| A glimpse of a writer's life... |
Can it really be a new year? Already? I’ve been so busy these past several weeks that I’ve hardly had time to notice. But I am glad that it is a new year – all these beautiful blank days and weeks and months, like empty white pages begging to be filled with words. What have I been up to these past several months? More things than I could possibly describe, so I’ll just try to write about the wonderful things; those are always the best to remember anyway.  I’ve read a bit of fiction – finally finished The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky (one of the most amazing books I’ve ever read), managed to make my way through Eliot’s Mill on the Floss (some rather fine writing, but overall a rather weak storyline), felt in the mood for a play and discovered a collection of Henrik Ibsen’s on my bookshelf (read A Doll’s House and was impressed but left with a feeling of dissatisfaction).
Since then, I’ve been looking for a good book to read that won’t leave me disappointed and just started The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James, courtesy, once again, of my bookshelf. It’s amazing what I find there: all these beautiful leather-bound classics with gold-edged pages. So far, I am enjoying the novel immensely and, even though I usually wait until I am at least halfway through a book to recommend it, I have quite favorable opinions of this one. But I did find one treasure that wasn’t on my bookshelf. I was in the library one day when I stumbled across Mystery and Manners by Flannery O’Connor. I’m not a very big admirer of O’Connor’s stories, but I am an admirer of her skill. She was a very good writer. This book is full of non-fiction and has some very fine essays on the craft of writing, most inspiring and encouraging for any serious writer. What does it mean to be a serious writer? I’ve been mulling over those words these past several months. O’Connor believed that fiction is an art form, that writing well is a gift. When asked why she wrote, she replied, “Because I’m good at it.” It may sound a bit prideful, but isn’t that why people usually pursue a certain field? These past several months I decided that I must look on my writing as more than a mere hobby. I have always loved to write, but writing is not self-satisfying. Like any art form, it must be shared with an audience. My parents have always encouraged me to find ways to reach a larger audience with my writing. I did publish a literary newsletter during my early high school years, but since then I haven’t written very much fiction (and only slightly more non-fiction). It must have been my British Literature class this past year, then, that really got me serious about writing. There is definitely something beneficial about having to write a well-thought-out essay every week and absolutely immerse yourself in good literature. My teacher was wonderful too – she was constantly trying to convince me to get some of my work published and very helpful in critiquing my writing. Unfortunately, my success in the area of fiction has been rather small, though I have tried very hard to write several short-stories. My serious projects always end up unfinished, boring me before I get past the first page. Yet I find it very easy to write children’s fiction, things in the style of Edith Nesbit’s novels. My younger brother will see me with my laptop and ask me to write him a story. We’ll sit down on the couch together and I’ll begin typing away. And there I am, with five pages of material in the time it would have taken me to write half a page of a serious short-story. It appears that though I love reading serious short-stories, God is leading me to write children’s fiction. And that is not necessarily disappointing. It really is wonderful to write for children. As to non-fiction, well, here I really have had a bit of success. As I have previously said, my parents and teachers have been encouraging me to share my writing with a wider audience. This autumn I finally took my first daring steps. I had been researching scholarship opportunities and was quite amazed at the numerous essay competitions that I found. One of these was run by the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization. Their Voice of Democracy contest for high schoolers was originally a radio program sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters. Now it is simply an audio essay contest. The author must read his essay onto a CD and submit both the CD and essay to the VFW. Essays are judged not only on the writing, but also on the author’s speaking skills. This year’s theme for the contest was “My Role in Honoring America’s Veterans.” As I began writing my essay, I fell in love with the topic. I have two grandfathers who are both American veterans (one served in World War Two) and it was wonderful to have a chance to honor them with my paper. Perhaps I’ll post it this Memorial Day. Anyhow, my essay did very, very well. I won on the post, county, and district level and finally for the whole state. That means I get to represent New York for the Voice of Democracy in Washington, D.C. this March, tour the nation's capital, and possibly meet our president. There are even more prizes to win on the national level. Here is more information about the contest. I am very excited and so thankful for this award! It's such a great honor. I am so amazed to see how God is working in my life, giving me this opportunity to share my writing with others, especially with the veterans of my VFW. Sadly, many Americans have forgotten these veterans' sacrifices, how their service protected our freedoms. Several veterans have told me that every time they hear my essay on the recording they are moved to tears. I have given the essay aloud in person and seen the audience so moved. It is an indescribable feeling that washes over you when you touch a person with your words. It makes me truly thankful to be a writer. Flannery O’Connor wrote that God gifts some to be good writers and, because He has given us this gift, we must in turn glorify Him through our words. That is what it means, I think, to be a serious writer. I have so much more to write about, but so little time now to write. Let me just end with this quote by Lew Wallace (author of Ben-Hur), a quote I heartily agree with. I know what I should love to do - to build a study; to write, and to think of nothing else. I want to bury myself in a den of books. I want to saturate myself with the elements of which they are made, and breathe their atmosphere until I am of it. Not a bookworm, being which is to give off no utterances; but a man in the world of writing - one with a pen that shall stop men to listen to it, whether they wish to or not. NB
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