What Motivates My Writing?

 By Kelly Bridgewater

Imagination inspired C.S. Lewis.

Languages and words inspired J.R. R. Tolkien.

But what about me?

If I ever write a novel again, what would they said motivated my writing?

I don’t really know.

I don’t live an important life.

I don’t have debt.

I married when I was 19 years old.

Attended college. Earned two degrees.

Worked at that university.

Raised my boys.

Loved my husband.

Loved my dogs.

I don’t know what they would say.

I have a hard time using my imagination since my Daddy died six years ago. I read stories of Lewis and Tolkien and how they slaved over their stories every day, but I do not do that anymore. I would love to. The ideas and desire is still there, but when it comes to actually sitting down and writing the story. Nothing.

Satan really haunts me.

Then I self-doubt myself and my writing abilities.

Even though, I have a Masters in Writing.

I think, sometimes, if I could get away somewhere where there is no distraction like housework, husband, boys, then maybe I would be able to allow my imagination to wander.

But I know writers that flourish in the hustle and bustle of normal life.

Not me.

I enjoy my solitary moments with no one around.

Allows me time to think.

What about you? What will be said about you? What motivates you to craft the next Great American Novel?

Top Five Literary Novels

By Kelly Bridgewater

Every writer or reader has a number of authors who books grace their library. You know, the author who they follow on Facebook, praying for news of another book or book series. Of course, I have a number of them who have inspired and encouraged my personal writing, but they are also the writers who I LOVE reading and studied the structures of their novels to see how I can incorporate their skills into my novels.

Back in June, I shared my top ten favorite suspense authors. Last week, I shared my top ten favorite historical authors. Today, I want to share my love of literary fiction. Most of these stories were introduced to me in college classes or high school classes, but they hit a chord with me. Even though I read a lot of crap in college, some stuck with me.

So without further ado, I announce my top ten favorite literary authors with the novel that inspired me . . .

1.) Arthur Conan Doyle, The Complete Sherlock Holmes

From Amazon

I read Sherlock Holmes when I was in my last semester of undergraduate, and I have never looked back. I assumed that a novel that was written in the late nineteenth century, featuring a detective would not be that interesting. But . . . Boy was a I wrong! I loved the snarky, yet intelligent detective with his sidekick. I love watching the remakes and television adaptations of Doyle's work. Some of my favorite detective work.

Synopsis:
Volume I includes the early novel A Study in Scarlet, which introduced the eccentric genius of Sherlock Holmes to the world. This baffling murder mystery, with the cryptic word Rache written in blood, first brought Holmes together with Dr. John Watson. Next, The Sign of Four presents Holmes’s famous “seven percent solution” and the strange puzzle of Mary Morstan in the quintessential locked-room mystery. Also included are Holmes’s feats of extraordinary detection in such famous cases as “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” “The Musgrave Ritual,” and “The Five Orange Pips.”

2. Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo

From Amazon

I was introduced to Alexandre Dumas when I was a freshman in high school. I signed up for a senior level Creative Writing course, and this was the textbook. We had the entire semester to read the book, which is a 1,000 + page book. I finished it the first week. The teacher was impressed. I read it three more times that semester. I love a book with justice, revenge, romance, and buried treasure. I still try to read it once a year.

Synopsis:
In the post-Napoleonic era, Edmond Dantès, a young sailor from Marseilles, is poised to become captain of his own ship and to marry his beloved. But spiteful enemies provoke his arrest, condemning him to lifelong imprisonment. Then Edmond’s sole companion in prison reveals his secret plan of escape and a letter with directions to hidden riches on the island of Monte Cristo—a treasure trove that will eventually fund Edmund’s dream of creating a new identity for himself: the mysterious and powerful Count of Monte Cristo.

In The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas employed all the elements of compelling drama—suspense, intrigue, love, vengeance, rousing adventure, and the triumph of good over evil—that contribute to this classic story’s irresistible and timeless appeal.

3.) Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess

From Amazon

I was introduced to A Little Princess through the movie in the 1990's. I enjoyed the story. It was set during World War I. I enjoyed the close relationship between Sarah Crew and her father. I loved seeing her keep hope even when Miss Minchin tried to take it away from her. As a young girl, I would read this novel every single summer as soon as school released. Then run to the library to start my reading list.

Synopsis:
A Little Princess is a 1905 children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It is a revised and expanded version of Burnett's 1888 serialised novel entitled Sara Crewe: or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's Boarding School, which was published in St. Nicholas Magazine. According to Burnett, she had been composing a play based on the story when she found out a lot of characters she had missed. The publisher asked her to publish a new, revised story of the novella, producing the novel.

4.) Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

From Amazon

Burnett created a lot of novels that made me happy as a little girl. Besides A Little Princess, I enjoyed reading and watching The Secret Garden. Burnett created a novel that took place around the same time period. I enjoyed seeing how Mary was taken to the huge house in England with no where to go, but this piece of the garden. It is a story of moving on and learning to love again. I enjoyed it and also read it every summer.

Synopsis:
When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle, everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. But this lonely girl's life is transformed when she finds the key to the secret garden. This book is reprinted to tie in with the release of a film.

5.) C. S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

From Amazon

 My father purchased The Silver Chair, which introduced me to Narnia. I read the six other books before finding Lewis' other writings. I really enjoy Lewis perspective on literary fiction. He was a wonderful writer. I composed a number of papers on Lewis while in graduate school.

