Readers Who Write by Lorrie Orr

 

Doris is the eldest girl, with three younger siblings,
 of which there would eventually be 9 more.

Every night, Doris' father sat in his armchair, unfolded his newspaper, and began reading. Four-year-old Doris watched his lips moving, forming the words silently as he read in English, his second language. Doris wanted desperately to read, so much so that during the day, she would sit in his chair, hold the newspaper as best she could, and move her lips. Sadly, this method did not seem to help her decipher words in the least, but once she started school, reading came easily. Doris grew up to become my mother and loves to read to this day.

Do you remember learning to read? Dick and Jane were the stories I read in Grade One, and I do not remember the learning process, but the joy of reading has never left me. So much happens when I read. I escape into other worlds. My mind races and/or calms. I learn about a plethora of subjects. I deepen my connection with God, not only when I read the Bible, but also when I see how He is present in others' lives in the stories I devour. I am motivated to do things. Reading is my great delight.

Reading teaches me much about writing. Do you know a writer who does not enjoy reading? I don't. Stephen King says, "If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write." How I read influences how much I learn. 

I read quickly, often racing through books to get to the denouement, then most often sitting back with satisfaction at a tale well-told. And since I miss a lot when I do that, I often return to the story, reading more slowly, taking note of the way the author uses words or details to bring about a desired outcome. Francine Prose (what a great name for a writer), says "We all begin as close readers. Even before we learn to read, the process of being read aloud to, and of listening, means that we are taking in one word after another, one phrase at a time, that we are paying attention..." When I read to my young granddaughters, I read the story as it is written the first few times. Then I begin changing individual words. The little girls love to catch me out and correct me. They are paying attention. They know that the words I substitute do not fit the story. They are learning to delight in reading.

Learning from literature, from reading, teaches me by positive models. I ask myself why the author chose this word over that one, how this sentence is constructed, why this gesture is included. Strunk and White's classic Elements of Style tells me what and what not to do. In reading literature, I see those elements at work. Prose, in her work Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them cautions that the "advantage of reading widely, as opposed to trying to formulate a series of general rules, is that we learn there are no general rules, only individual examples to help point you in a direct in which you might want to go." I notice Hemingway's concise way with words and L. M. Montgomery's flowery use of them. I see how Charlotte Bronte uses colour to evoke meaning in Jane Eyre. The list could go on and on. 

Last summer I read a cleverly constructed light novel dealing with time travel. The ending startled me and I found myself going back and forth in the book, looking at clues the author had written with seeming effortlessness. I love the story in Acts 8 of Philip hearing the Ethiopian reading from Isaiah and asking him if he understood what he read. Those words led to grace and salvation. The power of words cannot be understated. My words and your words are not inspired as Isaiah's are, and yet God uses our writing to his glory. 

What do you enjoy reading? 

Lorrie Orr writes from Vancouver Island. Sitting down with a cup of tea and a book is a lovely way to spend a few hours, inside, outside, on a boat, or in the woods. Her favourite genres include mystery, history, memoir, historical fiction, cooking, gardening, and just about anything printed between two covers. 

 

Revisiting Old Friends ~ Valerie Ronald

 Relaxing outside in a lawn chair, I watch a bumble bee buzz its way from colorful flower to flower in the nearby garden. It visits various blooms, lingering on some longer than others, gathering bright yellow dots of pollen on its legs as it goes. The way it meanders leisurely and randomly among the flowers reminds me of how I read my way through the summer. Dipping into this book, then that book ˗˗ reading all the way to the end of some, and just skimming through others, collecting treasures as I go. If my books could talk, they would say they are fine with my casual approach, because we are, after all, old friends.

Summer is my time for revisiting old book friends, those that are almost as dear to me as my human friends. Between their worn, familiar covers is a treasury of beloved stories, characters and wisdom I love to visit again and again. I’ve heard it said that readers can be divided into two camps: those who read a book just once and those who re-read a book, sometimes multiple times. My criteria for a book I will return to again is that it must engage my imagination, delight my love of language and teach me something about life, either through story or prose.

