Monthly Archives: May 2014

False Starts and Missteps: How C.S. Lewis Found his Literary Voice (#WritingWednesdays)

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

This blog is part of a series of Wednesday posts on Writing Resources. Last week’s post was The Writer’s Spidey Sense. I don’t know how it is for other writers, but I have had dozens of false starts. Ranging from … Continue reading →

Posted in On Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Arthurian Overload

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

It was the silent “W” that made my childhood love of Arthur fade. English is a strange language: “gh” and “ph” and “f” can make the same sound what rule does “their” follow in the vowel placement? what does “c” … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 60 Comments

The Writer’s Spidey Sense (#WritingWednesdays)

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

This blog is part of a series of Wednesday posts on Writing Resources. See next Wednesday for the value of False Starts in Writing. In our beat-you-over-the-head technotronic age, CGI is going to be a big feature in any superhero … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, Fictional Worlds, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

On the Death of a Friend

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

May 15 marks the death of Charles Williams, C.S. Lewis’ good friend and literary inspiration. He is certainly the Oddest Inkling, and you can follow much of his work at Sørina Higgins’ blog. Lewis and Williams met through a providential … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Different Kinds of Reading, Different Kinds of Books

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

A couple of weeks ago I tweeted that I was reading 10 books simultaneously. I started looking at my reading notes, and this seems to be a habit for me. I can sit down, read one book all the way … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

Storytelling and Art

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

This morning I was listening to the CBC radio show “Q” with Jian Gomeshi. This is a Canadian arts and culture radio magazine that we do really well, and the secret is slowly getting out as the show has gone … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Truth Claims ≠ Violence

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

Truth be told, I am a false positive extrovert. At least at parties. Even when I know the people and place pretty well, I have great anxiety at breaking into conversation circles. But this was a faculty event, a room … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Another Awesome Day at The Wade

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

Two years ago I wrote a review of the Marion E. Wade Center. It is unusual, perhaps, to write a review about a library, but my 3-day visit in 2012 changed the course of my academic life. While my most … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Harry Potter in the Bible

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on Mere Inkling Press:
So much for the effectiveness of “state churches.” The European ones appear to have become abject failures. There is ample evidence that the “establishment” of religions has rarely served either church or state very…

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments