Best-selling author Ann Patchett interviews Elizabeth Gilbert ("Eat, Pray, Love") about her new book, "Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage."
here is the link:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703558004574582411800110766.html
Monday, January 4, 2010
January 1, 2010
by Carol Bindel
Did you notice yesterday's date was binary? 01-01-10. Happy New Year!
Today it's January 2, 2010, that is, 01-02-2010. What's that called,
those strings of symbols, usually words, that echo from end to middle
to end-- oh, yes, it's a palindrome, how could I forget my
pal(indrome).
Both dates, as I've written them, are correct, true, easily
interpreted. But do you notice how I shaped each to meet my own
little criteria for finding them interesting?
We writers-- we humans-- do that all the time, selecting and shaping
the details we notice, the ones we report. Nonfiction or fiction,
it's a necessity. Even a Twitter devotee cannot capture every element
of every moment.
Is it possible that the things we notice and report form some
essential part of how we humans, each unique like everyone else,
separate ourselves brother from sister, mother from child? Is it part
of how we become either lonely or united in our understanding of one
another?
Did you notice yesterday's date was binary? 01-01-10. Happy New Year!
Today it's January 2, 2010, that is, 01-02-2010. What's that called,
those strings of symbols, usually words, that echo from end to middle
to end-- oh, yes, it's a palindrome, how could I forget my
pal(indrome).
Both dates, as I've written them, are correct, true, easily
interpreted. But do you notice how I shaped each to meet my own
little criteria for finding them interesting?
We writers-- we humans-- do that all the time, selecting and shaping
the details we notice, the ones we report. Nonfiction or fiction,
it's a necessity. Even a Twitter devotee cannot capture every element
of every moment.
Is it possible that the things we notice and report form some
essential part of how we humans, each unique like everyone else,
separate ourselves brother from sister, mother from child? Is it part
of how we become either lonely or united in our understanding of one
another?
Saturday, December 26, 2009
What was your best Christmas gift this year?
_Our family Christmas celebration will take place today, so most of mine aren't received yet, but I already know one of my best is a simple painting of a tea cup with a rose pattern, setting on a matching saucer-- the pattern extends, beautifully-- on a table, a spoon beside. I'm not sure of her original medium, but I received a print, on a card. It was done and sent to me by a friend in Indiana who I didn't even know did artistic painting. She sent with it a lovely, homey paragraph of the story of how the painting came to be. She said she sent it because I had sent my writing.
_This year has been a quiet one. The exciting events have been mainly tied to my grown sons, and those are mostly their stories to tell. So my Christmas letter included some observations from the natural world around me, and my deep, inner thoughts, and the questions triggered in me from those observations and thoughts.
_One friend asked, "Aren't you afraid to share so much of yourself? "Yes, it did feel a little risky, but I only sent to my Christmas card list, and not all of those. Some responded with "I enjoyed" comments. Many send a card that is simply signed, and no more, essentially no response. But one geographically distant friend responded in kind with a gift from her own deepest self.
_My heart broke open a little wider than it's been. That's one of my best gifts this Christmas.
_Do you understand? Tell your story, what was your best gift?
~by Carol Bindel
_This year has been a quiet one. The exciting events have been mainly tied to my grown sons, and those are mostly their stories to tell. So my Christmas letter included some observations from the natural world around me, and my deep, inner thoughts, and the questions triggered in me from those observations and thoughts.
_One friend asked, "Aren't you afraid to share so much of yourself? "Yes, it did feel a little risky, but I only sent to my Christmas card list, and not all of those. Some responded with "I enjoyed" comments. Many send a card that is simply signed, and no more, essentially no response. But one geographically distant friend responded in kind with a gift from her own deepest self.
_My heart broke open a little wider than it's been. That's one of my best gifts this Christmas.
_Do you understand? Tell your story, what was your best gift?
~by Carol Bindel
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
My Friend
Carol has been my friend for many years. Those of you who know her are aware of her loyalty and giving heart, you also know of her many talents ... including quilting and of course writing. She is a true friend, always there when I need someone to listen to my list of sorrows, my tales of woe. She listens and gently offers words of wisdom, a new perspective, a kind suggestion or two and always with love. She is a much better friend to me than I'll ever be to her. She is the sister I never had, the friend I do not deserve, and one of the most talented writers I know. It is my privilege to share her with you.
