Creating Magic

Lora Zill

The Magic Of Grands

EDITOR’S ARIA

WHEN I TEACH WRITING MEMOIR I emphasize how just describing your experience isn’t enough. You have to also include the universal truth your life story illustrates to appeal to the audience. Let’s see how well I practice what I preach.

I have to confess I never “understood” grandchildren. I could appreciate your “grands” and their photos. But I didn’t “get” them. I hoped to have my own but it seemed an event(s) that I would enjoy but wouldn’t really influence my life. WELL.

Now I have two. Olivia is 3 1/2 years old and Micah is on-the-way (October) and I am transformed. Nobody could’ve described the magic. Olivia says “Grandma” and my heart melts. I can’t wait to help with baby Micah, especially since Olivia was born during Covid and my time with her was necessarily restricted.

I am also aware that many of you don’t have children or grandchildren, so my experience, my magic, isn’t helpful. Could I offer this: I wonder if all of us could rediscover a sense of “magic” in our lives. By that I mean experiences that can’t be explained reasonably, that seem transcendent and uniquely inspiring, that have staying power in our imaginations beyond the initial experience.

Maybe for me it’s grandchildren, or kayaking and observing wildlife doing wildlife things that I’ve never seen before. Recently I came upon a merganser and her five babies and she immediately swam several feet away to dive, splash, and flap her wings, making a commotion. Mom Merganser succeeded in diverting my attention. When she realized I wasn’t a threat she rejoined her babies and they swam away. That scene has had staying power in my inner vision. Perhaps there is a poem to be got from it.

Maybe you find magic in other ways. I hope whenever you experience a bit of magic you can also mine its inspiration for a poem. When you do, send it in!   

 

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Parsing Language

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A Woman Of A Certain Age

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Preparing for Authentic Delivery

By Lora Zill • February 12, 2020
I thought I'd share something I found utterly fascinating. One of my favorite “old movie” actresses is Olivia de Havilland—she of Gone With the Wind fame, and two time Oscar winner—who is a woman of faith in the Anglican tradition. She lives on, at 103, and has served as a lector (one of the first women to do so) at the American Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Paris. The conversation between her and her interviewer, Right Reverend Pierre W. Whalon, centered around why Christians read the Bible in church. I was interested to learn how she would prepare for her Scripture reading for worship. She would print the verses in large type and then mark them up with “underlines, semi-colons, and other diacritical marks.” Ms. de Havilland shared that the punctuation marks help her to “get the right inflection.” She “wrestles with the text to find its underlying architecture.” “You have to convey the deep meaning, you see, and it has to start with your own faith.” She works to understand what the text means to her and then how to best communicate that to the congregation. “First I always pray.”* I think the insights for writers/poets and lovers of God’s word are many. Those of us who agonize over where to put a comma or a period (or no punctuation at all!) now have our “why” confirmed. Those of us who engage in public readings of the Scriptures are challenged to devote the time and energy to practicing the language, wrestling with the truths of God’s Word so we can be authentic in their delivery. I pray you would meet with God and share your discoveries with us through your poetry in 2020. My best to you and your loved ones. Full Essay on Olivia de Havilland: *”Reading the Bible as a Statement of Faith” by The Rt Revd Pierre W. Whalon, Ph.D. in Anglicans Online: anglicansonline.org/resources/essays/whalon/deHavilland.html 10 February 2012.

Planning with Intention

By Lora Zill • July 16, 2019
I am shopping for a new planner. Simplicity rules now, with monthly calendars and space for daily “to do” lists. But increasingly I feel like I want to be more intentional in the choices I make in my daily living and setting goals. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of planners, with so many varieties of emphasis. Monk Manuals seem more spiritually reflective (obviously!). Panda Planners and Full Focus Planners add spaces for goals, habits, and affirmations. I discovered the Bullet Journal which uses simple symbols to distinguish events, tasks, and insights and sort them from “completed” or not. There are lots more. * I’m looking for ways to focus and not get so distracted. I am organized to a point, but need to improve. Seems counter-intuitive, but I’ve read that creative people function better when they’re organized and operate by a schedule. They don’t wait for the Muse to show up, they show up at their desk and work. It seems from the Scriptures Jesus was very intentional about how he lived and conducted his ministry. He didn’t have a “planner” as we know it, He was submitted to the Planner. I think God wants us to live intentionally, too. Do you do your creative work according to a schedule? Why? If you use a planner, I’d be interested in which one you use and why you like it. Thanks for your ideas. Lora Homan Zill, Editor *I get no compensation from these mentions.

What's Found in a Translation

By Lora Zill • November 13, 2018
The NIV Bible has been my “go to” for study and devotion for 40 years. But I have discovered another translation I also love and heartily recommend to you, my dear readers. It’s called The VoiceTM (Thomas Nelson, 2008) and describes itself as “A Scripture Project to Rediscover the Story of the Bible.” What makes this translation unique is that it isn’t just a work by Biblical scholars. It is a “collaboration among scholars, pastors, writers, musicians, poets, and other artists.” The heart of the project is to create a version of great artistic value— holistic, beautiful, sensitive and balanced—as “fluid as modern literary works,” while remaining true to the original manuscripts.* A favorite feature is how the Gospels are formatted like a screenplay. The Voice also renders passages more dramatically, e.g. John 1:1-3: “Before time itself was measured, the Voice was speaking. The Voice was and is God….His speech shaped the entire cosmos. Immersed in the practice of creating, all things that exist were birthed in Him…” (Italics indicates words not directly from the translation but which may have been obvious to the original audience.*) voice bubbles True Confessions, I still prefer the NIV’s magisterial and mysterious Logos (λογος): “In the beginning was the Word….” But The Voice’s dynamic rendering grabs me in a more emotional way and helps me think more creatively about who Jesus is. If you’re looking for another Bible translation that appeals to the artist and poet in you, give this a try. A NT version is also available. I’d be interested in your reaction. To Him whom we worship as the Word and the Voice. Lora Homan Zill, Editor
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