The Faraway Tree

Alan Moore is considered the best comics writer out there, so what he says bears repeating. Here is an interview so you can see for yourself (occasional swearing):

http://mouches-d-eau.blogspot.com/2008/07/craft.html

And here is a quote, because the interview is reeeeeaaaaally long and even I haven’t read it all:

Now, there should also be what the story is about, which is not the same thing as the plot. What the story is about – what are you trying to say? What kind of shape or impression are you hoping to leave upon the reader? In a sense, the story, or poem or verse or whatever it is you’re writing, you can kind of think of it as a kind of projectile. Imagine it is a kind of projectile which has been specially shaped to be aerodynamic, and that your target is the soft grey putty of the reader’s brain. What kind of shape, what kind of indentation, what kind of lasting scar do you want to leave upon your reader? You design the missile accordingly. What are you trying to convey to them? It’s going to be some kind of information. Now that can be factual information, emotional information, psychological information…it’s gonna be some sort of information…it might be non-linear, it might be more like noise than information…sort of like James Joyce, because actually it’s the noise that holds the most information.

- Interview with Alan Moore by Daniel Whiston, from the site mentioned above.

This is a fascinating way of looking at a story, especially since this was how I designed the one short story I’ve managed to get published. It works because the style it’s written in provokes the emotion as much as the content. It’s something I’m going to have to experiment with again. Soon.

Looks awesome. Eeeeee!

Two unrelated interesting things I was sent links to today:

The first is a review of Mamma Mia (though it does have swearing in it, it makes a good point): http://kateharding.net/2008/07/23/in-which-i-muse-on-mamma-mia-and-maybe-build-to-a-point/

The second is an amazing video:

Forgive our foolish ways!

Reclothe us in our rightful mind,

In purer lives Thy service find,

In deeper reverence, praise.

O still, small voice of calm!

In simple trust like theirs who heard

Beside the Syrian sea

The gracious calling of the Lord,

Let us, like them, without a word

Rise up and follow Thee.

O Sabbath rest by Galilee!

O calm of hills above,

Where Jesus knelt to share with Thee

The silence of eternity

Interpreted by love!

With that deep hush subduing all

Our words and works that drown

The tender whisper of Thy call,

As noiseless let Thy blessing fall

As fell Thy manna down.

Drop Thy still dews of quietness,

Till all our strivings cease;

Take from our souls the strain and stress,

And let our ordered lives confess

The beauty of Thy peace.

Breathe through the heats of our desire

Thy coolness and Thy balm;

Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;

Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,

O still, small voice of calm!

Hope you had a peace-instilling Sunday, people. This pretty hymn has words I find very applicable as I strive to keep my inner peace by keeping my focus on Jesus. It’s amazing that a week of work can so easily take you away from that via distractions, and that a day of looking properly at Him can restore a sense of rest. Yay! I’ll try to upload a YouTube vid to show you what it sounds like. Now, should it be the one from Atonement or the one of the opera singer? I do like the all-male choirs, but I believe someone takes God’s name in vain in the movie clip, so I think the third option will win: the choir of Westminster Abbey, on a very old Songs of Praise.

I have a strong wish to go somewhere and belt out some old hymns at the top of my lungs. Do you know how much it sucks to be at home alone with a non-Christian housemate asleep in the next room, when it’s late and cold and you have neighbours, all things preventing you bawling How Great Thou Art under the full moon and the stars, which are so beautiful and plentiful and breathtaking it hurts? Joy (you know, the one C.S. Lewis was talking about in Surprised by Joy) – Joy unexpressed is Joy suppressed, and it’s physically uncomfortable, like your skin fits uncomfortably or a great red balloon is filling up inside your chest? Those of you who know: isn’t it just the best feeling in the world when you’re in raptures about God?! Cause at least if you’re being silly and sentimental, you know that when it’s about Him it’s justified?! Now, I do realise I’m an emotional yo-yo, and the hymns I’ve wired into my ears are the sonic equivalent of an injection of endorphins (And don’t worry, I know they’re not to be confused with the movement of the Holy Spirit, though I’m sure He’s happy too). But yay for being able, actually able, to have times when we can feel nuts about God! I hate the dead times, and I am so, so glad I’m out of my last one! In case you’re wondering, the songs are mostly from Robin Mark’s Songs and Hymns. In fact, here’s my whole playlist:

What if I Stumble – DC Talk
In the Light – DC Talk
Indescribable – Chris Tomlin
I Can Only Imagine – Mercy Me
Only Hope – Switchfoot
Praise You In This Storm – Casting Crowns
Holy (2002 remaster) – Nichole Nordeman
Blessed Be Your Name – Matt Redman
God of Wonders – Passion
How Great is Our God – Chris Tomlin
How Deep the Father’s Love – Nichole Nordeman
I Want to Know You – Sonic Flood
Lord I Lift Your Name On High – Sonic Flood
Take My Life (and let it be) – Chris Tomlin
The Power of Your Love – The Maranatha! Singers
Abide With Me – BBC National Orchestra of Wales & Murray Gold
There Is a Redeemer – Keith Green
To God be the Glory – Stuart Townend
Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah – Robin Mark
Here I am to Worship – Michael W. Smith
Crown Him With Many Crowns – Robin Mark
O Lord My God – Robin Mark
Be Thou My Vision – Robin Mark

First, there’s the silence of peace. It’s a healing and comfortable feeling after a clamorous day’s work, when one is alone with one’s thoughts. Ah – the freedom to have time to just think uninterrupted, with no other agenda than to wander down random paths of the mind and imagination. That’s a good silence.

