{"id":7217,"date":"2020-09-29T14:29:47","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T22:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/?p=7217"},"modified":"2020-09-29T14:29:58","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T22:29:58","slug":"lessons-from-living-at-the-kilns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/lessons-from-living-at-the-kilns\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons from Living at The Kilns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Want vs Need and the Importance of Community<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Carley, Scholar-in-Residence<\/p>\n\n\n\n

August 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While working on an MA in Writing for Young People, I have learned much about the elements of writing a children\u2019s book. A key consideration is character \u2013 specifically, the relationship between a character\u2019s wants and their needs. Arguably the best kinds of stories explore this relationship, drawing out the protagonist\u2019s journey of learning that what they want isn\u2019t necessarily what they need. As I have explored this element of writing within my own fictional world and with my own characters, I have come to realise that my time at The Kilns has had many parallels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I wanted<\/em> when I moved in was a place to live and work. The fact that my living and working space was where C.S. Lewis once lived and dreamed was an added bonus; and it checked a certain aesthetic box. It was hard not to get swept up by the idea of penning my \u2018great work\u2019 where one of my heroes penned his great work \u2013 it was (and still is!) a very romantic notion! I wanted an immersive experience of literary history, and I wanted to call home the place that one of my literary heroes once called home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I neglected to consider when moving into The Kilns was what I actually needed<\/em>. Over the past year I have had the pleasure of discovering that some of the deepest needs of the human soul can only be met within an accepting, supportive, and creative community. This discovery has shaped my time at The Kilns and will be something I cherish and learn from for the rest of my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up until moving in, my husband and I had only every lived on our own. I am an introvert by nature and was apprehensive about the idea of living with others. But it became clear to me that living in community was exactly what I needed<\/em> to navigate the days that were ahead of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing is a lonely and sometimes dark business. The days are long, but never quite long enough, it seems, for you to hit your daily word target. Solitude can also make it hard to curb unhealthy mental habits, like drawing comparisons between your work and the work of other authors. I didn\u2019t realise I would need the impromptu late-night discussions about faith, the spontaneous moments of music, creativity and magic, the shared meals and tears and laughter, and the long walks and pep talks until they showed up (often quite literally) at my door. All of these things fed a part of my soul that was hungry for a safe community where I was accepted for being nothing more than purely myself. And not just accepted \u2013 encouraged to be the most<\/em> myself I possibly can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The past year has been a formative one, and not just because I have been furiously writing and finishing a degree. Set to the tune of a global pandemic that has changed us all \u2013 whether we realise it or not \u2013 this year has seen me navigate some of the highest highs and lowest lows. But through it all, I have always had a soft place to land and I have always had a family to come home to. I\u2019ve had exactly what I needed<\/em>, even if I didn\u2019t know it at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kilns is more than just a place to live \u2013 more than a roof over my head and a pretty place to write. It\u2019s a spiritual oasis; it\u2019s an example of what Christian community can<\/em> be; and it\u2019s the perfect coming together of faith, creativity, and scholarship, situated against the backdrop of all the imperfection and messiness of everyday life. It\u2019s home, and always will be, no matter where I end up next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Want vs Need and the Importance of Community From Carley, Scholar-in-Residence August 2020 While working on an MA in Writing for Young People, I have learned much about the elements of writing a children\u2019s book. A key consideration is character \u2013 specifically, the relationship between a character\u2019s wants and their needs. Arguably the best kinds […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"yoast_head":"\nLessons from Living at The Kilns - Living the Legacy of C.S. 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