Bret Lott’s “Letters and Life”

In my Writing 200 class, we’ve been reading a series of essays from a book by Bret Lott, called “Letters and Life.” One of the essays I read was titled, “Why Have We Given Up the Ghost?” Its title doesn’t have very much to do with its contents, but instead Lott discusses his view on God and what writers, as Christians, should write about.

One of the things I thought was interesting about this essay was Lott’s view on the publishing industry. He names the publishing industry “New York” and calls it evil, saying that they are only focused on money. I’ve never tried to publish anything, but I can see where he’s coming from, with how difficult it can be to get things published if they won’t make good money. He says that instead of being focused on money, we should write focused on God. I also thought it was interesting that he put a lot of focus on not writing in our own wisdom, or assuming that we are wise, but letting God guide us in our writing.

Though the essay was interesting, it was also confusing at points, because he tended to ramble on with stories instead of spending time connecting them. He talked for a while about a miracle he’d experienced at a church camp, having enough gum and T-shirts for all the children when there were a lot more than he’d initially expected. He connected this with his earlier statement about believing in a “supernatural God,” but it didn’t seem to flow well with his rambling on about what writers should write about. Maybe I should just reread it and everything will make sense. Either way, I’m excited to read some of the other essays in the book, and I hope that they’ll connect a little better.