Quills: Inspiring Codes

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This month: some of the codes, beliefs and philosophies that inspire our writing.

PATRICIA REDING

Author of Oathtaker

Patricia's Website

This is a loaded question—and not one fully answered in a few short paragraphs—but I can share some general thoughts . . .

At the outset, I would say that this topic makes me think of posing the following question to a judge: can you render a decision without letting your ideology play any part?

(Read More on Patricia's blog!)

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ROBIN LYTHGOE

Author of As the Crow Flies and two short stories

Robin's Website

In all honesty, I don’t think the limited space of this format is up to the task of dealing with the subject. The best we can do is skim the surface of the tender, personal area that is our beliefs, codes, or faith. Do I have faith?

(Read More on Robin's blog!)

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KRISTIE KIESSLING

Author of the short story Sanguis Dei 

and the poetry collection Light and Dark 

The Way of the Warrior

Japan, her people, and her language has fascinated me since grade school The beauty and mystery of such an ancient place takes me to a land I've never seen, but long to visit. From this far off isle comes a philosophy that strikes a chord in my soul and meshes with the beliefs that inspire and underscore every aspect of who I am as a writer. 

I believe we are all made in the image of God and the very notion of Bushido's essence, Life in Every Breath -- as spoken, I admit, by a character in a movie I adore -- expresses the fullness of heaven on earth in individuals. The "Way" is a term used to describe the path of the Warrior, but it is also how some early Christians talked about the path of following Christ. The dual reflection captures my soul. It gives rise to the imagination of lands where people value the stamp of the Creator's very image upon them. Such an understanding demands respect of one another in a way that merely being human does not. The breath of that Creative force animates us and connects us as nothing else can and to me, this notion of life in every breath then becomes the Breath of Life in every person.

We each have a destiny with which we will someday reckon -- that of death and of meeting God face to face. That meeting and how we are predestined to handle it is shaped in some small, mysterious part, I believe, by how we take that Breath within us and transform it. We can mutilate it, and breathe it out as poison upon our brothers and sisters, or we can submit to it and breathe it out from every pore as the perfume of the very Life it came from, that of the Creator.

I have a job given to me by divine mandate: to love those around me as God has loved me and given himself for me so that I may be one and whole with him. Not because the doing of this makes me good or righteous, but because he has given me righteousness by his sacrifice and thereby I reflect his goodness in my actions. In my expression of the gifts he has given me, my desire to write and weave worlds where love is the center of the tale is the ultimate desire to reflect that job of loving one another. There is no manner in which it is not reflected in me when I put words into a story.

May you know that Life in every Breath you take.

Cul-de-sac

Wikipedia tells us: a cul-de-sac (literally "bottom of bag" in French) is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road (UK, Australian and Canadian English) or court (American and Australian English) meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet. 


I've been looking at my house lately as if it is a cul-de-sac. I feel a bit as though I'm getting lost in it and in the work we must do to make it comfortable, not merely livable. We re-did my second son's room - new paint, new floor, new area rug... new bed that my renaissance hubby built all by himself. We are going to spend a good portion of this week on my daughter's room before our oldest son comes home from far away to start up college again at the end of August. This means that for two weeks, my daughter's stuff will be in #1 son's room while both #2 son and daughter will be sleeping in the living room because it is air conditioned.  We hit 103 degrees last week! The upstairs, even with an air conditioner in our room, can be unbearably hot.


We ordered the new floor for her room which we will lay down ourselves. After doing four rooms of the house already, we've gotten fairly good at it. I know we won't get to the upstairs hallway this year, but I tore up the rug there in anticipation. My husband came home, stared up the steps that day and said, "I did not authorize this!" He cracks me up. I took down the last of the closet walls this past week. Poor Fred, again coming home in the middle of my demolition, stood gape-mouthed at the bottom of the stairs. I called down, with mischief in my smile, "What? Didn't you authorize this either?" Poor guy.


Sometimes it feels as if there is no outlet in my house for all the changes I want to make, all the things I want to do. Sometimes, I am certain, that the house sucks up all my time and the only way out is to get out completely. That's not possible, of course. Not yet. Too many people relying on us, too many things yet to accomplish in this place and time. I am thankful for that. God is good and constant. He gives us what we need when we need it. And, honestly, I enjoy demolition so very, very much! There is nothing quite like taking a crowbar to some 2x4s.

I have also read in Wikipedia, that in military parlance, the term "cul-de-sac" refers to a situation where an army is "hemmed in on all sides but behind." I have had that feeling too, lately.  Especially in regard to my writing. While trying to rewrite a short story that started out at just under 900 words, I've managed to make it 5,000 words; but, I am not sure that it's better yet. I feel, more or less, as though I am surrounded by words and the only way out is to retreat to the original story and start over again. 


