By Chris Fabry
I received an unexpected birthday gift
from an acquaintance. I had lost signed copies of treasured books and my friend
knew I loved Pat Conroy. She went to his house and knocked on his door. Perhaps
it was because she was going through chemo and had a scarf around her head that
he scribbled a signature and wrote a personal message:
“To Chris, Happy 50th Birthday.
My best to you in your writing life. Go deeper. Always go deeper.”
I’ve thought a lot about what he
meant, particularly after his death. I filed the advice along with other tips
I’ve read from writers. One of the basic questions we ask is “How do I do
this?” It’s easy to focus on mechanics. Write in the morning. Have a dedicated
place where all you do is write. Write every day. Turn off the TV. Show, don’t
tell. You’ve read these tips and they’re helpful.
I endeavored to follow them. I looked
for the perfect desk, the perfect chair, even the perfect ergonomic keyboard. I
got up every morning and hammered at stories. I thought if I followed the
advice and worked hard, I would succeed.
The hard truth is that there is
no magic equation to writing. There is no special font that will guarantee
sales. (I did find a good ergonomic keyboard.) There’s no computer program that
will pull the content from your soul. The real power of writing that matters is
found in going deeper.
But what does that mean? How do
I “go deeper”? How do I mine the nuggets of gold in my own soul without
wallowing or becoming maudlin or exploiting my own pain and becoming
self-focused?
The answer to that gets closer
to the bone than mechanics will take me. Being willing to risk is the first step. In a sense, what Pat was saying
in those few words was a call for me to get out of the way. To tell my stories
with confidence as only I can tell them. To trust the process that brings me to
the page. Allow the pain and questions and struggle to propel me. To write hard
and clear about what hurts, as Hemingway said.
The hardest part of this is
gauging success. If I write a bestseller, have I arrived? If no one reads my
stories, have I failed? What if I’m criticized? Applauded? Pat’s words both
haunt and encourage. They are a constant call to avoid such equations. Instead,
I ask a harder question. Has the process led me to a subterranean region of my
heart? Have my words helped me discover what I really believe about myself and
the world? And in the journey, have I been able to bring the reader to a
different place in their own heart?
Go deeper. Always go deeper.
___________________________________________________________
Chris Fabry is an
award-winning author and radio personality who hosts the daily program Chris
Fabry Live on Moody Radio. He is also heard on Love Worth Finding, Building
Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman, and other radio programs. A 1982
graduate of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University and a
native of West Virginia, Chris and his wife, Andrea, now live in Arizona and
are the parents of nine children. Chris’s novels, which include Dogwood,
June Bug, Almost Heaven, and The Promise of Jesse Woods,
have won three Christy Awards, an ECPA Christian Book Award, and a 2017 Award
of Merit from Christianity Today. His
eightieth published book, Under a Cloudless Sky, is a novel set in the
coalfields of his home state of West Virginia. His books include movie
novelizations, like the recent bestseller War Room; nonfiction; and
novels for children and young adults. He coauthored the Left Behind: The Kids
series with Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, as well as the Red Rock Mysteries
and the Wormling series with Jerry B. Jenkins. Visit his website at www.chrisfabry.com.
Chris Fabry Live on
Moody Radio Tyndale Media Center-where
you can download press materials like: Media Alert, interview questions, Author
Q & A, author image, book cover image, etc.
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