CHAPTER 2:
“The Writer Writes …”
Picture nearly every beginning writer: they grab a pen and paper, settle
themselves comfortably, and say to themselves: “I'm ready to write!” And
then they wait for their masterpiece to come to them. And they wait, and
they wait... and they wait.
Do You Have Something to Say?
The beginning writer, just like their experienced counterparts, needs to
have something to say before they can write it.
Inspiration is a key factor in writing hymns that are worthy of sharing.
Inspiration can come from many places – from listening to a speaker
whose words sparks something inside you; while reading the scriptures
and being impressed with something you read; by preparing a gospel
lesson and wanting to write something to send home with your students.
Sometimes singing a hymn will spark the thoughts and ideas for another
hymn on the same subject or even an additional verse for the hymn you're
singing. The sources for inspiration are limitless.
Sources of Inspiration
The late great Yiddish writer Isaac Behavus Singer was once asked how he
came up with so many ideas for his writing. His reply was that God
continually reigns thoughts and ideas down upon us, and it is our job to
catch them, hold on to them, and to then find a way to express them.
This is as true in writing as with any other form or art! To hold on to
those flashes of inspiration, the beginning writer soon realizes they
have to have paper and pen ready at all times – in one's purse or
briefcase; on the car seat next to you – actually, in a car a small
recorder is much more recommended. Many writers keep pen and paper on
their nightstand. Some even take them with them when they take their
bath. I once saw a fellow hymnist making notes on the long, opening
climb of a roller coaster! (It turned out to be a hymn about ascending
to meet God.) I know another who carries his pocket-sized rhyming
dictionary to all church meetings along with a small notepad; he says
that the best place to receive inspiration for hymns of worship is while
worshiping.
Does this mean that whatever spark of inspiration you receive is already
a polished, finished jewel? No! The Almighty gives us the spark and we must then make it sparkle. In twenty-five years of writing stories,
poetry, and hymn texts, I have only received one verse of one song
word-for-word in that spark of inspiration, and even then I changed one
word to make it fit current language usage.
There are Rules to Learn and Obey
Prosody, the study of poetic meters and versification, contains very
demanding rules the writer must lean in order to write an acceptable
hymn text that will be easily sung and appreciated by a congregation as
well as easily convey the message of the text.
I see four things a writer must learn to write good hymn texts:
First,
they must learn the metering patterns used in their language for poetry
and lyrics. They must study them and understand how the various patterns
are used and practice each of them. For English-language prosody, the two books I
recommend most are:
-- THE ANATOMY OF HYMNODY, Austin C.
Lovelace (Chicago, Illinois; GIA Publications, 1965, 1982) ISBN
0-941050-02-5
-- COMPLETE RHYMING DICTIONARY ed. by
Clemet Wood (New York, NY, Doubleday, 1991) ISBN 0-385-41350-5
Austin Lovelace's book was written after he participated in the creation
of a new hymnal and saw first-hand the need for such a book; this book
is a standard for english-language prosody. The second title is a full
rhyming dictionary with 117 pages of instructions on poetry at the
beginning of the book. Both are invaluable to me.
Second, a writer needs to learn to rhyme. This is a must. They must
learn the difference between a true rhyme and a near rhyme and when it's
not acceptable. And, they must practice, practice, and practice.
Third, they must develop good language skills and broaden their
vocabulary. They must learn the language for which they are writing well
enough that good language shows in their writing. They need to have as
many different thesauruses as they do rhyming dictionaries.
Along with good proper language, they must also learn the worship
language for the congregation for which they are writing. Latter-day
Saints are instructed to address Deity using
the language of the Bible translation the Church utilizes in their
language. So, when writing a hymn for use in my own church that
addresses Deity, I normally write in what I call 'King James English',
as that's the Bible translation used by English-speaking Latter-day
Saints. When writing a text for a broader Christian use or appeal, I
study the target audience to see what Bible version they use and what
sort of language they use when addressing Deity. If a hymn isn't in the
congregation's worship language, it will go unappreciated, no matter how
good your writing.
Fourth, the writer must keep up with the writings of others. Collecting
hymnals old and new - and reading them! - will show you what was sung in
the past and what is being sung today. I will readily admit my favorite
hymnists are still Isaac Watts, William Cooper, and John Newton, all of
whom have been dead for several hundred years. They wrote timeless
messages and did so in a day and age that use of the English language
was a grand and glorious art. Because of this, many of my hymn texts
sound like they'd be appreciated more by congregations that have been
dead for many years but not so much by today's worshipers.
Collecting currently-used hymnals will put the writer in touch with what
is being sung by various congregations today. I am slowly learning to
write for today's congregations, but I still love the older language!
There Are Rules to Break
Only after you are proficient in following the rules can you can
successfully break them. Just as we must learn the rules to write well,
we also need to learn how and when to break the rules and still create a
good hymn. So, while the writer studies hymns to learn the rules, they
should also study the rule-breaking hymns and see how and why they broke
them.
Although it is important to learn the rules and adhere to them and only
break them when you know what you're doing, the hymnist must keep in
mind who has the final voice as to whether it is a good hymn. As Austin
Lovelace reminds us,
“The
hymnal is not a book to be admired primarily for its poetry, although
great hymns are always masterfully shaped as poetry. It is a book of
devotion for the people, and they are the final critics.”
Mr. Lovelace further quotes John Wesley's
preface to the first Methodist hymnal:
“That
which is of infinitely more moment than the spirit of Poetry, is, the
spirit of Piety... It is in this view chiefly that I would recommend it
to every truly pious reader, as a means of raising or quickening the
spirit of devotion; of confirming his faith; of enlivening his hope; and
of kindling or increasing his love to God and man. When Poetry thus
keeps its place, as the handmaid of Piety, it shall attain, not a poor
perishable wreath, but a crown that fadeth not away.”
Should I Write Hymns When I Know They’ll Never
be Published?
"No talent
is wholly wasted unless its owner chooses to hide it...
they may not be
praised of men, but they may cheer, console, inspire, perhaps, when and
where you least expect. The brimming glass that overflows its own rim
moistens the earth about it."
If the
composer has felt the guidance and testimony of the Holy Spirit while
composing, then the writing of that hymn has blessed him or her. It has
been a vehicle for spiritual growth and the increasing of a personal
testimony.
It also
gives that composer something to fall back on and to share with others
when they are asked to speak publicly or to express congratulations or
sympathy. The most cherished moments of my life have been after I’ve
posted a text on my website or sent it out to my friends and then
received letters saying, “your hymn text has changed my life…”. To know
that I’ve helped someone else along the weary path of Life is a
wonderful thing – and helps me along that same path.
One of the
great, defining moments of my life was an evening devotional spent at a boy’s
ranch for problem, troubled, and depressed boys. I read texts inspired
by my own struggle with depression and spoke in that direction. At the
end of the devotional the boys filed past those of us who had performed
to shake our hands and thank us. One young boy tried to tell me
something but just couldn’t seem to get it out offered me a card and
said “Thank you; I want you to have this.” It was a picture of Jesus
that he carried in his Bible. I didn’t think I had done much; just read
some of my hymn texts and commentated with spiritual thoughts. This
picture is now in the front of my writing book – it reminds me of the
evening I discovered that the greatest rewards are not necessarily gold
or crystal statues from award ceremonies. I'm thankful this experience
occurred before any of my texts were recognized in a hymnal or in a hymn
search or other contests as it has served as a reminder of the real
reason I love to write hymns – that of touching hearts, increasing
faith, and changing lives.
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