This echoes what I’ve been thinking about and I love your treatment of it. I don’t want to be so caught up in artistry that I become a caricature of creativity but I also don’t want to stuff the beautiful outlandish power of making in a box because that fits the “Christian” mold. It’s a balance ... and grace is paramount.
I’d like to think of myself as a writer. I hope to be one day. I’ve been writing poetry since my early teen years and I have this sense of what you’re talking about. I can tell when I’ve written a poem and when it’s written me.
I’m in a PhD program now and I’ll start writing a dissertation later this year. There are many things I’m capable of writing about because I’ve been studying these things for a little while. I know academic writing is a little bit different, but deep down I know that if I don’t write on something that has captivated me, something that is making me more than I make it, the dissertation will kill me. I know you apologized for using that kind of “violent” language in your piece, but I think it’s accurate.
Sorry for the long comment. I appreciate your words so much, Lore. And your first two books have helped me in so many ways. I can’t wait to read more.
Thank you Lore. My book proposal wasn’t accepted by a Christian publishing company because, even though it was on a Christian theme, it wasn’t the Christian theme they were looking for. I truly debated over just writing what they wanted me to write, because they said they wanted me as a writer, and because I’m a people pleaser and because I’d love to be a “real” writer. But I knew you, and other wise writers, would say NO. It would not have been art, it wouldn’t been me trying to make money. Money-making needs to be done, but I would rather clean houses than merely market my words.
Be encouraged with your education goals and progression dear! I went back to school 10 years ago, graduated and continued to live my life. I must say that many of the things I learned and studied didn't stick in my mind, but became part of a foundation for life forward. My encouragement for you is to read all you can while your brain can take in, and then, in the next 10 years, your heart and your life sorts out what you want to stand up for, write about, live out, pass on, or stay away from entirely. It's a beautiful journey!
I appreciate your authenticity and frankness so much. It is sorely needed. I hope you and other like-minded authors are able to push back in an industry that seems to continue to just want to churn out certain "content." And I don't care what your next book's about, I'll be buying it 😉
Hi Lore. Came in contact with you through Dan Koch's podcast. I am a writer too and write what I call "religious fiction". (Not Chrsitian/Evangelical fiction) I am an American author who lives in Norway. and specialize in religious fiction, combining challenging literary themes of existence along with adventure and romance.
My present (almost done) novel is called "A Witch in the Wardrobe"
Here is a working blurb. Is anyone here would like to comment, I would appreciate it.
Belfast, Northern Ireland
"A lone bulb provided dim light in a cramped and dingy attic," where Shannon Dillon discovers a hidden document. This results in speculation that beloved author, C. S. Lewis, had once been involved in the Occult. Gangsters steal the controversial document, and then kill two family bystanders.
Shannon vows vengeance, travels to America, and teams up with Simon Magister, a nerdy literature professor at an evangelical college. The unlikely couple embarks on a deadly mission to track down the 'Belfast Document' and bring the killers to justice.
Follow their adventures as they walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
-------
This is a thriller set in a religious milieu. It's a delicacy of conspiracy, violence, romance, and a nuanced depiction of the Evangelical experience today.
I love the line “I am a writer who loves Jesus...” because, for some reason, it felt like a reminder that I can be a writer who loves Jesus and doesn’t write exclusively about Him. Sometimes it feels like Christians must write about God to glorify Him, but perhaps God is most glorified by us writing the piece He has given us to write and writing that thing well. Maybe beauty is enough to point to God if you want to see Him. Lots to think about 😊
I am not an artist in the typical sense of the word, but this resonated so deeply with what has become my primary area of creativity - as a mother and homemaker. My conception of my work in those two arenas has shifted greatly over the past 14 years as I awaken more and more to the fact that my ‘making’ is truly making me, instead of vice versa, and that moreover into an unrepeatable image of the incredible diversity of God. As I move deeper into my own unique call-and-response relationship with the great Giver of my boundary-lines and raw materials (so to speak, and of the most varied kinds!), I move further from certainties and ‘movements’ and expected outcomes. There is scope for despair here, but there is also deep hope, and also glimpses of glory; and there is an increasing willingness to look for God at play in all sorts of places and situations and people.
Thank you. Your post and the comments here are helping me name the tension I feel between attending to the church curriculum I write on contract, and the soul projects that I keep putting off. I enjoy the curriculum, but it adheres to certain forms and norms, and leaves me little energy for my own creative work. I’ve had Annie Dillard’s words rattling around in my head: “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” I’m trying to hear that as an invitation rather than an indictment....
Thank you for writing these vulnerable words down. They resonate so deeply that I know I'll need to revisit them. What a gift to Jesus and the world if we felt free to co-create more art with Him rather than the alternative.
I love your description of who you are, and I’m glad you are feeling free to be all of that. I think that kind of authenticity glories God. A tulip wouldn’t be improved by trying to be more like a daisy. I look forward to your book. I appreciate the echo of Rich Mullins, “I did not make it, but it is making me.”
Love this note, thank you. What a good reminder to do whatever it takes to let the work make me. I have no idea what genre I write towards - I just write what makes my heart beat faster - in delight, in fear, in anger, in curiosity. Can't wait to read this next book of yours!
Lore, this was such a freeing piece for me! Truly. I have always struggled to fit inside the Christian writing world, I am not good at pithy sayings or filtering everything through a Jesus lens. Even saying that, I feel a tinge of guilt but it's the truth. Thank you for being honest about your process and thoughts surrounding this issue. It has truly given me fresh permission to simply let my writing speak as it is, and not as I think it should be.
