My husband and I went to listen to William P. Young give a lecture at Warner Pacific College, here in Portland, Oregon Monday night.
I raised my hand and told the author that I felt the book was really two stories rolled up into one book and I asked him if he wrote it that way intentionally or if he wrote it in bits and pieces. He said, he started the book because his wife, Kim, wanted him to write something down that he could give to his children. He intended the story to be that gift to his kids for Christmas. And originally he went to Office Depot and printed out fifteen copies for his family and friends, never intending it to go any further than that. Today, The Shack has sold over 4 million copies.
He answered my question by saying that he started out by writing the conversations, as questions he wanted to ask as a child but was never allowed to ask.
He was warm and funny but even more. He was Real. He spoke from his heart about difficult subjects and he had the audience on the edge of their seat for the nearly two hours he shared his story with us.
Here is a short clip of him talking about growing up in Boring, Oregon. Yes, there is a place in Oregon that is truly Boring.
Posts
12 comments:
Sounds like a great evening. Love the successful author stories...especially the ones who break all the rules and still make it.
It was a fun evening. William Young is an alum from Warner Pacific and my daughter is a student there now. So, it was fun hearing about his experiences at the school too.
Wow! From copies for family to four million! Great success story!
HA HA at the town name, Boring!
Kelly: I thought it was funny when he said we've gone from living in Boring to Happy Valley! That is a success story.
I bet that was a wonderul evening...
I love the going from Boring to Happy Valley...grin...
Copies for family to 4 million? Now I'm really eager to read the book to see if it reads like "copies for family . . ."
Part of me doesn't like this story a bit. Now even more Toms, Dicks and Harrys will think they can do the same. But I'll reserve judgment until I get a chance to read the book. I'm in line for it at the library.
Would you believe that the place I live is often sarcastically referred to as Happy Valley? The expression is usually found in letters to the editor when somebody is complaining about how we think It (whatever "it" currently is) Doesn't Happen Here. :)
Actually, I love hearing these kinds of stories. It makes me think some sort of success is possible for me too.
I've got my fingers X'd.
That's awesome that you were able to see him at Warner Pacific. For anyone who is interested, he is doing a live, online chat this Wednesday (10/22) from 2-3 p.m. EDT at http://Abunga.com/AuthorsAtAbunga. Anyone who has questions for him or wants to hear his thoughts should join in!
My mom has read the book and raved on and on about it. I'm going to read it one day soon, I hope. Maybe I'll get it for Christmas! :)
hugs,
Donna
Tomorrow Oct. 22, William Paul Young will be on Abunga.com's "Author Chat" program for one hour to answer questions from fans and readers about "The Shack." Join us online from 2-3 p.m. EDT at http://Abunga.com/AuthorsAtAbunga.
Questions are currently being accepted at the “Authors at Abunga” Web page and will also be taken during the chat. An archive of the chat will be available at Abunga.com on the following day if you are unable to attend. Thanks!
That is some success story. Now I'm curious if he is just a one hit wonder or if he truly is a writer. Must go google.
The book zapped me to the depths of my spirit. It has helped transform my understanding of the love of God. I immediately signed onto Amazon to buy five more copies to give away. It even transformed my prayer life--for as a person more deeply comprehends the depth of God's love, s/he is correspondingly emboldened to pray with greater confidence, knowing that God REALLY DOES want to bless his creatures.
Don't read the book looking for greater theological understanding. With one exception, I wouldn't use it to illustrate any biblical principle that I can think of, in the way that I use Lewis's fiction on frequent occasions ("He's not a tame lion, you know" is one of many great examples from Lewis that distill biblical truths in a unique way). The exception, however, is the biggie. The Shack depicts the liquid love of the Creator more powerfully and intimately and engagingly than any other fiction or nonfiction I've read.
Post a Comment