All that glitters is not gold . . .
J.R.R. Tolkien on using your time. (The Commonplace Book Project #4)
The Commonplace Project is a daily post based on Ray Bradbury’s advice to aspiring writers: read a poem, a short story, and an essay everyday for 1000 days. These posts start with a quote and go wherever the rabbit hole leads. Follow The 1000 Day MFA so you don’t miss a thing.
“All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given us.” — J.R.R. Tolkien, Fellowship of the Ring
Yesterday was J.R.R. Tolkien’s 127th birthday.
His devotion to Catholicism was a large factor in C.S. Lewis’s conversion from Atheism to Christianity and I just really wish I could have been witness to those conversations.
Or, even better, part of The Inklings, meeting at Oxford pubs to read out loud and listen and discuss. I have this book about The Inklings on my 2019 list.
I also wish I could have been part of his secret society, made up when he was much younger of three friends who liked to sneak tea in the library. Isn’t it interesting how Tolkien’s predilection for societies made its way into his work?
One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is about writer voice. What a slippery thing. It’s so hard even to describe it. But Tolkien had voice. It’s impossible to read anything he wrote and not know for certain that he was the author.
Take a look at the first paragraph of his short story, The Smith of Woollton Major, and you’ll see what I mean.
THERE was a village once, not very long ago for those with long memories, nor very far away for those with long legs. Wootton Major it was called because it was larger than Wootton Minor, a few miles away deep in the trees; but it was not very large, though it was at that time prosperous, and a fair number of folk lived in it, good, bad, and mixed, as is usual.
Now, go read the rest of the story and the poem below.
All that is Gold does not Glitter
All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes, a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king.
If you’ve never read Tolkien, or Lord of the Rings was hard to get through, try The Hobbit. It is one of the most perfect stories ever written.
Here’s my secret weapon for sticking with whatever your thing is.
Shaunta Grimes is a writer and teacher. She is an out-of-place Nevadan living in Northwestern PA with her husband, three superstar kids, two dementia patients, a good friend, Alfred the cat, and a yellow rescue dog named Maybelline Scout. She’s on Twitter @shauntagrimes and is the author of Viral Nation and Rebel Nation and the upcoming novel The Astonishing Maybe. She is the original Ninja Writer.