Light
~By Carol Bindel
In her November 12 post, "Inspiration and Perspiration, A Study In Balance," Kathleen Harms speaks of fear.
Oh, yes. Fear of all kinds holds us back. One of the fears I recognize in myself (and there are many) is the fear of exposing too much of myself to the "wrong" people, ones who may take advantage, do me injury.This fear has encouraged me to hold my words close within a small circle of known friends and family.
But it is Christmas, the time of giving. A gift requires one to give and one to receive. I would give you this poem, a small gift. Do you wish to receive?
Light
__following Papa and Mama
__who always reached for agape love,
__and wouldn't they be astonished
to see the flame
so bright, warm and calm
on five folding tables
borrowed from church
covered with white
table paper
candles
and a vase of flowers, centered
on each table set for ten
with silverware, water cups, napkins,
plates with the buffet spread on oak
deacon-bench tables that line one wall,
covered with dish after dish of food
in the basement
with a wood-stove fire glowing
at the end of the room opposite
steps, steep and narrow enough,
forty eight gathered
siblings, spouses, offspring,
three generations
aged two to seventy seven
stand, a circle around the room,
bow our heads for the preacher
to invoke the Dear Heavenly Father
to bless us in Jesus' name
then sing
a cappella
in glorious, four part
harmony,
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.
while my son shelters under his arm
the Jewish girl among us
while the daughter
of the newly bankrupt couple
looks at the floor, blond hair
swung forward hiding her face
while the recently separated one
clenches his hands, white knuckled,
and we all observe without comment
the absence of his wife and two children
while one grieves her dear
old horse put down two weeks ago
on the day we still mourn
the anniversary of Eva's death,
our beloved sister-in-law, aunt,
grandmother, sister, mother, wife,
too young, eleven years now
while one savors success—
new degree, new job—
and two treasure the secret
of new life growing
my sister the hostess
releases the reigns of organization
allowing the day to flow
forward, as it will
we celebrate
enduring, ephemeral ties
see the candle.
Be the candle.
~Carol Bindel
In her November 12 post, "Inspiration and Perspiration, A Study In Balance," Kathleen Harms speaks of fear.
Oh, yes. Fear of all kinds holds us back. One of the fears I recognize in myself (and there are many) is the fear of exposing too much of myself to the "wrong" people, ones who may take advantage, do me injury.This fear has encouraged me to hold my words close within a small circle of known friends and family.
But it is Christmas, the time of giving. A gift requires one to give and one to receive. I would give you this poem, a small gift. Do you wish to receive?
Light
__following Papa and Mama
__who always reached for agape love,
__and wouldn't they be astonished
to see the flame
so bright, warm and calm
on five folding tables
borrowed from church
covered with white
table paper
candles
and a vase of flowers, centered
on each table set for ten
with silverware, water cups, napkins,
plates with the buffet spread on oak
deacon-bench tables that line one wall,
covered with dish after dish of food
in the basement
with a wood-stove fire glowing
at the end of the room opposite
steps, steep and narrow enough,
forty eight gathered
siblings, spouses, offspring,
three generations
aged two to seventy seven
stand, a circle around the room,
bow our heads for the preacher
to invoke the Dear Heavenly Father
to bless us in Jesus' name
then sing
a cappella
in glorious, four part
harmony,
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.
while my son shelters under his arm
the Jewish girl among us
while the daughter
of the newly bankrupt couple
looks at the floor, blond hair
swung forward hiding her face
while the recently separated one
clenches his hands, white knuckled,
and we all observe without comment
the absence of his wife and two children
while one grieves her dear
old horse put down two weeks ago
on the day we still mourn
the anniversary of Eva's death,
our beloved sister-in-law, aunt,
grandmother, sister, mother, wife,
too young, eleven years now
while one savors success—
new degree, new job—
and two treasure the secret
of new life growing
my sister the hostess
releases the reigns of organization
allowing the day to flow
forward, as it will
we celebrate
enduring, ephemeral ties
see the candle.
Be the candle.
~Carol Bindel
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Inspiration and Perspiration, A Study in Balance
by Katherine Harms
Someone wiser than I once said that real achievement is 90% perspiration and only 10% inspiration, or something like that. I am mathematically challenged, so I may have the precise numbers wrong, but the concept is clear: any achievement is about hard work.
