A Writer's Moment: Remember to 'Mine for the details'

A Writer's Moment: Remember to 'Mine for the details': "As a kid, I liked to write, but I didn't think that was a viable career choice.  My dream, actually, was to be a white girl rapper...

Remember to 'Mine for the details'

"As a kid, I liked to write, but I didn't think that was a viable career choice.  My dream, actually, was to be a white girl rapper and join Salt-N-Pepa – which obviously was a much more viable career choice."  -  Abbott Kahler

Born in Philadelphia in January of 1973, Kahler -- who also writes as Karen Abbott -- has authored several historical nonfiction bestsellers, including Sin in the Second City and Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy.   Her newest book (published in 2024) is the novel Where You End.

Starting her writing career in college, she chose journalism as her focus, first writing for newspapers and magazines in the Philadelphia area.  That led to her interest in writing about history and historical events and ultimately to writing Sin in the Second City, set in Chicago in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.            While she now resides in New York City, where she is working on more books, she continues to write journalistically as a contributor to Smithsonian Magazine, the New York Times, The New Yorker and the Wall Street Journal.

“I think the most important thing journalism taught me is to mine for details,” she said.  “The details are key. You can't try to be funny or strange or poignant; you have to let the details be funny or strange or poignant for you.”

A Writer's Moment: Taking readers 'an extra two steps'

A Writer's Moment: Taking readers 'an extra two steps': "I've read up on magic, and I think it sets you free, and it gives you hope.  You can explore worlds you didn't know existed.  ...

Taking readers 'an extra two steps'

"I've read up on magic, and I think it sets you free, and it gives you hope.  You can explore worlds you didn't know existed.  It stretches your imagination . . . and gives you a sense of wonder." -  Jenny Nimmo 

Born in Windsor, England on this date in 1944, Nimmo has stretched kids’ imaginations for 60 years, writing dozens of fantasy and magical adventure novels.   Her two major series:  The Magician Trilogy and Children of the Red King, have been published in 9 languages around the globe.

Nimmo has lived in Wales for most of her writing life and many of her books are based in Welsh myth.  An only child, her father died when she was 5 and she escaped her grief by becoming first a voracious reader and then a devoted writer. 

  

Writing first for herself, she soon realized she had the talent to also entertain others with her words, and she’s been doing so since age 15.   She said she gravitated toward writing fantasy because she always thought a magical world would be, for most kids, a special place to think about visiting.

“Every book that you pick up takes you a step away from your real world,” she said, “but if you read a book about magic, it takes you an extra two steps.”

A Writer's Moment: 'And now, let there be dance'

A Writer's Moment: 'And now, let there be dance':   "All the ills of mankind, all the tragic misfortunes that fill the history books, all the political blunders, all the failures of the...

'And now, let there be dance'

 

"All the ills of mankind, all the tragic misfortunes that fill the history books, all the political blunders, all the failures of the great leaders have arisen merely from a lack of skill at dancing." – Moliere

 

Born in France on this date in 1622, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, who acted and wrote as Moliere, was a playwright considered one of the great masters of comedy in Western literature.  Among his best-known works are The Misanthrope, Tartuffe and The Miser.  He was one of the first theatrical writers to combine words with music and dance – a precursor to today’s musical theater.

 

Moliere died in 1673 while performing the last play he had written – ironically titled The Imaginary Invalid.   Playing the role of a hypochondriac, he had a severe coughing fit and collapsed during the last act; many in the audience thinking it was part of the show.  True to the old saying “The show must go on,” he insisted on finishing the performance and died on stage after the final curtain fell.

 

His works continue to resonate, being performed around the world.   As his quote above notes, he was a patron of and supporter of the dance, which he said would keep people so preoccupied and in good spirits that they wouldn’t have time for mischief and misdeeds. He felt equally strong about using comedy, both to entertain and “skewer.”

 

“The duty of comedy,” the playwright added, “is to correct men by amusing them.”

A Writer's Moment: 'The work of a generation'

A Writer's Moment: 'The work of a generation':   “If there is a special ‘Hell’ for writers it would probably be the forced contemplation of their own works.”  – John Dos Passos   Born...