Synopsis:

Read The Chronicles of Narnia in its entirety with this seven book box set, containing mass market paperback editions of C. S. Lewis's classic fantasy series. The box features stills from the third Narnia movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and the books have cover art by Cliff Nielsen.

C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia has captivated readers of all ages for over sixty years, enchanting them with a magical realm where worlds come and go at the toss of a ring, where boys and girls become kings and queens, where there are more talking creatures than people.

This box set includes all seven titles in The Chronicles of Narnia—The Magician's Nephew; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; and The Last Battle—with the original black-and-white interior illustrations by Pauline Baynes.

The journey begins even before the Dawn Treader sets sail and ends long after its voyage, so don't miss out on any part of this definitive fantasy series of our time!

What literary novels shaped you? Why have they stuck with you after all these years?

Lunch with An Author (Part I)

By Kelly Bridgewater

I know this question has been around for a while, and I know that everyone has an opinion. I thought 

I would give mine. What a better way to write a blog post.

If I could have lunch with any author who would it be?

For today, I have two authors. Just because one is already dead and the other one might happen, you never know.  (You'll have to come back next week to see who the living author is!!)

First, I would love to have lunch with C. S. Lewis. 

tthinkpoint.wordpress.com

Lewis was my first introduction to the Christian fiction fantasy genre when I was in high school. My father purchased The Silver Chair for me, and I couldn't wait to read all seven books in the series. As I have grown up, I have read tons of his literary criticism, his science fiction, his adult fiction, his opinions on the Psalms, his letters, his autobiographies. Then I have read tons of books written about him. I wrote two papers in graduate school about Lewis' writings. One was to prove that Lewis created The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as a fairy tale, not as a Biblical allegory. The second was to prove that Lewis' love of John Milton's Paradise Lost help developed his foundation for The Screwtape Letters. I read some many books to do the research on these papers, but I loved the research as much as writing the final paper.

Lewis is a fascinating author, but I think he really shines when he talks about literature or putting down the way the education system was training their students. He lived a bookish, literary life, and I couldn't imagine a better life than being paid to read books all the time.

What was better than hanging out in a pub surrounded by other literary giants and discussing books or their personal writings? I mean, Lewis hung out with Tolkien and read his rough drafts of the Lord of the Rings.  Wouldn't be cool to have a critique partner that makes it big, and you could say I knew him when he deleted or added this scene.

What about you? Is there an author who is deceased who you would love to sit and talk with? If so, who?

What C. S. Lewis Means to Me

By Kelly Bridgewater

I plan to share how twelve different writers have inspired me and are the ones I return to when I need some inspiration. As readers, we have loved the words written by authors who have spoken to us through their stories. It could have happened as a child or as an adult. I don't have a set date for each entry, but I will sprinkle them in on Fridays, hopefully, at least, once a month. I will have links to all of them, so in case, you missed one; you can click back and read another one.

My first author on this journey that I want to travel with you is none other than the one of the greatest Christian writers of the past. Have an idea? If you cheated, his name is in the title of this blog post.

 

C.S. Lewis.

What does C.S. Lewis’ writing mean to me? It started when I was a little girl. My father handed me a copy of Prince Caspian, and I was transported to Narnia on the wings of my imagination. I loved Lucy, the curious little girl who saw the best in everyone. She didn’t have a mean thing to say about anyone, except when Edmund picked on her. She had the faith of a child and still believed in Aslan, even when everyone didn’t believe he would come back.

I loved the landscape of a land that you were transported to through magical portals, either a wardrobe, a train station, a picture, a ring, or a jump off a high cliff. The entryway was never the same twice. Lewis did a good job at holding the readers’ attention as we waited with anticipation to see how our familiar characters were going to be transported back to Narnia.

I loved a land filled with magic and talking creatures. Who could forget the talking beavers that helped Lucy, Peter, Susan, and Edmund in The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe? Or Tumnas, the half goat, half man, or a faun as the story lovingly refers to him, who sacrificed his life to keep the two daughters of Eve and two sons of Adam safe because he believed in a free Narnia?

As a writer, C.S. Lewis has taught me how to create a story using imagination to share the wonderful story of Jesus Christ and his saving power. My imagination is my best tool to create a story that allows my future readers to connect with the characters occupying the pages of my story.  Using my imagination, I can sprinkle in clues to Jesus without overwhelming the readers with the Biblical lesson.

As I got older, I have read a majority of Lewis’ others stories, fiction or non-fiction. I have read a good chunk of his literary criticism. He has such passion for the written word. In graduate school, I wrote two different papers using C.S. Lewis’ writing as the basis for my papers. One was a compare and contrast between Paradise Lost by John Milton and Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. Second paper, I argued that even though The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe as a Biblical allegory is a valued way to look at the story, Lewis actually created it as a fairy tale, which I proved.

C.S. Lewis taught me the love of creating stories with my imagination and the ability to create a passion for the written word. He is one of my favorite writers who I return to when I want a good read to explore Narnia or learn more about something in the literary field. No wonder still today, fifty-one years after his death, his books still capture the imagination of new generations and are placed in the hollow shelves of our local libraries. 

*This blog entry first appeared on Hoosier Ink on January 21, 2015.

Have you read C.S. Lewis books? If so, what is some of you favorite books? What has he taught you as a writer and a reader?