Thursday, June 11, 2009

Marking the White



Excerpt from Duma Key by Stephen King:

How to Draw a Picture (I)
Start with a blank surface. It doesn't have to be paper or canvas, but I feel it should be white because we need a word, but its true name is nothing. Black is the absence of light, but white is the absence of memory, the color of can't remember.

How do we remember to remember? That's a question I've asked myself often since my time on Duma Key, often in the small hours of the morning, looking up into the absence of light, remembering absent friends. Sometimes in those little hours I think about the horizon. You have to establish the horizon. You have the mark the white. A simple enough act, you might say, but any act that remakes the world is heroic, or so I've come to believe.

I have on occasion referred to myself as an artist. Reluctantly so if I'm being honest - and I usually am. (Honest, that is.) I am not an artist in the classic sense. I seldom create something from nothing. Rather I find myself reproducing something I've seen before and taking it one or two steps further, or subtracting something. The term I'm most comfortable with is painter. Simple, descriptive, accurate.

I have always been interested in pursuits I would later learn are in the field of Creative Arts. Music, literature, painting, creating things with my hands. Some might refer to the latter as Arts and Crafts. But I would not necessarily fit some of the things I have made into that category. (Perhaps I'll share more of that on another post.)

What has caught me completely off guard is my desire to write.

I have always loved to sing, but it was not until I was inspired by the company of talented vocalists and musicians that I considered creating music - specifically creating music for the express purpose of praising God - as an art form. What was once a very special friendship with music has now become a passion.

So, it seems, it is with writing. The first blog I ever read was my friend and pastor Jeff Hogan's blog, Convergence. He has a gift for both the spoken and written word. He set the bar fairly high.
Next, there was Stuff Christians Like . After reading two posts, I was absolutely hooked. You had me at Rob Bell, Jon. You had me at Rob Bell. I think that's when the writer in me began to stir.

I am in unfamiliar territory here, but because many of my readers and fellow bloggers are such incredibly talented writers and storytellers, they have given me the courage to get out of my comfort zone. Funny, irreverent, sarcastic, downright ridiculous - that's my A-game. And while I have always tried to write from the heart, I want you to know that there will be times here when I will write from parts of my heart that you are not accustomed to seeing.

Hope that's okay with you.

And speaking of irreverent, sarcastic and downright ridiculous - Twitter update tomorrow!


15 comments:

Peter P said...

Write away Kat, write away.

I love it when you write.

You have a depth and a way of expressing it that can only be described as a gift.

Oh yes... FIRST COMMENT HELEN!!!!

MWaahahahahah

Anne Lang Bundy said...

Katdish, it's always nice to catch a glimpse of that hidden place of your heart that the Lord's privileged to see all the time.

Billy Coffey said...

I for one can't wait to see what you come up with, Kat. Me thinks there's a very good writer lurking around inside of you. You have a gift that goes well beyond buzzard pictures and Twitter posts.

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Annie K said...

I guess one is never to old to realize their gifts (snort).

Seriously Katdish, you are pretty awesome at the writing gig and I wouldn't have stuck around this long if you hadn't been interesting. You are definitely interesting to say the least!

;) (just for you)

Helen said...

katdish, we have come to love you. Share what you want, the radically ridiculous, or the incredibly tender. You are the boss of you. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Love you, girl!

Candy said...

It's the "on your heart" writing that's the most inspiring to those of us who are dipping our toes in the blogging waters, because none of us are the same inside all the time. Days dawn and we are white or blue or red or whatever color snark is (plaid?), or whatever color the twitter ho wears. We're all sort of like a really good funeral casserole - each bite is a little different and the best bites are the ones with nuts.

I love your unpredictability. And Rob Bell will be here in August. You in?

Nick the Geek said...

I get the holy 7ths comment. Yeah that's just how I roll. Anywho, interesting vantage on why you write. Good to know. I should do something like this on my blog. Since you are so good at stealing from other bloggers ...

Joanne Sher said...

You are definitely talented, Kat. SO glad I found ya, and that you're stretching. The only way to grow!

katdish said...

Nick - Yes, I am good at stealing from other bloggers. One of my spiritual gifts, along with shameless self promotion.

Still trying to get a handle on what to write. I can't pick a topic, it has to pick me. Does that make sense?

jasonS said...

I heard a pastor say once, "if I can say something to run you off, you aren't really with me." I say that because I consider you a friend and no matter what you write- funny, ridiculous, serious- I'll stick with you (and there's no shortage of people who feel the same way, I'm sure).

I may roll my eyes from time to time, but that's just to be expected...

Chris Sullivan said...

This is probably the best thing I've ever read of yours. Love transparency.

bman said...

This was an awesome post. I like it because I feel similar. I've always been called to creative things, but never quite felt good enough at any one of them... Now, getting things out there seems easier and easier.

You are not just good at self-promotion, you're also VERY good at promoting others, and that makes you awesome.

katdish said...

Jason - Thanks. And ditto, my friend.

Chris - You know, this type of writing isn't more difficult for me to write, it's just more difficult to share. I'm glad you liked it.

Brian - I certainly hope that you no longer feel that you are not good enough. You are an AMAZING writer, and I'm not just saying that. You're really, really good.

Bradley J Moore said...

Goes both ways, K-dish! We all inspire each other to greater works! Keep it up, and so will I.

Funnyrunner said...

it's okay with me! Beautiful photo. looks like the sunrise on the atlantic?