I’m struggling with that old demon of doubt that tells me I can’t write worth crackers… stale, moldy crackers, at that. It whispers that every effort I make is doomed to failure, and I’d better stop trying. But I am not ready to throw my pen down yet. I may, one day, find that I wasn’t up to the task, but if that day comes, I want to have tried my best.
My friend, David, posted this series on Lewis’s “An Experiment in Criticism” a while back. He did not finish it, but this is the last installment he did complete. Reading it has helped me a bit, reminding me that a) I am not alone in my reactions to certain kinds of stories, and b) that stories, themselves, may be more worth telling than the writer knows.
Unfortunately, this will be my last post in Lewis’ book, at least for the time being. Why? The book is due back to the library tomorrow and I’ve already renewed it twice. But weep not, my friends! For this is one of the more important chapters for understanding what people like Lewis, Tolkien, and MacDonald (hereafter grouped together as the Great Trio) meant when they spoke of myths and fairy stories.
You see, it’s so dreadfully hard to define the word myth, in its deepest sense. Obviously we are not using the word to mean merely “an untrue story,” as you hear the Mythbusters use it. We are using it closer to the cultural sense: the Greek myths, the Egyptian myths, the Scandinavian myths, the Chinese myths, and etcetera. And yet, not completely in this sense. The Great Trio tend to accord the kind of story called myth a reverence…
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September 18th, 2014 at 5:00 pm
You can write worth crackers. Crackers with cheese, Gromit. Lunar cheese. Crisp crackers.
September 18th, 2014 at 5:01 pm
Lol! Well, if Wallace says so…
September 19th, 2014 at 9:20 am
I wish I hadn’t misspelled “crackers.” Sorta takes the edge off the critical acumen.
September 19th, 2014 at 9:39 am
I will use my magical admin powers. All better?
September 20th, 2014 at 9:55 am
Awesome!
November 23rd, 2014 at 10:41 pm
That’s mighty high praise right there! Not much writing is genuinely worth lunar cheese crackers!
November 24th, 2014 at 7:40 am
It is, indeed. I hope and pray it isn’t unwarranted praise! Unfortunately, no amount of praise or encouragements seems able to dispel my doubts when they rise up. :P
God, help the mess that is me!
October 8th, 2014 at 11:00 am
Don’t you dare stop writing! Your writing speaks to my soul, even before I knew you very well. But I understand the self-doubt aspect, as I deal with that, too.
You’re aaaammmmaaaazzzzziiiiinnnggggg!
October 8th, 2014 at 12:20 pm
*hugs* I won’t stop. It’s just hard, sometimes, and that’s frustrating, as I know you know. Encouragement helps, though. :)