<\/a><\/p>\n

All through the past month, as I have been building up my picture of the ideal book, I have been realizing more and more what a place I have put myself in.\u00a0 For it occurred to me \u2013 occurred after<\/em> I had the excellent idea to define the perfect novel \u2013 that I am an author myself.\u00a0 It may be that my readership has connected two thoughts in a way I did not quite intend.\u00a0 When I described the ideal book, I did not mean that I, or that anyone else I know of, has actually written it.<\/p>\n

I have indeed seen portrayed all of the characteristics which I described as belonging to this privileged novel, but I must honestly confess that I have not yet seen them within the covers of a single volume.\u00a0 In the general course of things, every author excels at one or two aspects more than others.\u00a0 The author who writes the perfect plot usually does it at the expense of character.\u00a0 The book with ideal dialogue may suffer in its descriptions.\u00a0 And sadly, some of the most brilliant talent of each generation has lacked the Christ-centred worldview which is so necessary to the really best books.<\/p>\n

But this is not going to discourage me from keeping my ideal novel.\u00a0 Every time I open a fresh, promising book, I am going to allow myself the hope that the ideal does exist.\u00a0 It may not be the volume in my hand \u2013 but then again, it may!\u00a0 And consider all the really delightful books I have read along the way.\u00a0 If I never find the ideal book, at least I have found many which were good and great as a result of my search.\u00a0 It will have been a fruitful enterprise, even if I never reach my ideal goal.<\/p>\n

And then, to return to the question I began with.\u00a0 Do I have the faintest, most improbable chance of attaining to this high mark in my own writing?\u00a0 Self-conviction cries out against the possibility of you, the reader, clicking on the FREE BOOK link imagining that you will find there the ideal book.<\/p>\n

I honestly know that this standard is too high to be reached quickly or easily.\u00a0 If it is to be gained at all, it must have hours and months and years of experience, of patient practice, of faithful diligence in the progress, professional and spiritual, which alone can take any author to such a goal.\u00a0 And even with all the dedication which I can give, it seems ridiculous presumption to imagine oneself capable of reaching such an end.\u00a0 And yet a little spark, the hope which has given every author the desire to put forth their very best, will not be quenched.<\/p>\n

Will I ever write the ideal book?\u00a0 It is not a question which I can answer.\u00a0 But every time I sit at my desk with a blank white page before me, and draw one long breath before I type the first word \u2013 in that instant, and through all the sentences and pages and chapters which follow \u2013 with God\u2019s blessing, I humbly mean to try.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

All through the past month, as I have been building up my picture of the ideal book, I have been realizing more and more what a place I have put… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-good-and-great-books"],"yoast_head":"\n