Following is a brief introduction to some of my old friends who have given me hours of summer reading pleasure. Perhaps some of them are already your friends too, or this may be your first encounter. I hope you will enjoy getting to know them.

Gentian Hill by Elizabeth Goudge 

This book was my first introduction to the author, who lived and wrote in rural England during the early 20th century. The novel’s quaint richness of language, fully rounded characters and picturesque settings delight my love of all things old and British. However, I am most entranced by the beautifully interwoven story lines with their themes of courage, history and love. I have read Gentian Hill often, finding new wisdom in old legends retold and authenticity in how the lives in each narrative ultimately grow together to make a stronger whole.

I wrote about Elizabeth Goudge in a previous InScribe blog post, linked below.

https://inscribewritersonline.blogspot.com/2020/09/learning-in-shadow-of-two-elizabeths_23.html
 

A Garden to Keep by Jamie Langston Turner 

This novelist’s writing is an acquired taste, with its “stream of consciousness” style jumping from thought to thought within the main character’s mind. Admittedly it took me a while to engage with the story, then I couldn’t put it down. The introspective journey of the main character as she experiences the breakdown of her marriage, resonates with me on many levels. As a writer I am intrigued by how the story moves along in incremental detail while still maintaining suspense and interest. I also appreciate how the main character’s process of coming to faith in Christ is handled in a believable way without being heavy-handed, and has much to do with the satisfying conclusion. I return to this book occasionally because it evokes an empathetic response I need to revisit, for my own heart’s sake.
 

Roots & Sky: a Journey Home in Four Seasons by Christie Purifoy

Reading this book is like coming home to a comfortable old chair by the fire after rambling in the wilderness. In evocative, poetic prose, Purifoy describes how the old house of her dreams becomes home for her heart as well as her family. Through each of the four seasons, she chronicles the first year of loving Maplehurst back to life. While restoring its Victorian farmhouse and overgrown gardens, she undergoes a personal interior restoration. God glows warm in the lowering sun creating rainbows through rippled old glass and in the age-old rituals of planting, weeding and harvesting. She finds a simple rhythm in the pared-down days of caring for her newborn daughter and watching her three older children bloom as she gently introduces them to the liturgy of unstructured play and imagination.

Since I discovered this book several years ago, I have read it through every autumn, the season where the book begins. It reminds me to look for God in the sacred of the ordinary and mark each moment on the pages of my spirit so I will always remember.

Enjoying the Presence of God by Jan Johnson

I confess I am not a fan of “how-to” books, although I will reference them when needed. Jan Johnson has the gift of instructing by coming alongside, saying “this is what I learned in my journey so I share it with you, hoping you will find it helpful.” Returning to her book is a regular habit in my spiritual life now, as it reminds me that being in God’s presence isn’t about duty but about enjoyment. She gives examples of thanksgiving being the atmosphere of our days, of talking to Him in “breath prayers” throughout routine activities, of discovering what His voice sounds like when He speaks to our spirit, and how obeying Him frees us from disappointingly trying to manage our own lives.

The book is Johnson’s own story of finding enjoyment in the presence of God after a long spiritual drought. Her insights, sprinkled with pertinent quotes and examples from other Christian authors, ring true and practical without sounding lofty. I come away from reading it, not overwhelmed by shoulds and musts but encouraged by how simple an enjoyable life with God can be.


These are only a few of my old book friends I love to revisit. There are many more on my bookshelves, waiting for me to peruse their familiar passages and discover new treasures. Like all genuine friendships, they only improve with age. 

 

Valerie Ronald lives in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. She is a graduate of Vancouver's Langara College journalism program, and has worked as a newspaper reporter, freelance writer, public speaker and bookstore employee. She writes devotionals for her home church bulletins and her online blog. Her current book project chronicles how God's faithfulness saw her through the dark valleys of divorce and cancer. Along with her husband, Valerie enjoys spending time with their blended family and six grandchildren. She is a nature photographer, water colorist, cat lover and Scrabble addict.
More of her devotionals can be read on her blog   https://scriptordeus.wordpress.com