Called to Write, an Interview

with author Joseph Bentz

Welcome to the second installment in our interview series. Today I want to introduce you to my surrogate English professor. College writing, except for Chemistry lab reports, was an exercise in frustration for me. My graded papers were often returned with the succinctly unhelpful feedback, "Ugh!" Last fall when I met Prof. Bentz (Joe) I asked him for his honest opinion of my writing and he was much more encouraging than my college professors. I invite you to read his thoughts on writing, teaching, and loving literature in this interview. If you are a Christian Creative and you want to share your story, use the contact form to get in touch with me. Meanwhile, enjoy my conversation with Joe and check out some of his books and current projects.

Prof. Joseph Bentz, author

KDL - Please tell us where you grew up and how your early roots brought you to writing and teaching.

JB - I grew up in Indianapolis. From the time I was about eight years old, I have been writing stories. My mind was always about half in the real world and half in my imaginary world. In high school, I studied journalism under a teacher who encouraged me in my writing and helped give me the confidence to do it for actual readers. I became editor of the student newspaper and went to college to study journalism. After a year in journalism, I decided that wasn’t exactly the kind of writing I wanted to do, although that training was very helpful to me later on.

What I really wanted to do was write a novel, so I switched colleges and switched to an English major and started writing a novel. I also realized I loved teaching, so I worked on a teaching credential to teach high school. I discovered that some graduate schools offered teaching assistantships in which I could be paid to teach freshman writing courses while I worked on my Master’s degree. They also waived my tuition. I jumped at that opportunity and pursued my M.A. in English at Purdue University. Once I finished that, I went on for the Ph.D. in American literature and decided to teach college. I now am an English professor at Azusa Pacific University in California, where I have also written my books—four novels and seven nonfiction books on Christian living.

I attended a workshop where you were teaching about how to structure a non-fiction book. How does mentoring beginning writers affect your own writing?

Writers conferences have been crucial to my writing career. Of my 11 books, all but one of them came about because of connections I made at conferences. I love spending time with writers, editors, agents, and everyone involved in that world. Teaching at writers conferences gives me a reason to go to a lot of them! I’m sure teaching at them helps my writing, but my main motivation for doing it is to be there with other writers.

What is your current work in progress?

I am slowly working on a book that is very different from anything I have done before. The working title is “The Power of Literature,” but that may change. I want to write a book that shows the meaning and pleasure literature can bring to your life. One of the great joys of teaching for me has been the opportunity to show students in my general education courses that there really is something about literature for them to love. They often come to my class skeptical of that, but on the first day, I tell them, “If you do not love literature more by the end of this semester than you do right now, then this course has been a failure.” Usually, it works. I want to capture that in a book. But I’m having trouble figuring out exactly how to do it. In that sense, it’s one of the hardest books I have written.

"A Son Comes Home" a novel by Joseph Bentz

How did your earlier books prepare you for the project you are working on now?

The blunt answer is that I feel like I’m in new territory right now. Other books were hard, but I felt I had more of a road map for them. I am committed to doing this book, but it has not yet revealed its structure to me.

Does your teaching feed your writing or is it the other way around?

When I introduce myself to students on the first day of class, I tell them that professionally, I love two things—teaching and writing. When I’m not doing one, I’m usually doing the other. Both of them are important to me. I know people who teach reluctantly and would write full time if they could, but that is not me. Writing and teaching fit together very well for me, and I am so grateful I have the opportunity to do both.

I know you recently started a Facebook group to discuss literature and that you also participate in a couple of other groups that read and discuss literature. How does your voluminous reading benefit your writing?

Yes, one of the things I’m having the most fun with right now is the new group I have started on Facebook called Literary Minute. I invite readers to visit, and everyone is welcome to join! I am trying out ideas in that group that I hope to include in my new book. It is a very interactive group. I love getting other people’s insights about literature. We are having lots of fun as the group offers short, entertaining, thought-provoking posts about fiction, poetry, and plays. Posts are inspired by the literary works themselves and from ideas that have helped my own students love literature more. We also have quick reviews, quotes of great lines, votes on literary questions, and other surprises. You can click on this link to check it out.

As for how reading benefits my writing, the reading I do is crucial for the writing I do. When I read, one idea leads to another, and I often have to break away from reading something to go scribble down something I need to write.  

"Nothing is Wasted" by Joseph Bentz

Do you ever use writing in your personal worship? How?

I consider writing part of my worship. Writing is how I make sense of the world. I also feel that writing is a calling, just as teaching is. It’s one of the things I am here in the world to do.

Is there a certain song or book that God is using to inspire you recently? What are you learning from that piece?

I teach a Sunday school class, and right now we are studying the book of Daniel. I am learning so much from that book about courage and faithfulness. People like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego hold on to their faith, keep doing the best work they can, and let God take care of the results. They may get thrown into a blazing furnace or a lion’s den, but they don’t let that deter them.

Can you share a story of how you have seen God at work in your own life or others’ lives through your writing?

Some readers politely say they enjoyed one of my books or that they bought one and plan to read it. I am grateful for each one of those readers, but occasionally I will talk to a reader who really connected with what I was writing and is eager to talk about it. Sometimes they will email me, and a few times they have even called me and have started telling me what meant the most to them. That’s the joy of writing a book. I know that no book is right for every reader, and some readers need a book only at a particular time in their lives. But when a book connects with the right reader at the right time, it is very satisfying. It makes the hard parts of writing worth it. 

Thank you, Joe, for taking the time to share your story with us! You can learn more about Prof. Bentz at josephbentz.com