_However, achievement really does require inspiration as well; otherwise, hard work is merely drudgery, work that must be done for no heartfelt reason. There may be times when writing is, in fact, drudgery. When Mother requires a child to write a thank-you note to Grandma for a pair of yellow pajamas with lambs on them, the child who despises both the color yellow and anything to do with a sheep may consider the job of writing that note to be real drudgery. It is to be hoped that none of us who feel that God has gifted us with writing skill and called us to use that gift in service to others feels that writing is drudgery.
_In my experience, the writing life is about achieving a balance between the joy of those delightful moments when inspiration lights up the road ahead and the anguish of those painful hours when the road ahead seems to be nothing but a deep, muddy swamp. It can be a real challenge when inspiration shows more than one pathway without clarifying any way to choose among the options. I recently had the joy of a couple of inspirations coupled with a strong sense of calling in both directions. I felt torn, because I could not see how to answer both calls at the same time.
_I write on the subject of the life of Christian faith. Sometimes I write about teachings. Sometimes I write about faith disciplines. I have recently felt led to write on the subject of Bible study principles and techniques, because of questions people have asked me. I had the good fortune to fall into a class on hermeneutics taught by a seminary professor, and during that class _I began to solidify the structure of a series of Bible study guides. At the same time, I was experiencing a strong sense of calling to write and teach about the importance of Christian testimony. Cultural chaos, economic crises, social problems and a political climate of real aggression against religious expression made me feel that it is important for people of faith to speak up and live their faith publicly lest the Constitutional principle of freedom of religious expression in the USA be lost. Then one morning I found myself meditating on a Bible verse that said, “Do not be afraid.” It was addressed to the disciples Jesus sent out early in his ministry to announce, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” It became clear to me that this theme was the right focus for my work.
_Most people have trouble enunciating any heartfelt principle, whether or not it relates to their religious faith, because of fear of the consequences. They may fear the scorn of others, or they may fear that they cannot defend their point of view in an aggressive debate, or they may fear social or even political punishment for their viewpoint. It may be simple shyness. In the case of religious faith, those fears can impede a person’s ability to live and speak the faith with confidence. When I read the words, “Do not be afraid,” I realized how often God has given his people those words when he commissioned them to speak for him. The Bible is full of such reassurance. I needed to pull that message out and make it clear for myself and others in order for us all to feel confident and strong in our public expression of our faith. I do not see this expression as an attempt to convert other people; rather, I see it as speaking and living truth in public. It is not about judging people who are not Christians; it is about living with integrity and honestly confessing to the source of our life principles.
_To write a series of Bible study guides and to write blogs/articles/book on the subject of fearless, truthful expression of our faith were two very big projects. I was overwhelmed. How could I do both things? How could I achieve the focus required for either project while giving the required energy to both of them? The answer proved to be another moment of inspiration.
I had begun my research on the subject “Do not be afraid” using library software where I have stored multiple books and references on the Bible as well as multiple translations of the Bible. The search feature allows me both rigid and fuzzy searches using specific words and topics. I pulled up a search on my basic phrase, “Do not be afraid” and copied the resulting list for study. Then is when the light dawned. I would, of course, study the texts I found using the best principles and techniques I know for Bible study. Therefore, as I did the research for the work on Christian testimony, I would be creating examples of good practice in Bible study. One line of work would clearly provide the foundation for both writing projects.
_Now I have the inspiration I need to get both projects done. That inspiration must sustain me as I slog through the mud of research. I will study biblical texts in various translations. I will search commentaries, historical resources, and many other books and web resources. I will use specific principles of biblical interpretation to determine what I keep and what I discard. The analysis and record-keeping required for these projects will be all perspiration. That 90% perspiration part that we all must get through somehow. I think I can do it, because I believe this is what I was created to do.
_I have been writing lots and lots of words ever since I first learned how to do it. In grade school I organized a writing club. In high school I won writing contests. I have piles and piles of written work cluttering up my space. Writing lots of words is easy. Nevertheless, writing with discipline and writing to specific standards is not so easy. It takes a lot of inspiration to support the production of that perspiration, but I will do it. There. I said it. You can hold me to this promise. Check back with me in six months. I need to know that you expect some results. Please let me know that you are counting on me. I am counting on you.
Someone wiser than I once said that real achievement is 90% perspiration and only 10% inspiration, or something like that. I am mathematically challenged, so I may have the precise numbers wrong, but the concept is clear: any achievement is about hard work.
