A Writer's Moment: 'Oh no!' it's that 'heartbreaking' result

A Writer's Moment: 'Oh no!' it's that 'heartbreaking' result:   “The awful thing, as a kid reading, was that you came to the end of the story, and that was it. I mean, it would be heartbreaking that the...

'Oh no!' it's that 'heartbreaking' result

 

“The awful thing, as a kid reading, was that you came to the end of the story, and that was it. I mean, it would be heartbreaking that there was no more of it.” – Robert Creeley

 

Born in Massachusetts in May of 1926, Creeley authored more than 60 books of poems and one novel.   Associated with the Black Mountain Poets, he was widely recognized as one of the most important and influential American poets of the 20th century. The winner of numerous awards, he was named for the prestigious Bollingen Prize and served as New York Poet Laureate.  For Saturday’s Poem, here are two of Creeley’s short poems, 

 

Love Comes Quietly         and                       Oh No !

 

Love comes quietly,                                 If you wander far enough                           
finally, drops                                              you will come to it
about me, on me,                                      and when you get there
in the old ways.                                         they will give you a place to sit    

What did I know                                       for yourself only, in a nice chair.
thinking myself                                         And all your friends will be there
able to go                                                     with smiles on their faces,

alone all the way.                                     they will likewise all have places.

 

A Writer's Moment: 'Great characters; great tale'

A Writer's Moment: 'Great characters; great tale':   “The characters are always the focal point of a book for me, whether I'm writing or reading. I may enjoy a book that has an intriguing...

'Great characters; great tale'

 

“The characters are always the focal point of a book for me, whether I'm writing or reading. I may enjoy a book that has an intriguing mystery or a good plot, but . . . it has to have great characters.” – Candace Camp

 

Born in Amarillo, Texas on this date in 1949, Camp is the maiden name of Candace Hopcus, who started her prolific writing career while simultaneously earning a law degree in the 1970s.  She said writing just seemed to come naturally and she wrote to relax.  The majority of her works are in the Romance genre where she’s published a remarkable 70-plus novels under the names Lisa Gregory, Kristin James, Sharon Stevens and, of course, Camp. 

 

Her first book Bonds of Love came out as Lisa Gregory and her most recent, The Marrying Season, as Camp, her author’s title of choice for most of her books.

 

The winner of a number of awards, including a Romantic Times’ Lifetime Achievement Award, Camp is the daughter of a writer (journalist Lula Mae Irons Camp) and mother to one (Young Adult novelist Anastasia Hopcus).  She lists her mother as a great role model.

 

“She had the best memory of anyone I know,”Camp said, “and she could really tell a tale.” 

A Writer's Moment: 'It's an obvious fact'

A Writer's Moment: 'It's an obvious fact':   “A man should keep his brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber-roo...

'It's an obvious fact'

 

“A man should keep his brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber-room of his brain library, where he can get it if he wants it.” –Arthur Conan Doyle

 

Born in Scotland on this date in 1859, Doyle created one of the iconic figures in literary history - the detective Sherlock Holmes.   Noted for his to-the-point comments while solving mysteries, Holmes once pointed out that, “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.” Doyle wrote his first Holmes book, A Study in Scarlet, in 1887, the first of just four novels he wrote about Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson, but further enhanced by 58 short stories featuring the famous duo.  

 

Widely considered milestones in the field of crime fiction, the Holmes' stories spawned dozens (if not more) uses of Holmes by other writers as well as many movies and television programs.  And they brought Deerstalker hats and Meerschaum pipes into vogue.  

The prolific Doyle - in addition to the Holmes' tales - wrote more than 200 stories and articles, four volumes of poetry, and a number of works for the stage, ranging from fantasy and science fiction to romance.  He also wrote a number of nonfiction books and seven historical novels, led by the bestselling Sir Nigel and The White Company.   For his contributions to writing, he was knighted in 1902 becoming “Sir” Arthur Conan Doyle, a title to which he is often referred. 

 

“Once you eliminate the impossible," he had his famous detective say, "whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”  

A Writer's Moment: 'indefatigable optimism' and writing power

A Writer's Moment: 'indefatigable optimism' and writing power:   “The optimism of a healthy mind is indefatigable.”  – Margery Allingham   Allingham was – as the old saying goes – “bo...