Lamott and Lewis In the Time of Tragedy

I write this as my community of Chico-Paradise continues to be hit by the devastation of the Camp Fire. (Incidentally, this is also the "Month of St. Clive," i.e., Clive Staples Lewis, and November 22, is the day he died.)

From a few different fronts, I've been asked to offer my insights on the Camp Fire. Right now, to be honest, I'm struggling with what to write. I'm not sure I have the words that meet this moment. All I seem to have is impressions. And so I turn to two others.

Hope

In trying to grasp that key virtue of hope in this time, I’ve been reading Anne Lamott’s 

Almost Everything: Notes on Hope, and I loved this from her because it’s my experience right now in Chico, 

“The forty-three people who died in the catastrophic fires in Santa Rosa, California, in 2017 lost everything. The survivors lost almost as much: their homes, gardens, friends, property, pets. But they had one another. They had life. And they had us—shabby, busy us. The fire was a sword that cut away all the comfort and treasure in life, the illusion of the solidity of objects, which turns out not to be so solid after all. We saw devastation, of course, but we also witnessed holiness in the burned world and what was left standing—a fireplace, a heavily laden persimmon tree, pallets of bottled water from out of state, the sky. We saw humanity. Don’t get me wrong—it sucked. I believe I would grieve and wail forever if this happened to me. But I would be mistaken. I would come through, via friends, community, love, grace, relief efforts. We are flattened, we come through.” Anne Lamott

Giving thanks

I’ve learned that the tragedy is profound and devastating, but human compassion (as a gift God gives us to give to others) is powerful.

Secondly, in addition to hope, I also know that giving thanks is key. And really, that's where Lamott's reflections lead me. As I've said in other places, science has taught us that  gratitude is good for us. Which shouldn't surprise Christians who are reminded, "Give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). That's how God made us.

Ok, back to St. Clive. Something C.S. Lewis wrote has also recently come to mind. He reminded us about praise—and we could extend this to thanksgiving:

“Praise is inner health made audible.” C. S. Lewis

Even in times of tragedy, let’s be audible with our praise and thanks, as well as our hope. It's good for us and for those who need our care.

A question, an offer

I'm working on my list of subscribers who'd like to hear more from me about how to flourish in faith and life in our contemporary technological and scientific age. If you send your email to greg@cootsona.net, I’ll send you my book on spiritual discernment, A Time for Yes: Enjoying What’s Best in Life, Work, and Love.

Next Installment on Writing Your Book: Six Steps in Brief

School has started at Chico State, and I see my life becoming full. Blogging entries may suffer as a result.

So I’m going to simply set out the next six steps on writing with the hopes of fleshing them out at irregular intervals in the next few weeks.

1. Write three drafts: Down draft. Up draft. Out draft. Anne Lamott put it this way, "Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something -- anything -- down on paper. A friend of mine says that the first draft is the down draft -- you just get it down. The second draft is the up draft -- you fix it up. You try to say what you have to say more accurately. And the third draft is the dental draft, where you check every tooth, to see if it's loose or cramped or decayed, or even, God help us, healthy."
2. Be curious. And read a lot.
3. You probably don’t need an agent.
4. Locate the right publisher.
5. Find your marketing platform and promote.
6. Live and write in community.

Because it’s a "Lust"—that’s Why We Write (Part Two)

This week’s title comes from C. S. Lewis. When questioned about why we penned numerous books (as many, by some counts, as his 65 years of life): 

“Writing is like a ‘lust,’ or like 'scratching when you itch.’ Writing comes as a result of a very strong impulse, and when it does come, I, for one, must get it out.” C. S. Lewis

But I want an audience!

Knowing how strong the impulse is to write, I realize how we also want people to read our work. Several years back, I heard Anne Lamott speak in midtown Manhattan. It was quite a combination—this left-leaning, openly Christian, seemingly ditzy, Northern Californian with dreads addressing an assembled group of New York sophisticates (with the sufficient proportions of men in black turtlenecks and women in sleek gray dresses). At any rate, she told us directly (and I quote, very loosely, from memory): 

“We write because we love to, but as writers, we also want to have an audience—that’s why we write.” Anne Lamott

So start there. Don’t write on a topic because it’s the “it” thing. I once mentioned to Lauren Winner—after a panel she was on put together by HarperOne—that I wanted to figure out how to write on a topic that would sell. Her response? “That’s boring.” 

      

If you’re stuck on what to write on, here’s a first step: take a quick look through what you’re reading. Do you see any key themes? I’m going to guess that there are probably no more than six key themes in your assortment of books, websites, magazines, and blogs.

Finding your voice 

So having found your interest, the next question is your voice. Where is your voice? How can you find it if it’s just a bit too muted right now?

      

I’ve written another, almost devotional, book on how to find your passion, your calling, The Time for Yes. 

One key exercise is personal branding. Here’s a quick overview—and you’ll more here.

      

Personal branding

Personal branding, as I define it, applies some principles of product branding to our individual identity and therefore our goals.

      

Begin by brainstorming. Write out every adjective, verb, or noun you’d use to represent you. How do others actually describe you? Then ask friends over a coffee and through Facebook message or email for five to ten words about you. What are they? Energetic. Hilarious. Spiritual. Committed…

      

Next, chart those on the top half with words that you’d like to describe you and with words others use. Take a moment to observe what you’ve written. How do the two lists line up?

      

I’m assuming you have about twenty to thirty words. Enjoy those words for a few minutes. But now comes the hard part. You start saying no.. Take a first whack at the list. Reduce your list to about ten words. Take time: Hang with those for a few minutes. Then let them sit, and come back to them later. When you do, then prioritize them. Look not only for descriptors that apply today, but also for your preferred future. Let the priorities determine the remaining three. The three you’ll say yes to. 

Now write out those three essential, goal-defining words. That's your personal brand. It will direct your life and your writing.

And let those words define your “lust” for writing. Hey, maybe it’s even your lust for life. Next week I’ll get into why you need to love life. You’ve got to have something to write about. You can’t just be a writer.