_However, achievement really does require inspiration as well; otherwise, hard work is merely drudgery, work that must be done for no heartfelt reason. There may be times when writing is, in fact, drudgery. When Mother requires a child to write a thank-you note to Grandma for a pair of yellow pajamas with lambs on them, the child who despises both the color yellow and anything to do with a sheep may consider the job of writing that note to be real drudgery. It is to be hoped that none of us who feel that God has gifted us with writing skill and called us to use that gift in service to others feels that writing is drudgery.
_In my experience, the writing life is about achieving a balance between the joy of those delightful moments when inspiration lights up the road ahead and the anguish of those painful hours when the road ahead seems to be nothing but a deep, muddy swamp. It can be a real challenge when inspiration shows more than one pathway without clarifying any way to choose among the options. I recently had the joy of a couple of inspirations coupled with a strong sense of calling in both directions. I felt torn, because I could not see how to answer both calls at the same time.
_I write on the subject of the life of Christian faith. Sometimes I write about teachings. Sometimes I write about faith disciplines. I have recently felt led to write on the subject of Bible study principles and techniques, because of questions people have asked me. I had the good fortune to fall into a class on hermeneutics taught by a seminary professor, and during that class _I began to solidify the structure of a series of Bible study guides. At the same time, I was experiencing a strong sense of calling to write and teach about the importance of Christian testimony. Cultural chaos, economic crises, social problems and a political climate of real aggression against religious expression made me feel that it is important for people of faith to speak up and live their faith publicly lest the Constitutional principle of freedom of religious expression in the USA be lost. Then one morning I found myself meditating on a Bible verse that said, “Do not be afraid.” It was addressed to the disciples Jesus sent out early in his ministry to announce, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” It became clear to me that this theme was the right focus for my work.
_Most people have trouble enunciating any heartfelt principle, whether or not it relates to their religious faith, because of fear of the consequences. They may fear the scorn of others, or they may fear that they cannot defend their point of view in an aggressive debate, or they may fear social or even political punishment for their viewpoint. It may be simple shyness. In the case of religious faith, those fears can impede a person’s ability to live and speak the faith with confidence. When I read the words, “Do not be afraid,” I realized how often God has given his people those words when he commissioned them to speak for him. The Bible is full of such reassurance. I needed to pull that message out and make it clear for myself and others in order for us all to feel confident and strong in our public expression of our faith. I do not see this expression as an attempt to convert other people; rather, I see it as speaking and living truth in public. It is not about judging people who are not Christians; it is about living with integrity and honestly confessing to the source of our life principles.
_To write a series of Bible study guides and to write blogs/articles/book on the subject of fearless, truthful expression of our faith were two very big projects. I was overwhelmed. How could I do both things? How could I achieve the focus required for either project while giving the required energy to both of them? The answer proved to be another moment of inspiration.
I had begun my research on the subject “Do not be afraid” using library software where I have stored multiple books and references on the Bible as well as multiple translations of the Bible. The search feature allows me both rigid and fuzzy searches using specific words and topics. I pulled up a search on my basic phrase, “Do not be afraid” and copied the resulting list for study. Then is when the light dawned. I would, of course, study the texts I found using the best principles and techniques I know for Bible study. Therefore, as I did the research for the work on Christian testimony, I would be creating examples of good practice in Bible study. One line of work would clearly provide the foundation for both writing projects.
_Now I have the inspiration I need to get both projects done. That inspiration must sustain me as I slog through the mud of research. I will study biblical texts in various translations. I will search commentaries, historical resources, and many other books and web resources. I will use specific principles of biblical interpretation to determine what I keep and what I discard. The analysis and record-keeping required for these projects will be all perspiration. That 90% perspiration part that we all must get through somehow. I think I can do it, because I believe this is what I was created to do.
_I have been writing lots and lots of words ever since I first learned how to do it. In grade school I organized a writing club. In high school I won writing contests. I have piles and piles of written work cluttering up my space. Writing lots of words is easy. Nevertheless, writing with discipline and writing to specific standards is not so easy. It takes a lot of inspiration to support the production of that perspiration, but I will do it. There. I said it. You can hold me to this promise. Check back with me in six months. I need to know that you expect some results. Please let me know that you are counting on me. I am counting on you.
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