Letting Your Imagination Soar

 “If the novelist isn't surprised by where his book ends up, he or she probably hasn't written anything worth remembering.” – Tom Robbins

Born in North Carolina on this date in 1932, Robbins was named one of the 100 Best Writers of the 20^th Century by Writer’s Digest, and it all started in the mid-1960s when he was asked and rejected an opportunity to write a book about art.  Robbins told the publisher that he had a better idea for his writing talents and so they gave him a chance.  The result was his first novel and first bestseller, Another Roadside Attraction.

Since then he’s written 8 bestselling novels, many dozens of short stories and essays, and 2 nonfiction books, the latest being his 2014 self-declared “un-memoir” Tibetan Peach Pie: A True Account of an Imaginative Life.       Heading up the list of his many successes is, perhaps, his irreverent novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, also made into a popular movie.  While Robbins says he’s hesitant to give writing advice, he does say this:

                                     “The one thing emphasized in any creative writing course is 'write what you know,' and that automatically drives a wooden stake through the heart of imagination. If they really understood the mysterious process of creating fiction, they would say, 'You can write about anything you can imagine.'”

Share A Writer’s Moment with a friend by clicking the g+1 button below