Madeleine L'Engle Herself Read online

  Copyright © 2001 by Crosswicks, Ltd.

  Foreword copyright © 2018 by Penguin Random House LLC

  Reader’s Guide copyright © 2018 by Penguin Random House LLC

  Chronology of Events and Publications copyright © 1998, 2001, 2018 by Carole F. Chase

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Convergent Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  convergentbooks.com

  CONVERGENT BOOKS is a registered trademark and its C colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Originally published in hardcover and in slightly different form in the United States by Shaw Books, an imprint of WaterBrook, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, in 2001.

  All excerpts from L’Engle’s books are used by permission of the publisher. Excerpts from audiotapes are used by permission. See Appendix I.

  Carole F. Chase gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Charlotte Jones in updating and revising the chronology through 2001. Updates from 2001 through 2018 were added by Sarah Arthur.

  Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  ISBN 9781524759308

  Ebook ISBN 9781524759315

  Cover design by Jessie Sayward Bright

  v5.3.2

  ep

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Foreword by Sarah Arthur

  Introduction

  Section I: Serving the Gift: Artists and Their Art

  Giving Birth

  An Incarnational Event

  True Art

  Art Names Us

  Art Reflects Eternity

  Artists Must Abandon Control

  The Danger of Artists

  The Arts Endure

  No Work Is Too Small

  Prepare for Sacrifice

  Again and Again

  Art Is a Gift of the Spirit

  The Gift of Wholeness

  Struggling Toward Meaning

  We Are Required to Serve the Gift

  Get Out of the Way

  The Healing Power of Suffering

  Wholeness Through Wounds

  Free to Fail

  Mary’s “Yes!”

  Our Choices Help to Shape Our Stories

  The Danger of Comparison

  The Vulnerability of the Artist

  Face the Direction of the Great Ones

  Fascinating Questions

  Being a Writer Means Writing

  Artists Must Live by Trust

  Great Literature

  Believing with Childlike Wonder

  Vocation Misunderstood

  A Work of Art Is Work

  Writing Is Collaborative

  Section II: Co-Creators with God: Inspiration and the Creative Process

  Creation Is God’s Province

  God’s Artistry

  God’s Time

  Two Aspects of Power

  The Creative Impulse

  A Fruitful Vacation

  “What If?”

  My Books Know More Than I Do

  Gifts from the Imagination

  Death and Rebirth

  The Act of Creating

  Creativity Sets Us Free

  Understanding as a Child

  The Union of Mind and Heart

  The Requirement of Faith

  The Pearl of Great Price

  From Chaos to Pattern

  Walking in the Light

  “Divine Madness”

