This past month, I have
been visiting my daughter's family in North Africa. They live there
intentionally for kingdom purposes, and I try to visit them every
year for an extended time. I will not get to know my grandchildren if I do not spend the time. Like everyone else trying to
write, the battle for our time includes a surplus of great
activities. I see it in my daughters household where ongoing urgent
needs surround her and I see it here in Canada.
I will not learn to
write if I do not spend the time.
My grand-daughter, two
grandsons and I spent an evening with popcorn, drinks and the Disney
movie Ratatouille—the animated story of Remy the rat who loves
great food. But who would allow a rat in the kitchen? The plot
follows along as Remy forms an alliance with a busker boy to fulfill
his culinary dreams. Remy is inspired by a famous chef's cookbook
called “Anyone Can Cook.”
I will not learn to
write If I do not spend the time.
As Remy overcame
obstacles, (he was gifted but lacked opportunity) he convinced the
stuffy food critic that anyone could cook, including this rat. When I
took a creative writing course at University of Calgary, we were told
that writing was a craft, and anyone could develop the skills. Anyone
could improve their writing. That was an encouraging point.
I will not learn to
write If I do not spend the energy.
We were assigned to read
Betsy Warland's essay Sustaining the Writer. One of the things
that haunts me and most of the writing people I know was
addressed in her piece:
“Their
[writers] inability to write, however, is more about their
self-doubts and nascent discipline than it is about time;” She also
mentioned that writers often undermined themselves by their own
“harsh misguided self criticism.”
When the doubts assail, as
they routinely do, especially when I have been away from my writing
for various reasons-visiting grandchildren is certainly one of them-I
refer back to several key scriptures:
Isaiah 48:6 You have all
this evidence confirmed by your own eyes and ears. Shouldn't you be
talking about it? (The Message) God has given me a challenging
grief story. He has also given me His consistent strength and grace
in the journey. I have experienced it, I should be talking/writing
about it.
Galatians 6:4,5 Make a
careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given,
and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself.
Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take
responsibility for being the creative best you can be with your own
life. (The Message) We are given the freedom to avoid getting
caught up in the comparison game, and the challenge to do our own
creative best.
But I need to spend the
time and energy in order to learn to write. Yes, Remy—anyone can
cook and anyone can write.
Jocelyn blogs at: http://whoistalking.wordpress.com
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I've always loved that movie. Yes, I agree with Betsy Warland-- ourselves is what limits us, not our abilities! And thank you for sharing the Galatians verse. So important that we mind our own business, too, through not comparing.
ReplyDeleteI will not write if I do not spend the time and energy... thanks - got it! Blessings on you!
ReplyDeleteI love those verses in Galations, in the every day language of The Message, Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! The things that so often ring true for me are the moments of self doubt and my own criticism. At times I can be very hard on myself. Thankfully, it doesn't stop me from writing. Glad you enjoyed the time with your grand children!
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