Anne Faye

Dancing on the Head of a Pen: The Practice of a Writing Life by Robert Benson Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2014 Robert Benson, who writes and speaks about the practice of faith and spirituality and the art and craft of writing, has been writing for over forty years and has authored nearly twenty books. As such, he has something valuable to say about the art and craft of writing and has shared his accumulated wisdom in “Dancing on the Head of a Pen.” Benson freely admits that he is only sharing what works for him in his writing journey and has a humility and honesty that is refreshing in a world where people are often shouting “Look at me and the wonderful things that I have done!” No doubt individual writers will take or leave different parts of his method and advice, but there is something in these pages that will benefit every writer.  Here are just a couple words of wisdom I valued from this book. There are many more – pick up a copy and read it f...

In the interest of full disclosure, I have only done National Novel Writing Month once - back in 2008, and even then, it took me until January to finish the book. Still, I wouldn't have done it at all without that impetus and for that I am thankful. Those efforts turned into Through the Open Window , a novel about a woman who attempts National Novel Writing Month for the first time and gets much more than she bargained for. In the intervening years, I've written one other novel and part of a third, but November has always found me involved in other activities, and NaNoWriMo has passed by with just a wistful glance. This year, I do have a novel (novella?) that is perking. The germ of an idea came to me about a month ago, and I've been tossing it over. Is it worth it to invest time and energy in another story? While I am incredibly thankful for the small group of people who have read and enjoyed one of my stories, my writing career can certainly not be considered succes...

Day 5 of the Loyola Writing Retreat was about Writing to Savor . As I write this, I am grasping a few moments of precious solitude in the cafe area of my local grocery store, indulging in a Coke Zero and a pumpkin muffin. I haven't done this in such a long time, it is a moment to savor all by itself. But my moment of choice is actually from early this morning. The sun was coming up over the horizon and was hitting a tree in the backyard in just the right way so that the leaves were illuminated, the early morning dew glistening on each one. Meanwhile, there was a flock of birds, tweeting furiously, that chose that moment to descend upon the yard in search of breakfast. Some landed in the trees, while others picked the ground in eager anticipation of whatever tasty morsel they might find there. I watched for a minute, before the duties and chaos of the day called me away, but it was a grace-filled moment of beauty and peace.

Today's task on the Loyola Press Writing Retreat was Writing to Dream The assignment I took on was to imagine an Earth more like heaven. It came with fill in the blank prompts. When Earth becomes like heaven, people will value people more than things . When Earth becomes like heaven, I will stop struggling with envy and insecurity and instead rejoice in other people's accomplishments and be content with my own small successes . When Earth becomes like heaven, my neighborhood streets will be peaceful. Nobody will live in fear. Everyone will have food, clothing, meaningful employment, and a place to live . When Earth becomes like heaven, there will be no conflict . When Earth becomes like heaven, decisions in community will be made . . .  I gave this a lot of thought but I truly have no idea. If I had the answer to this, I'm pretty sure I could win the Nobel Peace Prize! When Earth becomes like heaven, we'll have much more peace and much less pain, hung...

Today's assignment for the Loyola Press Writing Retreat focused on Writing to Discover. I had to describe my perfect room. This was a fun exercise! It's less about writing and more about imagining. We could use images as well. I actually had to think about this a bit. For me, a room of one's own is the room inside my head. I can always retreat there. I work in spurts, whenever and wherever I have time. Even for this retreat - we are supposed to spend a half-hour of uninterrupted peaceful time a day. That would be lovely, but I've been leaving my notebook out, working on it whenever I could during the day. That being said, alone time in a library is pure bliss! In my room, I would have: 1) A huge arched window letting in lots of natural light, looking out over a wildflower garden with a pond in the distance. 2) bookshelves flanking a comfortable window seat. 3) A comfy couch with a homemade quilt - perfect for taking a nap. 4) A large farmhouse table to do artw...

Here is my assignment for Day #2 : Writing to Remember . I could have written about a lot of painful memories, but I chose a happy one. There's enough pain in the world.  It’s dark outside and it feels late, but it is winter, near the solstice when the days are shortest, and it is actually only late afternoon. I’m a little girl - three, on the cusp of four - in the living room of the small ranch home where I grew up. Christmas is right around the corner and I’m brimming with excitement. The Christmas tree is on the other side of the room, against the faux brick wall with the bricks that periodically fell off, requiring my father to reattach them with rubber cement. There are presents already wrapped and under the tree, waiting to be opened. Even that young, I know there is no Santa. My parents give me my gifts. I still look forward to them and enjoy shaking them, eager to figure out what they are.  I’m sitting next to the orange-brown couch, circa 1960s, no doub...

This week I'm taking part in an on-line writing retreat put on by Loyola Press. It's being directed by Vinita Hampton Wright, author of The Art of Spiritual Writing: How to Craft Prose That Engages and Inspires Your Readers Today's topic is Writing to Pay Attention .  Today’s assignment was to pay attention to an object that had some significance to you. I live in a home brimming with objects, many of which I am quite comfortable with. They are old, familiar, and like me, showing some wear and tear. But I am not a “things” person. I’m constantly trying to cull, to remove unnecessary objects from my environment. Therefore, this task posed a challenge. I had to choose an object that mattered.  I perused my home. I ruled out photos, which I do value, because they are not prized because of what they are, but rather what they represent – the moment of time preserved by dots of ink on a piece of paper. I did the same with art prints which are like old friends to me, ...