Whilst I’m not a fantasist exactly I know what it mean to be caught up in something in which I become larger than the life in me. Carried to heights that frees up inhibitions and swells my heart to bursting. The Bible is the zenith for me absolutely. At least 30 yrs of daily reading, unlearning and discovering who Jesus really is has set my heart ablaze. I love all He has created and that’s why I can fully enjoy the creative talents He has invested in us.
At present I’m reading Charles Dickens’ Dombey and Son. It’s a huge volume with writers notes and correspondence with Forester regarding his outline for the book and the pure joy of his excitement of his plans for the characters and plot. It so inspired me before I even started on the first chapter. I have a great love of words but am hugely frustrated at not being able to be as poetical as the likes of Charles Haddon Spurgeon and Andy Murray the great Christian writers from another century. Dickens too in this story is a master with words. I get goosebumps, I feel like I fall over myself trying to drink it all up and have to tell myself not to hurry, just soak it up or let it wash over me. I don’t need to understand every nuance I just want to be immersed in it and I do. My spirit soars as my mind paints the pictures and my heart colours in the atmosphere and characters.
It’s an absolute pleasure to be secluded in my reading space, embedded in the story itself. I feel all the thrills, the spills, the grief and I’m made fully alive. Able to get back to my reality of a life limited by a debilitating condition yet so rich and rewarding in ways I’d never imagined possible. It does us good to get past the lives we carved out for ourselves and into a life trusting God who made us.
Thank you so much for your kind, thoughtful and interesting comment. I also love Dickens (and Victorian literature in general) for his wonderful way with words. I think you can tell when a writer is having fun painting the world they've created for their reader, and I think Dickens had a LOT of fun when he was writing. Although they're fantasy, I love the classics for a bit of escapism, because they really do immerse you in the world of their time, and the characters are often extremely colourful and memorable. It's amazing that something as basic as ink and paper can have such a transporting effect on a reader!
Whilst I’m not a fantasist exactly I know what it mean to be caught up in something in which I become larger than the life in me. Carried to heights that frees up inhibitions and swells my heart to bursting. The Bible is the zenith for me absolutely. At least 30 yrs of daily reading, unlearning and discovering who Jesus really is has set my heart ablaze. I love all He has created and that’s why I can fully enjoy the creative talents He has invested in us.
At present I’m reading Charles Dickens’ Dombey and Son. It’s a huge volume with writers notes and correspondence with Forester regarding his outline for the book and the pure joy of his excitement of his plans for the characters and plot. It so inspired me before I even started on the first chapter. I have a great love of words but am hugely frustrated at not being able to be as poetical as the likes of Charles Haddon Spurgeon and Andy Murray the great Christian writers from another century. Dickens too in this story is a master with words. I get goosebumps, I feel like I fall over myself trying to drink it all up and have to tell myself not to hurry, just soak it up or let it wash over me. I don’t need to understand every nuance I just want to be immersed in it and I do. My spirit soars as my mind paints the pictures and my heart colours in the atmosphere and characters.
It’s an absolute pleasure to be secluded in my reading space, embedded in the story itself. I feel all the thrills, the spills, the grief and I’m made fully alive. Able to get back to my reality of a life limited by a debilitating condition yet so rich and rewarding in ways I’d never imagined possible. It does us good to get past the lives we carved out for ourselves and into a life trusting God who made us.
Carrying on writing PJ you are an inspiration.
Thank you so much for your kind, thoughtful and interesting comment. I also love Dickens (and Victorian literature in general) for his wonderful way with words. I think you can tell when a writer is having fun painting the world they've created for their reader, and I think Dickens had a LOT of fun when he was writing. Although they're fantasy, I love the classics for a bit of escapism, because they really do immerse you in the world of their time, and the characters are often extremely colourful and memorable. It's amazing that something as basic as ink and paper can have such a transporting effect on a reader!