workshop instructors, Jonathan Pageau and
, titled “Becoming Gods Without God.”This is not only a fun preview of the types of discussions we have in the Workshop, but also a good reminder to cultivate discernment in the books we read and write since our words create our world.
Article Spotlight
In my recent article for The Wood Between the Worlds, I explore how St. Basil the Great’s advice to young men helps us discern the type of speculative fiction that benefits our spiritual growth. I lay out four rules for cultivating discernment in reading, the first of which is the simple but profound statement that reading does affect how we live.
Book Spotlight
Famously (though this is not quite historically accurate), Tolkien hated allegory, yet in his short story “Leaf by Niggle”, we have a very allegorical manifesto on his understanding of creation and sub-creation. There are a lot of layers to this story, but two important themes include:
The tension between attending to art vs. practical concerns
The relationship between the thing created and the thing itself
It doesn’t take long to read and leaves us with a lot to ponder!
(Click here to see a beautiful painting inspired by this story by the wonderful artist Makoto Fujimura.)
Writing Tips
How do we create worlds that are true to the structure of reality?
In this podcast and article, Joanna Penn discusses John Truby’s book “The Anatomy of Genres.” This conversation is a great preview of a book I consider to be a very helpful guide to the common beats in major genres like fantasy, sci fi, memoir, romance, thriller, and more.
While many books find success in combining elements from multiple genres, knowing the structure of stories helps us create worlds that are patterned after reality. This can also help us write the kind of transformational stories that transcend genre and become trend-setters in their own right.
That is about as “Inkling-like” as I can imagine :)
Workshop Events
Last but not least, we’ve finally gotten a chance to reschedule our interview with writer, editor, and St. Basil Instructor Katherine Bolger Hyde! Join us on June 20th at 8pm EST as we discuss Katherine’s latest novel, The Vestibule of Heaven.
I loved this book. Both the tragedy and the trauma are heart-breakingly real, but the power of love that transforms them into healing is even more heart-breaking. A true Tolkienian eucatastrophe, but in the setting of a sleepy California town. I can’t wait to talk to Katherine about the creative process behind this book!
Paid subscribers of The Wood Between the Worlds are invited to join us live, and the event is free to members of our Story Hearth community.
Happy listening, reading, and writing!
~ Deacon Nicholas
For some reason, in response to this post, I was strongly reminded of the decades-long musical sub-creation endeavors of Don and Karen Peris and The Innocence Mission. In particular, of their song 'Flags', from their second album, Umbrella. Their song craft, combined with Karen Peris' utterly unique voice, accomplishes the rare and charming sonic feat of long-term musical world-building, drawing listeners new and old to return again and again to their domain. Perhaps there is a message for writers and other creatives (even photographers!) in this particular song:
https://youtu.be/cnt7yfKopSU?si=EcPYAvKwv0zicPzH
Lyrics:
Flags, by the innocence mission
from Umbrella, 1991
I have seen your garden growing madly
there I find you, hands in the earth
I have heard you talking with your children
on your level, never talking down
and I don't know how you cannot see
where your gifts may be found
you say you know no tricks, have no talents
isn't everyone supposed to have their own?
yes, but few are obvious
few draw notice to those who possess them
like flags waving themselves
and you wonder how… how I can say
that your gifts do abound
I don't know how you cannot see
where your gifts may be found
do you understand when I say
that your gifts do abound?