The cover art for the tale is fantastic, however. An idea I had for it was taken to the next level by Robin Lythgoe, fellow author and artist whose magic with manipulations is simply divine, pun respectfully intended. That very accomplishment - more hers than mine, yet somehow still ours - gives me the vague feeling of helping others achieve things rather than doing so myself. While the world may think so, I think that there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Yet, I fight against the notions of the world and often feel as though I must conform. This blog may even be a level of that conformity. Sometimes that troubles me. I confess to being eager to take that step myself of work available to the public. In that positive vein, here's a pretty little glimpse of the cover over which I am, all selfish paranoia aside, extremely excited! 


"Cul-de-sac" is also used metaphorically to mean a line of thought or action that leads nowhere. I have been considering the value of my efforts at writing. What is the goal? Who am I promoting when I write? Writers desiring to sell their books would answer that they promote themselves. The many blogs about social media - all enjoyable reads with a plethora of good advice - would say the same. So, am I to promote myself? That goes against the grain of my core belief: that Jesus is Lord and it is God alone I must glorify and promote with my life and all the talents he gave me. That life is inclusive of my writing. I am not a writer who also happens to believe. I am a believer who also happens to love the written word and storytelling. I am not alone. Before me, there have been many others who are indeed famous: Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, John Bunyan, G. K. Chesterton and Madeleine L'Engle to name a few. I've been reading a book about my conundrum. Written by Dave Harvey, called Rescuing Ambition. In this book, Dave explains how we are all on a quest for glory. The question is, whose glory? Ambition is not a bad thing. It is a God-implanted drive to "improve, produce, develop and create." The book is easy to read, but I am having a hard time with it because it speaks to the core of my own drive and ambition to simply ... be known. I never thought I had that. I always believed I didn't really care if anyone read my stories. The truth is, I do. And I care even more if those stories glorify God. I think, that both things are possible. I think that my ambition, nurtured and put to work for the glory of God will satisfy all the dreams I have ever had in ways I couldn't possibly imagine.


I also think that Dave Harvey has a pretty good promotional video.

Pulling over on the Journey: The Grower's Market and Local Inspiration

To prove I can connect almost anything to the art of writing, I want to tell you about my experience at the Mansfield Grower's Market yesterday. Our local growers are businessmen and women, educators, farmers and hobbyists.  They all tell their own stories at the market if you stop to talk to them which you have to do if you go at all. There are those who farm for a living and it is at their stalls that I usually buy strawberries, garlic scapes (I didn't even know what scapes were before!), corn, tomatoes, onions ... and for my sweet tooth, cinnamon buns, cookies or quick breads - that sort of thing. There are those who farm "part time" - in other words, farming is not their vocation but their hobby. It is from the hobbyists I get the more interesting, unusual things: goat's milk soaps, beeswax hand lotion bars, no less tasty scones of many flavors and my first taste (last year) of dandelion wine.


The performers who keep us entertained at the Market while we peruse the goods are usually local too and very talented.  They tell stories in song and almost always introduce themselves and tell a bit about where they're from.  I've had the opportunities to listen to one local musician, Wyett Ingrim several times.  He usually plays the Market with the group Folk Spirits (Wyett Ingrim, Ross Shourds and Bill Phillips). They sing a few familiar tunes by familiar country and folk artistis, like John Denver and Johnny Cash. They also sing their own music with a good, toe-tapping, hand-clapping rhythm to it.  One of my favorites is "Crosswalk Bowling" written by Bill Phillips. Funny, talented and a pleasure to talk to, these men - none of them youngsters - have grabbed hold of a dream, writing and singing their own songs.  They have even been featured at a new local watering hole, the York Holo Brewing Co. I haven't been there yet (though the food they served at the hot cart at the Grower's Market yesterday was terrific!) but I plan to go, if just to listen to the Folk Spirits one more time.

Maybe you're wondering how I've connected this to writing - or maybe you've already guessed.  Talking about the Market, communicating with you about it, and about the things that happen there was worth a blog post.  It is all part of the journey.  There at the Market, I can be inspired by the wonderful food from Double A Farm in Muncy, PA, Yorkshire Meadows marvelous Lemon Curd and gloriously colored yarns or Always Something Farm's soaps with their many mellow, intriguing scents.  I can listen to music that reminds me of my childhood and chat with folks in my town about everything under the sun with the realization that in more ways than one, we are not alone.  Even if I am the only crazy novelist in Mansfield (which I'm sure I'm not!) I've got sympathetic ears, wonderful characters in reality to draw from and - best of all - good food all around me.

Use what you know, who you know when you write.  I've already included some of the people, stories and things these local growers bring to the Market as fodder for my stories.  I plan to continue to use them as inspiration - especially from 3-6 pm every Friday all summer long.