This echoes what I’ve been thinking about and I love your treatment of it. I don’t want to be so caught up in artistry that I become a caricature of creativity but I also don’t want to stuff the beautiful outlandish power of making in a box because that fits the “Christian” mold. It’s a balance ... and grace is paramount.
I’d like to think of myself as a writer. I hope to be one day. I’ve been writing poetry since my early teen years and I have this sense of what you’re talking about. I can tell when I’ve written a poem and when it’s written me.
I’m in a PhD program now and I’ll start writing a dissertation later this year. There are many things I’m capable of writing about because I’ve been studying these things for a little while. I know academic writing is a little bit different, but deep down I know that if I don’t write on something that has captivated me, something that is making me more than I make it, the dissertation will kill me. I know you apologized for using that kind of “violent” language in your piece, but I think it’s accurate.
Sorry for the long comment. I appreciate your words so much, Lore. And your first two books have helped me in so many ways. I can’t wait to read more.
Thank you Lore. My book proposal wasn’t accepted by a Christian publishing company because, even though it was on a Christian theme, it wasn’t the Christian theme they were looking for. I truly debated over just writing what they wanted me to write, because they said they wanted me as a writer, and because I’m a people pleaser and because I’d love to be a “real” writer. But I knew you, and other wise writers, would say NO. It would not have been art, it wouldn’t been me trying to make money. Money-making needs to be done, but I would rather clean houses than merely market my words.
Be encouraged with your education goals and progression dear! I went back to school 10 years ago, graduated and continued to live my life. I must say that many of the things I learned and studied didn't stick in my mind, but became part of a foundation for life forward. My encouragement for you is to read all you can while your brain can take in, and then, in the next 10 years, your heart and your life sorts out what you want to stand up for, write about, live out, pass on, or stay away from entirely. It's a beautiful journey!
I appreciate your authenticity and frankness so much. It is sorely needed. I hope you and other like-minded authors are able to push back in an industry that seems to continue to just want to churn out certain "content." And I don't care what your next book's about, I'll be buying it 😉
Hi Lore. Came in contact with you through Dan Koch's podcast. I am a writer too and write what I call "religious fiction". (Not Chrsitian/Evangelical fiction) I am an American author who lives in Norway. and specialize in religious fiction, combining challenging literary themes of existence along with adventure and romance.
My present (almost done) novel is called "A Witch in the Wardrobe"
Here is a working blurb. Is anyone here would like to comment, I would appreciate it.
Belfast, Northern Ireland
"A lone bulb provided dim light in a cramped and dingy attic," where Shannon Dillon discovers a hidden document. This results in speculation that beloved author, C. S. Lewis, had once been involved in the Occult. Gangsters steal the controversial document, and then kill two family bystanders.
Shannon vows vengeance, travels to America, and teams up with Simon Magister, a nerdy literature professor at an evangelical college. The unlikely couple embarks on a deadly mission to track down the 'Belfast Document' and bring the killers to justice.
Follow their adventures as they walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
-------
This is a thriller set in a religious milieu. It's a delicacy of conspiracy, violence, romance, and a nuanced depiction of the Evangelical experience today.
Thanks for your attention.
L. D. Wenzel
Enjoying the journey of making is usually what makes the end result something you can leave with love.
I love the line “I am a writer who loves Jesus...” because, for some reason, it felt like a reminder that I can be a writer who loves Jesus and doesn’t write exclusively about Him. Sometimes it feels like Christians must write about God to glorify Him, but perhaps God is most glorified by us writing the piece He has given us to write and writing that thing well. Maybe beauty is enough to point to God if you want to see Him. Lots to think about 😊
I am not an artist in the typical sense of the word, but this resonated so deeply with what has become my primary area of creativity - as a mother and homemaker. My conception of my work in those two arenas has shifted greatly over the past 14 years as I awaken more and more to the fact that my ‘making’ is truly making me, instead of vice versa, and that moreover into an unrepeatable image of the incredible diversity of God. As I move deeper into my own unique call-and-response relationship with the great Giver of my boundary-lines and raw materials (so to speak, and of the most varied kinds!), I move further from certainties and ‘movements’ and expected outcomes. There is scope for despair here, but there is also deep hope, and also glimpses of glory; and there is an increasing willingness to look for God at play in all sorts of places and situations and people.
Thank you. Your post and the comments here are helping me name the tension I feel between attending to the church curriculum I write on contract, and the soul projects that I keep putting off. I enjoy the curriculum, but it adheres to certain forms and norms, and leaves me little energy for my own creative work. I’ve had Annie Dillard’s words rattling around in my head: “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” I’m trying to hear that as an invitation rather than an indictment....
I can hardly wait to read your words.
Thank you for writing these vulnerable words down. They resonate so deeply that I know I'll need to revisit them. What a gift to Jesus and the world if we felt free to co-create more art with Him rather than the alternative.
I love your description of who you are, and I’m glad you are feeling free to be all of that. I think that kind of authenticity glories God. A tulip wouldn’t be improved by trying to be more like a daisy. I look forward to your book. I appreciate the echo of Rich Mullins, “I did not make it, but it is making me.”
Love this note, thank you. What a good reminder to do whatever it takes to let the work make me. I have no idea what genre I write towards - I just write what makes my heart beat faster - in delight, in fear, in anger, in curiosity. Can't wait to read this next book of yours!
Yes, yes, yes. Same journey here, and trying to let the work shape me. Thanks for your words.
Lore, this was such a freeing piece for me! Truly. I have always struggled to fit inside the Christian writing world, I am not good at pithy sayings or filtering everything through a Jesus lens. Even saying that, I feel a tinge of guilt but it's the truth. Thank you for being honest about your process and thoughts surrounding this issue. It has truly given me fresh permission to simply let my writing speak as it is, and not as I think it should be.