Writing Class: 2 Moments

In June, I attended a weekend writing workshop/class of nine students of varying ages and nationalities, some from the Midwest, at least one from each coach, working with an MFA/published novelist instructor. The class discussed the topic of “Writing Beyond Realism”; specifically, how do you believably welcome moments of the supernatural into your realistic (presumed literary) fiction. (Think the ghost of Hamlet’s father, which sets the entire plot into motion; no one shelves it under “horror” or “fantasy.”)

I learned loads on many fronts, but there were 2 moments that stood out to me:

One of the questions we were supposed to answer as we introduced ourselves at the beginning, was “Do you believe in good & evil?” Most of the class did. When it was my turn, I said I did, also adding I believed in heaven & hell. I left it at that, but wasn’t going to pass over a chance to share the sources of good and evil when asked like that. The very next person said she also believed in good & evil, but was not specifically religious. Somehow, my adding heaven & hell had troubled her.

The other moment was a throwaway line from our wonderful MFA/novelist instructor, who might’ve been 26. One of the students read a short piece that included 2 American tourists unable to find a hotel room in Germany, so ending up with a woman who sometimes rented rooms. After all of us commented on the piece, he said (paraphrase), “No room at the inn—does that still resonate with Christianity?” Several students seemed unsure and a couple said no. He thought it still did and warned us to be careful of creating parallels with classic (my word) stories, as it misled the reader if we didn’t intend for those parallels to exist.

Neither of these moments were profound, but I found both telling of our times. After all, there are millions of narratives floating on the internet (and in the bookstores and theatres and . . .) today; if we aren’t willing to keep Christianity alive through (written) word and deed, who will? It’s part of the challenge we’ve got to take on when we agree to follow our calling to write (and read and teach).