A Writer's Moment: 'It's something you can't wear out'

A Writer's Moment: 'It's something you can't wear out':   “Honesty is something you can't wear out.”  – Waylon Jennings   Born in Littlefield, TX on June 15, 1937 Jennings learned how to pl...

'It's something you can't wear out'

 

“Honesty is something you can't wear out.” – Waylon Jennings
 

Born in Littlefield, TX on June 15, 1937 Jennings learned how to play guitar by the time he was 8 and started in the entertainment business at age 12 – working as a DJ at a local radio station.   In 1954 he befriended rising star Buddy Holly who also became his mentor, collaborating with him on songs and helping produce Waylon’s first record that year.  Among his "most played" hits were Lonesome and Luckenbach, Texas.  He recorded hundreds of songs and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and given Country's "Lifetime Achievement Award" before his relatively early death at age 64.

  

Jennings also became a fill-in player for Holly’s group The Crickets and was with him in Iowa on his final tour in the winter of 1959, ending in Holly’s death in a plane crash.  Jennings was supposed to be on that plane with Holly but at the last minute gave up his seat to The Big Bopper because the latter was suffering from a bad cold.

 

Ultimately, Jennings became one of the great songwriters and singers of country, country rock, and a new genre – founded with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Jessi Coulter – called “Outlaw Country.”   He, Willie, Johnny Cash and Kristofferson also formed a group known as The Highwaymen and had recorded several hit songs together before he died in 2002 of complications from diabetes.

 

Known for his support of many social issues and causes, Jennings said that was an easy choice.  “A lot of times people don't want to hear it.  But you know, if some good is done to you, you should pass it on.”

A Writer's Moment: Opening those 'magic portals'

A Writer's Moment: Opening those 'magic portals':   “All of us create our own versions of an event, of our lives, even, not because we're liars, necessarily, but because we can only see ...

Opening those 'magic portals'

 

“All of us create our own versions of an event, of our lives, even, not because we're liars, necessarily, but because we can only see and understand the truth from our own viewpoint, and a shifting viewpoint at that.” – Deb Caletti

 

Born in California on June 16, 1963 Caletti is an award-winning writer, primarily of young adult fiction, although she has several adult novels to her credit as well.   Caletti studied journalism at the University of Washington, received some recognition for playwriting, but always wanted to try novels.  "When my son was two,” she said, “I got serious about writing. I didn’t want to be one of those people who talked about their dream but never did anything about it.” 

 

All of her works are set in the Pacific Northwest and her YA books are noted for tackling difficult issues related to relationship dynamics, family (including stepfamilies), change and resilience, and  connections between human and animal nature.

 

A National Book Award finalist (for Honey, Baby, Sweetheart), and a Michael L. Printz Honor Book medalist (for her most recent book A Heart in a Body in the World), she said she’s been a passionate reader and writer from an early age and speaks glowingly about libraries.  

 

“I understood right from the start that every set of library doors were the sort of magic portals that lead to other lands,” she said.  “My God, right within reach there were dinosaurs and planets and presidents and girl detectives!“

A Writer's Moment: An action that's 'worthy of reaching for'

A Writer's Moment: An action that's 'worthy of reaching for':   "I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection.  Excellence I can reach for; perfection is God's business." -  Mic...

An action that's 'worthy of reaching for'

 "I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection.  Excellence I can reach for; perfection is God's business." -  Michael J. Fox

Born in Edmonton, Alberta on June 9, 1961 Fox is staying exceptionally busy despite his ongoing battle with Parkinson's Disease, working on causes ranging from finding a cure for the illness to eradicating hunger and housing shortages.

Probably one of the most iconic faces in acting, especially for the two roles for which he always will be remembered - the young Republican Alex Keaton on Family Ties and teen adventurer extraordinaire Marty McFly in the Back to the Future movies - Fox also is a gifted writer.  Using his writing skills to do essays and bio pieces about the disease from which he suffers, he exudes optimism that with enough attention and support a cure can be found.

His book Lucky Man, about dealing with the disease, is a must read for those interested in how to overcome the deepest of odds.  His newest book (out in 2025) is Future Boy:  Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum.

Fox's acting career almost got sidelined from the start.  The director of Family Ties wanted him for the Alex role, but producer Brandon Tartikoff felt Keaton was "too short" (he's 5-foot-4) and not the kind of face you'd like to see on your kid's lunchbox."  But they tried him in the pilot and he was so well-received that he went on to be the key figure in the show, winning three Emmy Awards for his acting.

At the series' end, he presented Tartikoff with a lunchbox emblazoned with his face on the cover.

"I like to encourage people to realize that any action is a good action," Fox said, "IF it's proactive and there is a positive intent behind it."

A Writer's Moment: Who makes for good friends?

A Writer's Moment: Who makes for good friends?:   “Poetry and music are very good friends. Like mommies and daddies and strawberries and cream - they go together.”  –  Nikki Giovanni   ...