Driving, Writing, and Living On the Wrong Side of the Road

OXFORD CREATIVE WRITING MASTER CLASS
Picture yourself here with me on the next OCWMC 

"Drive left. Look right! God, help me to do this right--I mean, correct!" So I tell myself and pray in the days and hours before leading another group of aspiring writers on the Oxford Creative Writing Master Class. At Heathrow, I warily circle the nine-passenger rental van and then lunge into the driver's seat on the right side, murmuring to myself to keep the vehicle on the left side of the road and a weather eye to the Bentleys, Minis, red buses, and black cabbies bearing down on my right side. Though it is not my first rodeo (not to be construed as a cliche; it is a metaphor chosen precisely to reflect how it feels swerving around about every frantically encircling roundabout intersection), I have driven in the UK on the wrong side of the vehicle--and the road--over many years now. But I still pray earnestly before loading the van with precious human cargo and braving the blaring streets, curvaceous back roads, and bustling motorways of Britain.

And then there's the matter of my talking--while driving (whilst motoring, to be more colloquial). One previous OCWMC participant, her hand trembling, passed me an almost illegible note on which she had scrawled out a plea for me to stop using hand gestures as I talk--and drive. "Please, please, keep both hands on the wheel," she implored me (I nodded, looking down at the clutch and gear shifter, wondering just how I was supposed to do that when every vehicle in the UK seems to be equipped with a manual transmission). As I teach my master class writers the evil of exaggerating language, I will avoid pronouncing it "miraculous," but it is a significant answer to prayer, with many instances of divine intervention, that I have never had an accident whilst motoring in Britain (okay, a few close calls; every one of them, I am morally certain, not my fault, like the one en route from London to Oxford opening day of the master class when a raven-colored Peugeot nearly strafed the side of us on the M-40, clearing my arteries, invigorating my vocabulary, and making me still more grateful).

In Oxford, or anytime I talk about writing, I emphasize the importance of figurative language, of metaphor. "The greatest thing by far," wrote Aristotle in his Poetics (384 BC - 322 BC), "is to have a command of metaphor. This alone cannot be imparted by another; it is the mark of genius, for to make good metaphors implies an eye for resemblances." And for the rest of us who are emphatically not geniuses, we work at training our eye and ear so we are equipped to use the most appropriate metaphors, the precise imaginative comparisons, the best mini stories to awaken the imagination and immerse our readers in the larger story.

Which makes me pause and consider driving on the wrong side of the car and the road as a metaphor, a miniature story very much like life itself. The author of the book of Proverbs employed a similar metaphor: "Turn not to the right hand or to the left. Keep your foot from evil." When driving a car, if I turn right when I should have turned left, or if I don't keep my eyes on the road ahead of me, screeching tires, broken glass, mangled metal, and far worse can follow.

Similarly, when writing a book, if I take my eyes off the real issue for my protagonist, or when I lose control of the story arc and the plot wanders aimlessly like an overfed bovine, sniffing at this or that irrelevant morsel, my reader gets distracted, yawns, closes the book, and (after awakening from his stupor), pounds out a scathing review on amazon.

How much worse when this happens in life. When I wander to the right and then to the left, grazing for fulfillment and happiness in this tidbit and that morsel of this life, I will always come up empty, unsatisfied, idolatrous, lost. And damned. The stakes are high. Those who persist with this try-this, try-that, foraging approach to life will end this life and enter the life to come with the most horrific words ringing in their eternal ears, "Depart from me you cursed into everlasting fire where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth." When we do this in life, the result is infinitely worse than a car smash-up or a bad review on amazon.

Though our culture persists in shrieking the mantra, "There are many roads," or in effect, "Take whatever road feels good. There is no wrong side of the road." Imagine driving or writing that way. Made in the image of God, we all know at the deepest level of our being that there is only one road that leads to heaven. "One road leads home and a thousand roads lead into the wilderness," as CS Lewis put it. Left or right, O the pain of those thousand roads. No one gets to heaven by scrupulously following the right path, the path of self-improvement and good works; or from swerving left, following his heart and doing what he feels.

If not to the right or the left, where are we to keep our eyes? If there's only one way, The Way, how are we to get on--and keep on--the road? There's no equivocation. Nor is there any alternate route. The Word of God makes the path of life plain. Abandon all hope in ourselves and "Gaze upon the beauty of the Lord." It is what we were made for, not just on Good Friday or Easter, We are designed to keep our eyes straight ahead, to "Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith." We do this because by his finished work on the cross in place of sinners and his righteousness imputed to those same sinners' specific account, Christ is alone the path to life; in his presence there is fullness of joy; at his right hand their are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16).

