I was reading through Jon Franklin's book Writing For Story the other day when I noticed the following passage: "The reader and editor want a story with a minimum of loose ends, a tale that's been simplified and crystallized in such a way that it clarifies and enlarges the mind. They don't want reality, they want Truth, and that's not the same thing at all. I had to reread this a few times before I realized exactly what he was getting at and then it hit me. What makes art meaningful, whether it's a collection of brilliant prose or an incredibly filmed piece of cinema or a handcrafted boat, is that it makes us step back and learn something about ourselves, and about life, and about the world. "...In our reading of [scripture] we come to realize that what we need is not primarily informational, telling us things about God and ourselves, but formational, shaping us into our true being. What Peterson is saying is that in the same way that true art reflects Truth and reveals something that expands us and broadens our worldview, so also scripture (some may even call scripture an art form at one level or another) does the same thing. Of course, neither scripture nor art are Truth on their own- but rather they invite Truth. Namely, they both reveal The Truth. And an encounter with The Truth is always life-changing. So, both Art and scripture are formative. They both cause us to reevaluate who we are and what we should be doing with our lives. *** And all this brings me to a little bragging about two screenplays I wrote last year. I suppose I did pretty well crafting the prose, because both of them were awarded top honors with AMCP. Is 'Good' Enough took home a gold award, meaning it was rated top notch in its category. And my baby, Moment of Truth, took home a platinum award, meaning it was rated head and shoulders above everythings else in its category. I'm glad for both of these recognitions, because it was really challenging to get the screenplays approved by the powers that be. Both Jim & Bob (@ Media Partners) have very high standards for their films. When I began, I thought my first drafts were pretty good, only to find that months and months of work were required to get them right. Comments are closed.
|
About NathanNathan Key likes to think about faith and philosophy and talk about it with others. He lives with his family in New Hampshire. He doesn't always refer to himself in the third person. |