  Creativity Is Discovery

  Take Breaks

  The Art of Listening

  Explanations Tangle Us

  Section III: My Books Wrote Me: Elements of a Writer’s Life

  Solitude Births a Storyteller

  Bad Teachers

  Childhood Journaling

  Writing as Calling

  Moving Outside of Ourselves

  Typewriters

  Searching for Answers

  A Story Is Born

  A Shaky Start

  God’s Timing for a Wrinkle in Time

  Science Fantasy

  Detachment and Involvement

  Considering Immortality

  The Limits of Experience

  Write It Down

  Two Vocations

  Women Writers Face Special Demands

  Writers Must Eat, Too

  Juggling Time

  On Setting Goals

  Honest Journals

  Story Fodder

  Put the Subconscious Mind to Work

  Our Stories Change with Us

  The Writer’s Life

  Who We Are

  Writing Stories Takes Courage

  A Writer’s Responsibility

  Tribute from an Astronaut

  Justifying the Writing Life

  Concentration and Burned Vegetables

  Discouraging Moments

  Writers Want to Be Published

  Keeping Perspective

  The Pain of Rejection

  The Discovery of Vocation

  Pain Fosters Stories

  Private Journals

  Writer’s Block and Bach

  Criticism Stings

  The Paradox of Success

  A Wider Definition of Creativity

  Answering Letters

  Writing as Social Commentary

  Publishing Homes

  A Writer’s Vacation

  Labels Limit

  Making the Censors’ List

  The Responsibility of the Gift

  Section IV: Faith Foundations: Writing from Truth

  All of Life Is Story

  To Be Creative Is to Die to Self

  The Art of Prayer

  The Independence of the Gift-Giver

  Good Art

  Cosmos in Chaos

  Contemplative Prayer

  Let Go and Listen

  The Power of Story

  Nothing but the Whole Bible

  Read the Bible as Story

  Statement of Faith

  The Great Myths Last

  Biblical Truth

  Bible Stories Inform Our Stories

  Freedom to Grow

  Finding Answers

  God’s Guidance

  Complete Dependence

  The Artist’s Vocation

  Story Is Revelatory

 
We Write Out of Our Faith

  Circle of Blessing

  My Books Write Me

  Sources of Theological Insight

  Chosen Theologians

  The Power of God in Weakness

  Theology in the Fantasies

  The Theological Under Level of Story

  Flickering Lights

  Reflecting the Light

  The Foundation of Our Stories

  Section V: An Accepted Wonder: The Wisdom of Children

  Children Love Story

  Concentration

  A Rich Vocabulary

  The Capacities of Children

  Creativity in Children

  Children Are Better Believers

  The Wonder of a Child’s Imagination

  Honor the Intuition of Children

  The Child Within Recognizes Truth

  Nurture Vision and Imagination

  Preparation for the Real World

  Buried Treasure

  The Unique Perspective of Our Child Selves

  Human Characters

  The Openness of Children

  No Theory Is Too Hard for a Child

  The Techniques of Fiction

  Special Assignment

  Writers Write for Themselves

  No Subject in Itself Is Taboo

  Be Honest with Children

  Censorship

  Children Deserve a Writer’s Best

  Section VI: Finger Exercises: A Writer’s Technique and Style

  Prepare for Inspiration

  Eyes to See

  Time to Write

  Three Recommendations

  Use It or Lose It

  Write from Experience

  Detachment

  Objectivity Is Impossible

  Don’t Think. Write.

  Change Genres

  Birthing a Title

  Protecting Privacy

  Writing Practices

  Writing Is Writing

  Dante’s Four Levels of Understanding

  Three Narrator Roles

  The First Sentence Whispers of the Resolution

  Keep the Story Moving

  Experiment in Point of View

  A Sentence from the Psalms

  Telling Mythic Stories

  Writing Fantasy

  Believable Stories

  The Risk of Life

  Questions with Answers

  Structure Provides Freedom

  Experimenting with Form

  The Seductions of This World

  Stories Reveal Their Creators

  Let the Story Lead

  Listen to the Book

  Our Stories Reflect Our World

  Unlearning

  Listen to Your Written Words

  Setting Time Limits

  Release, Release, Release

  The Importance of Editors and Editing

  Goals and Limits

  The House of Fiction

  The Best Teachers

  Skills of the Trade

  The Inspiration of Great Works

  Books Worth Reading

  Section VII: The Empty Page: Getting Started

  Cooking Up Stories

  Begin with Awe

  A Writer’s Ideas

  Planet Making

  Serendipities

  Approaches to the Writing Task

  The Importance of Discipline

  Write Every Day

  The Rhythm of Writing

  Where the Story Begins

  Those First Few Sentences

  The Right Start

  Inspiration Comes as We Write

  Plots Change

  Risking Failure

  Don’t Waste Paper

  Book Research

  Finding Satisfaction

  Section VIII: A Life of Their Own: Creating Characters

  Responsibility for Characters

  We All Need Heroes

  The Willful Character

  Getting Attached

  Independent Characters

  Manipulating Characters

  Protagonists Are Choice Makers

  Protagonists Are Icons

  Human Complexity

  Dis-Covering Characters

  Characters Are Based in Reality

  Our Characters Are Woven from Ourselves

  Keeping Track of Characters

  Mysterious Origins

  Mysterious Departures

  Finely Tuned Receivers

  Our Characters Create Us

  Section IX: Paints of the Writer’s Palette: Words and Symbols

  Words and Silence

  A Love Affair with Words

  Ousia, Ananda, and Namasté

  The Value of Words

  Finding the Real Meaning

  Words Can Hurt or Bless

  Language Defines Us

  We Think Because We Have Words

  Dangerous Losses

  Avoid Limiting Vocabulary

  Word Meanings Then and Now

  True Virtue

  The Misuse of Words

  Using Language Carefully

  Translate with Care

  The Destruction of Language

  Writers Are Dangerous

  Word Play

  Language and Theology Change

  Transforming Language

  Avoid Making Idols of Words

  Defining Icons

  An Icon’s Symbolism

  The Language of Poets

  Windows to God

  Icons Bear Reality

  The Wonder of Stars

  Section X: This I Know: Telling Our Story

  The Perfect Vehicle of Truth