A Writer's Moment: Creating 'a unique bond of trust'

A Writer's Moment: Creating 'a unique bond of trust':   “There's a unique bond of trust between readers and authors that I don't believe exists in any other art form.  As a reader, I tru...

Creating 'a unique bond of trust'

 

“There's a unique bond of trust between readers and authors that I don't believe exists in any other art form.  As a reader, I trust a novelist to give me his or her best effort, however flawed.” – Dan Simmons

 

Born in Peoria, IL on this date in 1948, Simmons is an award-winning author of science fiction, horror and fantasy, sometimes all within the same novel. A typical example of Simmons' intermingling of genres is his World Fantasy Award winner Song of Kali, a tale surrounding a mysterious cult that worships the Indian god Kali. 

 

After a number of modest successes, Simmons became internationally renowned for Hyperion, which won both the Hugo and Locus Awards for the best science fiction novel.    He followed that book’s success with 3 more books and several short stories in a series that concluded with another award winner, The Rise of Endymion, also winner of the Locus and a finalist for the Hugo.  

 

Simmons also writes mysteries and thrillers and said he enjoys moving among genres. His latest novel is the just-released (2025) historical thriller Omega Canyon.   

 

“I think it's one of the strangest attributes of this profession,” he said, “that when we writers get exhausted writing one thing we relax by writing another.”

A Writer's Moment: 'A fountain of gladness'

A Writer's Moment: 'A fountain of gladness':   “The land of literature is a fairy land to those who view it at a distance, but, like all other landscapes, the charm fades on a nearer ap...

'A fountain of gladness'

 

“The land of literature is a fairy land to those who view it at a distance, but, like all other landscapes, the charm fades on a nearer approach, and the thorns and briars become visible.” – Washington Irving

 

Born in New York City on this date in 1783, Irving is one of America’s earliest and most beloved storytellers, best known for his tales about "Rip Van Winkle” and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”  His book of short stories, simply known as The Sketch Book, was the first widely read work of American literature, helping advance the international reputation of American writers.

 

Also a noted essayist, biographer and historian,  he also was one of the leading diplomats of his time, serving as U.S. Ambassador to Spain in the 1840s – a time when relations between our young nation and the well-established European nation were crucial.  

 

Among Irving’s historical writings were bestselling biographies of George Washington, Oliver Goldsmith, and Muhammad, and histories of 15th-century Spain on subjects such as Christopher Columbus, the Moors and The Alhambra.  

 

 Irving was a tireless advocate for stronger copyright laws to protect the young American writing community at a time when their works often were pirated, and he was instrumental in helping create international copyright laws.

  

Noted for his kindness and support of others, he said, “A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles.”

A Writer's Moment: 'Every life . . .is a fairy tale'

A Writer's Moment: 'Every life . . .is a fairy tale':   “Every man’s life is a fairy tale written by God’s fingers.”  – Hans Christian Andersen Born in Odense, Denmark on this date in 1805, Ande...

'Every life . . .is a fairy tale'

 “Every man’s life is a fairy tale written by God’s fingers.” – Hans Christian Andersen

Born in Odense, Denmark on this date in 1805, Andersen was first introduced to the wonderful world of fairy tales by his poor and under-educated father who still found time almost daily to read to his young son – especially from 1001 Arabian Nights.  "Being read to by a parent” led Andersen to a lifelong love of both reading and fairy tales and the rest of the world became the beneficiary.

After singing as a child in the Royal Danish Theatre, Andersen turned to writing when his voice began to change, first working on theatrical pieces and then switching to fairy tales.  His first efforts were adaptations from tales he had heard as a child and before discovering magical worlds in his own imagination.

The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Little Match Girl and The Emperor’s New Clothes are just a few of the tales penned by Anderson.  His stories – translated into more than 125 languages and shared worldwide – have inspired plays, ballets and both live-action and animated films.   

  Since 1956 (for stories) and 1966 (for illustration), the International Board on Books for Young People has honored Andersen’s memory by presenting the Hans Christian Andersen Award to an author and illustrator whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children's literature.  

“Life itself,” Andersen wrote shortly before his death in 1875, “is and has been a most wonderful fairy tale.”

A Writer's Moment: 'The delicious promise of a riveting tale'

A Writer's Moment: 'The delicious promise of a riveting tale':     “I can think of no other experience quite like that of being 20 or so pages into a book and realizing that this is the real thing: a boo...

'The delicious promise of a riveting tale'

 

 “I can think of no other experience quite like that of being 20 or so pages into a book and realizing that this is the real thing: a book that is going to offer the delicious promise of a riveting story, arresting language and characters that will haunt me for days.” – Anita Shreve

 

Born in Boston in 1946, Shreve wrote those kinds of books herself, including the mega-bestsellers The Pilot’s Wife, Testimony and The Weight of Water, all also made into successful movies.  She began writing fiction in the 1960s while still a high school student and one of her early short stories, Past the Island, Drifting, was named for the prestigious O. Henry Prize while she was still a teen.  

 

Shreve, who died from cancer in 2018, combined her creative writing with teaching and working as a journalist in the U.S. and Africa before writing The Pilot’s Wife in 1999.  That book catapulted Shreve into her successful full-time writing career that resulted in 19 novels with millions of sales worldwide.

                                            

 Shreve wrote all of her books in longhand, and in an interview with The Writer magazine explained why she thought writing in longhand was the best thing any author could do.

 

“The creative impulse, the thing that gets deep inside me, goes from the brain to the fingertips.  When you’re writing by hand, even when you’re not consciously thinking about it, you’re constructing sentences in the best way possible.”