Thursday, March 19, 2009

A Life-Changing Novel

Today, I finished reading Sky Blue by Travis Thrasher. It's one of those novels that changes you; you don't quite look at the world in the same way, and you don't quite think in the same way after finishing it.

It's a stunning work, about books and book publishing and love and faith and art. It reminded me of something I'd long forgotten -- why I loved to read. In my career, I've spent so much time reading for a specific purpose that I'd forgotten the quiet joy of a really fine novel.

I got inspired to start this blog. I've been working on a series of novels for the past three years, but I've been circumspect about letting people know what I'm up to. Only two or three have read the manuscript of "my first novel." It still needs a lot of work, which is depressing given the amount of time I've spent on it.

But after reading Sky Blue, I understand why the work, as intense as it is, is necessary, if you're going to create something worthwhile. And because I work in the context of my Christian faith -- and that's all of my work, not just my fiction -- my purpose is to strive to create something worthwhile, as hard as that is.

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