Why Do I Want Your Kids to Get Lost?
I keep saying I want your kids to get lost. This year, that’s been our theme. Get Lost in Green Ember. Get lost in stories that won’t get you lost.
I believe that. And I believe it’s crucial for our kids. Here’s why.
Getting Lost in a faithful story is good for the soul.
Stories are meaning-making machines, and they shape us like nothing else can. It’s important that the story is faithful, though. We must not tell lies. We must not believe lies. There are lots of lying stories, and we most need to avoid those while we’re young—though the importance never goes away. One reason Tolkien is such a gift to us is that his stories are drenched in Reality. They are deeply faithful. Living for a while (through our imaginations) in the sub-created worlds he has made for us, helps our souls form in virtue and properly-ordered affections.
“Not only can these fairy-tales be enjoyed because they are moral, but morality can be enjoyed because it puts us in fairyland, in a world at once of wonder and of war.”
— G. K. Chesterton, All Things Considered
Getting Lost in a heroic story is good for our hearts.
Heroes are formed in their imaginations before they reach the battlefield, the courtroom, the classroom, the pulpit, the mission field, the hospital, or wherever they end up serving. We know our beloved will face difficulties. I am experiencing that right now in my own family. We all know life is tough. These beloved kids need armor for their hearts. My stories aim to equip them by inviting them on a vicarious adventure with virtuous characters who imperfectly try and try again (even after failure) to persevere and do what’s right for the good cause, whatever may come.
“Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey.”
— G. K. Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles
Getting Lost in a thrilling story is good for our hopes.
Get lost. And get your hopes up. I often tell aspiring authors one way to tell a gripping story is to, “Raise the stakes, and lower the hopes.” I believe that. But that is so the hopes can be raised again later in the story. The darkness has to be bleak for the spark to shine out. When the light dawns, we want it to be astonishing, and thrilling.
“When the sudden ‘turn’ comes we get a piercing glimpse of joy, and heart’s desire.”
— J. R. R. Tolkien, “On Fairy-Stories”
I love writing exciting adventures that are rooted in hope. The Green Ember stories are particularly centered around Keeping Faith, Sacrificial Love, and Earnest Hope. It’s good to get lost in a story that shapes our hearts to hope. It’s good to have an object and an aim, and for families to discuss what that is in the real world.
My stories help your kids GET LOST in ways that won’t get them lost. I love serving them this way. I hope it’s been a gift to you, a gift you are keen to seize and share.
I’m on your side,
Sam
P.S. SOLD OUT?! Wow, you guys are fantastic. The Bear the Flame T-Shirt is sold out in 7 sizes! We are working quickly to get it back in stock and will let you know as soon as it is. Shop remaining sizes.
P.P.S. If you’ll be sporting a Green Ember inspired costume this fall, we’d love to see! Send us your pictures here.
Dear Mr. Smith:
Thank you so much for sharing your ideas with the world. I read this article today because I was researching spiritual stories, and I found it deeply moving…I want to let you know how much I truly admire the work you’re doing. I love how much you care for kids – as a father, as a children’s writer, and as a public speaker – and I love your heartfelt commitment to what you believe in. I love your kindness – the way it shows in how you write – and I want to tell you that you’ve inspired me to become a kinder person myself.
I am a poet and freelance journalist on a spiritual journey (I am not sure I would call myself “a Christian” – at least, not the exact same sort of Christian as C.S Lewis, G.K Chesterton or you – but I believe in a higher power, and lately I have been reading and researching Christianity as it is currently practiced in the United States) and I am fascinated by the intersection of faith and literature, especially literature for children. I do not have children of my own – not yet, anyway – but I am currently considering training to become a children’s librarian, so I am always fascinated by what’s going on in the world of children’s literature. Your line about how “We must not believe lies. There are lots of lying stories, and we most need to avoid those while we’re young” really stuck with me. I must admit, you made me curious about what stories – what works of popular literature for young people – you personally consider to be “lying stories.” I understand that you are a Christian storyteller, and you would seem to be positioning your stories as alternatives to some of the mainstream children’s books currently on the market. I could not help but be curious about whether there were any specific stories – or specific authors – who you considered especially “lying”, who you were writing against or writing as a corrective to. I would be truly interested in hearing whether this was the case.
I truly hope I can hear from you soon; I’d love to talk to you about faith and writing.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Hann