Monday, April 11, 2005

Striving for Excellence

I just finished reading an archived post from The Master's Artist. J. Mark Bertrand posits 4 theses on writing from a Christian worldview. You need to read it to get the flavor of Mark in full rant. But it's a good rant and (as his writing usually does) it both comforts and challenges me. It comforts because it's good to know there are people who think like I do -- that Christian art needs to be excellent. It challenges because I know I'm not there yet.

I've mentioned two of my favorite books before: To Kill a Mockingbird and The Left Hand of Darkness. Neither of these is a Christian novel. But they are books that are full of truth and are compelling stories well-told. In both novels, characters make the hard choice, do the right thing, at great personal cost to themselves. In The Left Hand of Darkness, a character makes the ultimate sacrifice, laying down his life for his friend. While neither book preaches, you can't help but understand that doing the right thing is worth it, no matter the cost.

That's what I want to write.

2 comments:

Paula said...

I, too, want to write a book that goes somewhere--that digs underneath the skin . . .

lindaruth said...

Hi!
It's good to know someone reads this from time to time. :) I always appreciate comments -- I think there are a lot more of us out there than I thought.
Linda