Four Excuses Not to Write Spiritual Memoir, and One Invitation
(This blog post is reprinted after appearing in The Loft’s “Writer’s Block.”) “I’m not interested in spiritual stuff. I just want to write stories.” A friend—a thoughtful, church-going friend—said this to me in passing the other day. Since she couldn’t hear my internal temper-tantrum, I’ll give it here: What in tarnation is more spiritual than stories?! Every story, from a child’s imaginative play to an adult’s crafted composition to an elder’s reminiscing, contains both the muddy mundane and the spark of mystery. When we humans want to understand our world, we make stories. It’s how we compose and are composed by meaning—Sharon Daloz Parks’ definition of faith. Dabble in stories, friends, and you work with the most intimate orientation of your heart. All writing’s spiritual. My point exactly. So what are you going to do about it? Sunday morning golfers like to joke that they pray on the putting green. …