There’s a silence of uncertainty. It happens when you’re not sure what to say to a friend or family member. When you’re not sure whether you’ve hurt them or you’re simply overthinking the matter. Should you resent them? Do they resent you? Is there justice between you? It’s an anxious, painful, stressful silence, and it feels like your heart has grown thorns that are stabbing out from inside of you.

There’s also a silence that arises from absence. The absence of an opportunity to speak, the absence of a friend to talk to, the absence of family to hug. It’s also the absence of the opportunity to speak with people who have common interests, shared experience, familiar mindsets and the same faith. This is the category I fall most into these days – living away from friends and family, without really knowing how to meet new people. The people you might prefer to chat with are not there; nobody presents themselves or can be found to fill the gap; so you hold it in. The good, the bad and the exciting. One hides one’s most easygoing and open self from all but close friends – so when they are gone, you don’t break out and be fully yourself. If there’s joy, it is a joy halved because unshared. It helps to pray about it, certainly. That’s what keeps you going. The basic feeling of this silence is one of being trapped and stifled. It aches. The image comes to mind of a helium balloon straining skyward against a net anchored to earth.

Blogging – as journalling always has, I suppose – helps. So here’s my happy revelation for the day:

For a long while, an anxious wish has been growing in my heart to *do* something for God. By the end of my life, I want to be able to look back and say, “Yes, I DID put my faith into action!” The frustration of not only my verbal silence about God, but my silence of action, has been a weight that has grown steadily over the past few… weeks? Months? Years? Let me not, I have prayed, be found hypocritical and wanting when I am judged by the glorious King! Words and beliefs are worthless if they do not result in actions! But what more can I do than I am already doing? Am I doing my utmost? Won’t he expect that? Won’t I deeply regret not giving everything I could? It’s a scary thought, but I am convinced it is an accurate one. Therefore my innate, deep-seated terror of commitment, exertion and deprivation has been a stumbling block I am increasingly ashamed of.

I may have made a discovery about what I might be able do for God. I helped out at the church’s internet cafe tonight. Upstairs, there was a Bible study for ESL backpackers going on. After a while I was ready to go home, and went up to take my leave. They were making their way through the Jesus movie, a bit at a time, explaining difficult words and concepts, and working through the basic gospel message. Suddenly, I wanted to be there, explaining that stuff, sharing, teaching, and – oh glorious! – breaking my lamentable, shameful silence about God! I realised I loved talking about God, sharing my faith – and that’s what this was! What an idiot I am! Of *course* this is a logical thing for me to do. I am an English teacher and a Christian. The people in the study are the only people my age at my church, and nobody my age outside of church wants to talk about God! I’ve had some of the most exciting, joy-filled and thrilling times of my life in simple, careful conversation about my faith. DUH! Perhaps I am overreacting. But God, surely the worst silence of all is the silence of a Christian about Christ!

Then sings my soul,

My Saviour, God, to thee,

How great thou art!

How great thou art!

So, in the spirit of capturing that warm feeling that fluttered, for a moment, in my chest as I saw the group talking about God, (that first glimmering of joy?), let’s all pray that I don’t, yet again, back down. I am a very busy person. It is tremendously easy for me to beg off of things like that. I only pray that I do something, soon, to lift the heaviness that silence brings to my life

I may wait to write a full review of Prince Caspian, but first impressions are as follows (yes, there are SPOILERS):

1. Wow.
2. Even though I am now too old for Narnia, I still desperately want it to be true. (Here I remind myself that God’s world is more wonderful than any we can think up and I can’t wait to get out there and prove this to myself.)
3. At least Aslan is true. But even better.
4. I thought the first half lagged a bit, but I can’t determine why – perhaps because I was waiting for the characters to meet up, perhaps because I was waiting to see Aslan (always the central point and figure of the stories), perhaps because while Caspian’s story hit the ground running, the others seemed to take a long time getting to Narnia then figuring out it was Narnia. None of these are the movie’s fault, but exist like this in the book.
5. On the other hand, I did like the London scenes and I really loved that they explored the frustration of the children being children all of a sudden again, after having grown up once already.
6. I really, really loved the development of Caspian’s, Peter’s and to a lesser degree Susan’s characters. I also loved what they did, so delicately, with Edmund’s character. Yay for character depth!
7. I loved the conflict between the two kings. They’re both leaders, and it really brought out their characters. I love it when men lead strongly, and in this story Peter and Caspian and Edmund were men.
8. I liked the more adult tone of seriousness given to this movie. As in, the adults were adults, the children lived in an adult world and the tragedies were at times staggering. Battle came with a cost and the children were responsible.
9. Well choreographed battle scenes! Creative with both the big battle strategy and the hand-to-hand combat.
10. IMHO, Susan should have stayed with His Royal Hotness King Caspian and made beautiful babies, because it is by no means certain that she ever gets to Aslan’s Country after the end of The Last Battle! Argh! Why did they even go there? I suppose because the actors were both of age and beautiful? What a weak excuse for her to leave! It might make watching Dawn Treader jar a little when the pretty star’s daughter turns up. Oh well.
11. I always hate it when they have to leave Narnia. Why do they have to leave? And why can’t I go?
12. Actually, I’d be more interested in a tour of Narnian New Zealand than a Middle Earth tour. Oh, and I wasn’t the only person thinking “If you want him, come and claim him” was I?
13. I am well aware that I love living inside stories very much. To give me credit though, this is probably the first and strongest story I ever got inside of, and I’ve visited Narnia for more years than any other story. Also, Caspian was not a bad movie, unlike the first one. Not even Mr hotn Tumnus could redeem a movie that took away Aslan’s deity – yea, even his awesome majesty! The Lion is not just a magician to help the kids save the day – He saves the day! That’s how it was written. Why should the movie apologise for it? End of rant.
14. PS. Yes Katie, Lucy’s dress did have culottes.