In the Acknowledgements section of It’s a God Thing! I paid tribute to my mom, to whom the book is dedicated, by writing this very true statement, which is, in essence, Robert Frost’s statement in today’s Daily Vitamin.
“When I say my mom first told this story, let me explain. For her 79th birthday, I typed and loosely edited her manuscript, entitled A Thief in the Night. She was committed to the story, but had some parts she wanted to rewrite. She then began a nine-month decline due to cancer, leading to her death at 80. (the tears part) After dealing with the stages of grieving, serving as her executrix, seeing our kids through college, and retiring from my forty-year teaching career, I finally had time to reread her draft, and knew the story needed to be told.
So when I say she first told the story, I must say she undoubtedly helped me tell this one.
I began to rework it, and within pages, the story took on a life of its own and became new. (the surprise part). There were several reasons for this, besides the Holy Spirit, in retrospect, and to Whom the glory belongs.
My college experiences, and the wordwide effects of 9/11 (many more tears), neither of which my mother could have included in her story, were dynamic factors affecting her original manuscript.”
All writing, it seems to me needs to “live” in the words of Emily Dickinson. It needs to touch the soul of the writer, first, then transfer–or is it magnify–that sentiment in the reader, who necessarily brings his/her own humanity to embrace the author’s efforts. Obviously, in a room full of student readers, there are several distinct interpretations to a piece, often, because each observation reflects experiences, real or vicarious, true or imaginative, unique to the reader. Just as a beautiful painting or the soaring symphony ignites passion, so, hopefully, do the images written on the page.
What then, is the role of the writer? He/She dares not “tell” the reader what to believe, know, do, or think. He suggests that the reader take the words and let them reach that innermost place where they may dwell for a while, influence, and become repurposed to perhaps stimulate another’s thinking in his/her unique interpretation. That, of course, is the obvious purpose of reading–that we might, at least once in a while, be “surprised.” Thanks, Robert Frost, for reminding us.
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