God alone places us by his grace on the right road--and he alone keeps us on it. All other roads lead into the wilderness.     

Douglas Bond, author of dozens of books, directs the Oxford Creative Writing Master Class. Contact him about the next OCWMC at bondbooks.net@gmail.com

SERIOUS Young Author Interview

Meet writer, Ivy Rose

I am constantly amazed when speaking at conferences or churches and I meet young writers, SERIOUS young writers, writing and publishing books decades before I was writing (I was forty when my first book, Mr Pipes and the British Hymn Makers was published, and at Ivy's age I was doing everything I could to avoid the hard work of writing). I first met Hailey (pen name, Ivy Rose) at a conference in Redmond, WA several years ago. Yes, she is eighteen years old now, and several years ago she was seriously writing! Do the math. I want my readers to meet her and get an introduction to her book(s).

1.   Tell me about your background and desire to write.
I am the oldest in my family of seven children. I was blessed to be homeschooled during all of my school years, and after my graduation this year, I began taking college classes through Liberty University online. My goal is to be a nurse. My mom began teaching me to read when I was three years old, and even at that young age I spent several hours each week reading. As I grew older, my love for stories intensified. The only thing I would ask for as gifts were books! :) Around the age of seven, I started keeping a journal when my family would go on trips. From there, I started turning some of those “trip journals” into stories with fictional characters (based heavily off my own family). :)
2.       When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
I don’t exactly remember, though I think the desire came about when I noticed a lack of stories with characters who were respectful to their parents and actually enjoyed being around their siblings. :) I would have been around ten.
3.       Give us a synopsis of your new book.

1885

When seventeen-year-old Clara Boutwell married her dashing coworker, William McDonald, she was convinced her life was near perfect. The journey before them as newlyweds in the great city of Chicago was promising and exciting. But a frightening disease soon takes William in its grip, forcing them to the clean air of the western frontier in a desperate attempt to save his life. But pioneering doesn’t prove to be easy, with miles between neighbors instead of fences. On the eastern Washington prairies, the McDonalds face hardships and trials in a new world where everything is tested, from physical endurance to emotional strength—down to their relationship and faith in the Lord.

This novel tells the incredible true story of Clara and William, the great-great grandparents of the author, in a sweet narrative full of laughter, tears, and the struggles of an early pioneering family. Prepare yourself to share in their experience as you read this account of a pioneer family in Washington state, and see their lasting legacy that has endured into the fifth generation.

4.       Where did you get the ideas for writing it?
Because this book is the true story of my great-great-grandparents, the ideas for it came directly from my great-great-grandma’s memoirs.
5.       What is your writing routine like?
I try to have a weekly goal to work toward. At the end of each week, I re-evaluate and set new goals for the coming week. That goal can be an outline that needs finishing, a word count on a manuscript, or number of chapters edited. Then, I set a timer for 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, I do something else for another 20 (usually another writing project). I’ve found this method to allow me to get the most done in the shortest amount of time. And, it lets me have two projects going at once, which always makes me feel like I’m getting a lot done. ;)
6.       Who are the most influential authors that have impacted you spiritually and on a literary level too?
E.D.E.N Southworth has impacted me the most on a spiritual level. Her ways of weaving Christ into her novels without it sounding preachy or pushy are absolutely phenomenal. On a literary level, Janette Oke and Jaye L. Knight impact me the most. I can only dream of writing as well as they do.
7.       What are challenges for new authors breaking into the book marketplace?
As with any business, finding a niche is the hardest, yet the most important aspect. There are thousands of amazing books out there, making it quite intimidating for new authors trying to promote their book. What I’ve learned is that there truly are readers for every book. It might take time and effort to find those people, but they are out there. Also, I’ve come to realize that while my books might never be bestsellers, but they will undoubtedly affect someone’s life. Going into the book marketplace with that attitude has allowed me to be pleased with any and all progress my book makes.
8.       What other writing projects do you have going?

I am currently working on a contemporary novella about Chinese missionaries, as well as a full-length contemporary novel. Both of those projects are nearing completion, and when they are done, I will begin the second book of the Long Lake Legacy series.
9.       What advice would you give to other aspiring writers?
Write because you love it. Don’t write what you think other people will like—write what you like. It’s entirely impossible to make every reader happy.

10. What is your reason for writing?

I write because, firstly, I love to create stories. Secondly, I remember being frustrated around the age of thirteen because it felt as if I had run out of good books to read that were appropriate. I’d like to help bridge the gap and write books for teens that are entertaining, uplifting, and completely appropriate.

Connect with Ivy at her blog: http://lakesidepublications.com/