For Zion

The other day I realized that almost all of my larger projects/involvements have something to do with the Church or the gospel or building the kingdom in general. Guess I don’t do secular very well. :P It’s as if I don’t have the heart to go through with projects that aren’t somehow connected with a greater purpose in life. Projects just for the money? No interest. At all. Cool ideas? Cool is, well, cool, but unless it makes people better, more human, and unless it somehow helps make the world a better place, my subconscious pulls out the veto.

The only seeming exception I’ve been able to think of is stories that appear to be unconnected at first, but even then, my worldview comes through in my writing, and I do see writing as a way to build the kingdom. (Actually, I think books and language in general have a huge part to play in that, so in a way I see my stories and plays as perhaps one of the biggest way I contribute. Which is still very small-scale objectively, mind you.) But that’s a post in itself, on how stories transform us (for good or evil) and make us new people. I think I could write that post over and over and over again and never get bored of it, it’s that important to me.

Which is why I really need to set up a regular time for writing each day. I’m too sporadic right now, writing only when deadlines are standing right next to me, breathing in my ear, or when the muse throws an anvil on my head. Nothing wrong with writing during those times, of course, but to get good, you have to do it regularly. Every day. That’s how masters are made.

If you want, I can come over after work everyday and throw an anvil at your head so you don’t have to wait around for your muse to do it. Heh, heh.

I come to your site through Amy Gordon’s blog. I don’t know either of you, so I hope commenting is not an imposition. I was just struck by the way you described your writing life. I agree with you that writing is a way to build the kingdom. I would like to know more about your ideas on the impact of language, ideas, stories, etc. I applaud your efforts and hope to come here now and again to see what you’re writing. I tell my students and my children who want to be writers that “writers write.” It’s that simple. Write. I encourage you to keep up the good work.

Katherine: Um, sometime we need to go over the difference between literal and figurative speech… :)

Margin: Thanks for visiting! And if comments were an imposition, I wouldn’t allow them, so comment away. :) I’ll blog some more later tonight on the impact of stories and language. And your post on Hague’s biography has got me wanting to read it now. :)