The Idea of an Essay, Volume 4

46 The Idea of an Essay: Volume 4 creative writing to be truly creative, not just a formula, but an art. I wanted originality. Unfortunately, I hadn’t the faintest idea how to gain it. Though I didn’t know how to achieve originality, I was able to recognize it and admire it. Therefore, I couldn’t help but envy and look up to authors like the apostle Paul, who could state the truth in such a boldly radical and original way, yet at the same time do so with such complex and subtle layers of meaning. In contrast, there was me, a boy whose skill fell far short of his vision. I sought to both entertain people and move them, and to show them through my work an ideal. This was clearly a horribly large goal for a little boy from outside a little town in a little corner of the country with little experience. Nevertheless, Paul, in his own inimitable fashion, reminds us time and time again that we are all imperfect and all equal before God. Therefore, even if I was imperfect, if there was a chance that I could create something that had worth and changed lives, was there any reason for me not to try? However, despite my resolve, I still couldn’t seem to write anything that I could call “mine.” It turned out that Paul had the answer to my problem, and I just didn’t know it. Every beautiful word that Paul wrote was Inspired, breathed by God Himself as He carried Paul along and guided his thoughts. Paul’s originality was born from Inspiration flowing from the Original Source of all things. What I gained was nothing so majestic and holy, but I did eventually find inspiration of a far more worldly level, or rather, it found me. By inspiration, I mean those tiny flashes of insight from a new and unique perspective that everyone has from time to time. Though these are highly unpredictable and seem to come and go as they please, I believe that it is one of a creative writer’s goals to harness these and convey them to his or her readers. I, at least, have never managed to write anything remotely worth reading without some inspiration. I can point to one specific instance in my life as the first time I experienced inspiration and recognized it for what it was. This first flash of inspiration came suddenly and unexpectedly, as such flashes are wont to do. One day while my family was gathered around our dinner table, we were discussing authors, eventually coming to the topic of works published posthumously by authors’ families. One thing that we touched on rather heavily was the fact that many of these works were published against the authors’ own