Living the Creed

FEATURED AUTHOR—SILAS HOUSE Living the Creed____________________ Brooke Calton I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE of being in Silas House's novel workshop for two years during the Appalachian Writers Workshop at the Hindman Settlement School in Hindman, Kentucky. More than any other writing teacher I have known, Silas has taught me to remember and value the joy in writing above any other aspect of the craft. In my notes from a class he taught with Pam Duncan last summer I have: "The beginning of a novel makes a promise to the reader in terms of language, stylistics, character, and place. The first line should capture the whole novel, but the reader can't know this until the end of the book." The writer's promise to the reader is that no matter the complexities of plot, character, or theme that occur, he or she will remain true to the integrity of the beginning and honor the heart of the story I have learned from Silas to remember that faithfulness to the story's emotional center is the most essential source of joy for the writer. I find a parallel with this writer's promise and knowing Silas. One of my clearest memories of him is from my first trip to Hindman, the summer after his novel, Clay's Quilt, had been released with great success. He packed up and left the workshop a day early because his two-year-old daughter would not speak to him on the phone because he had been gone for four days. In the middle of a week in which he was so celebrated among his fellow writers, he went home to set things rightwithhis little girl. Ayear later, whenI satlistening to him talk about writing first sentences, I was struck by the fact that the personI observed out ofthe classroom practiced the same creed inwriting as in life—be true to the emotional center. Joy is bound to follow. Since then Silas has become a trusted teacher and a much treasured friend of mine. I can count on him for honest, skillful criticism of my work, but also to be "mad as fire" on my behalf when my writing is criticized for being too tied to the Appalachian region, too hopeful about the power of belief, and my characters do not fit the narrow mold some still insist on for mountain people. Every writer needs a friend who can separate the work and the person and nurture both. Everyone needs encouragement to focus on finding the joy in any kind of work. The joy in writing and the joy in being a friend of Silas House are difficult for me to consider separately. One inevitably reminds me of the other. 22 ...