“One writes out of the leaf-mould of the mind.” This is J.R.R. Tolkien’s answer to how he wrote The Lord of the Rings. Here’s the full quote:
One writes such a story not out of the leaves of trees still to be observed, nor by means of botany and soil-science; but it grows like a seed in the dark out of the leaf-mould of the mind: out of all that has been seen or thought or read, that has long ago been forgotten, descending into the deeps. (J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, 131)
Writers can learn a great deal from this peculiar insight from the father of fantasy. And the insight extends far beyond wordsmiths. It applies to Christian craftsmen and artists, parents and preachers, teachers and students — in fact, to all faithful sub-creators, those seeking to make beautiful things in imitation of their Maker. Tolkien’s wisdom profoundly shapes how we should seek to build fruitful, Christ-exalting culture.
Before we get to those insights, however, what on earth is leaf-mould?
