In the Cracks

I recently finished reading A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris, a really intriguing story that covers three generations of women, moving backwards in time. Lots of great stuff there. But probably the most impacting part of that book for me was a couple of secondary characters. They are a happily married couple who work in the service industry, live in a trailer, and drive around in a car that’s held together with rubber bands. They don’t have a lot, and a lot of what they do have isn’t in great shape. But they make do, or they do without.

I remembered as I read about this couple, that I used to do that too. At a time in my life when I’m very anxious about money and having enough for all the things we “need,” it was great to remember that a lot of things can be made to do or done without. Even basic things, like leaky winter boots. I think I need new boots because my socks get wet in these boots. But honestly, are wet socks the end of the world? If I went one more winter with occasionally wet socks, would I die? Sure, it would be nice to have new boots, but I can make do without them. I find this a really freeing state of mind. I feel less penned in, less a victim of my circumstances, more in control of my money and my life. All that from a couple secondary characters in a novel.

Right now I’m reading The End of the Affair by Graham Greene. There are so many really earth-shattering themes and words in that book, it’s hard to believe I was able to find a spot that wasn’t super important. But I did, and it could really change my life. The main character, who is a novelist, mentions in one paragraph that he averages writing 500 words a day, five days a week. He writes 500 words in the morning, then reads over the 500 words before bed and sleeps on it. By writing 500 words a day, he finishes a novel every year or two, which still allows time for re-writes and edits. I did the math, and 500 words 5 days a week for 52 weeks is 130,000 words. Which is just to say, the math works out.

To me a good writing day has to be over 2,000 words, and a great writing day is 5,000 words. That said, I don’t think I write more than 130,000 words a year. The writing days that are “good” don’t happen as often as I want, and great writing days are a rare and wonderful thing. But I can write 500 words in a couple hours or less, that’s nothing. I could write 500 words before Ben leaves for work in the morning. I could write 500 words while my child is napping. I could, right now, write 500 words even on days when I nanny. This totally blows my mind. It could seriously revolutionize the way I look at my craft. It could be a lifeline through my upcoming life changes. And honestly, it really doesn’t have that great an impact on the plot of The End of the Affair.

Not only do I learn a lot about my craft by reading fiction, some elements I find in stories can actually change the way I live my life. I think sometimes God speaks to me through novels, picks out something that really isn’t super relevant to the main point of the book (or is, you never know), and uses it to teach me something, to open my mind, to make things a little better. I love that God speaks through art, that he touches me through the medium I love most. I love that I find wisdom in the cracks of good stories.