Working up to Taming Lions by Jane Lynch

 

As I write my first blog post for ACW, I’m coming to the end of a time of transition. I’m about to retire from arguably the most boring profession on earth to perhaps the most interesting. 

My erstwhile profession involves numbers and logic, subjects that don’t make for great conversation starters with a stranger at a party. But if you tell someone you’re a writer, their face lights up, and they say something like:

‘Oh wow, that’s fascinating! What do you write?’

Or ‘Ooh, I wish I could do that. I’m so jealous!’

Or ‘I’d love to write, but I haven’t got the time…’

You might be familiar with the Monty Python sketch about the accountant who wishes to retrain as a lion tamer. He’s sick of his boring job and wants to do something more exciting:

His careers advisor (played by John Cleese) suggests he should take it slowly, perhaps working his way up gradually through banking or insurance, especially as he has the vaguest notion about what a lion actually is. 

Similarly, I don’t have much of an idea of what being a writer entails. I’m going to have to navigate the uncertain perils of possible rejection, publishing and marketing. Should I have made the transition more gradually, perhaps trying bookmaking or advertising before plunging into the unknown world of writing? Do I know what I’m letting myself in for? Being a writer, though it sounds exhilarating, is not for the faint-hearted (although hopefully, it won’t carry the threat of being eaten alive). 

So why is it that folk find writing so fascinating? After all, we live in a visual age. Young people are making their fortunes posting video content on TikTok or YouTube, and we are constantly reminded that social media has robbed us of our attention spans. We can hardly make it through reading one page of a novel before we have to reach for our smartphone and engage in a bit of therapeutic scrolling.

Maybe it’s because they aspire to write but can’t be bothered to make the effort. Finishing and publishing a book seems like a monumental task, so we applaud those who reach the finish line in the same way that we admire the achievements of a great actor or athlete.

Or does it actually go back to a deep, primordial knowledge of the superiority of the written word, even above other art forms? 

Some of the greatest wisdom in history has been passed down through writing. God chose this method to guide and direct his people. That says something about His priorities. The Word came first and manifested itself in the perfect form of Jesus Christ, God incarnate. There have been countless artistic expressions of the truths contained in God's word over the centuries (think Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling or Handel's oratorio The Messiah). These other art forms can inspire, comfort and transport us. 

But I would argue that words can reach people’s hearts and minds in a way that other art forms cannot. In addition to delight and inspiration, we can find wisdom and exhortation in what we read. Be encouraged. As a writer, you’re engaged in one of the highest callings, in partnership with our Creator! Just make sure you’re equipped to deal with the man-eating carnivores.