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A Writer's Moment: 'Property of the imagination' : “The English language is nobody's special property. ...
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“One of the great joys of life is creativity. Information goes in, gets shuffled about, and comes out in new and intere...
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A Writer's Moment: 'Information In; Creative Responses Out' : “One of the great joys of life is creativity....
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A Writer's Moment: 'Be willing to fail' : “I'm always terrified when I'm writing.” – Mary Karr ...
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A Writer's Moment: 'Story ideas surround you' : “I always tell my students, 'If you walk around with your eyes and ears...
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“Librarians and romance writers accomplish one mission better than anyone, including English teachers: we create readers for life - and w...
Saturday, June 29, 2019
A Writer's Moment: Poetic Versatility Personified
A Writer's Moment: Poetic Versatility Personified: "I grew up aware of two ways of looking at the world that are opposed to each other and yet can exist side by side in the same person...
Poetic Versatility Personified
"I grew up aware of two ways of
looking at the world that are opposed to each other and yet can exist side by
side in the same person. One is the scientific view. The other is the magic
view." –
Nancy Willard
Born
this week in 1936, Willard (who I featured earlier this week for her career in
writing) was an award-winning, versatile
author of many of volumes of poetry. The first author to win the Newbery Prize
(recognizing the best in children’s literature) for a book of poetry for
children, she also wrote novels, short stories and literary criticism for
adults. For Saturday’s Poem, here is
Willard’s,
The dragonfly at
rest on the doorbell—
too weak to ring
and glad of it,
but well mannered
and cautious,
thinking it best
to observe us quietly
before flying in,
and who knows if he will find
the way out?
Cautious of traps, this one.
A winged cross,
plain, the body straight
as a thermometer,
the old glass kind
that could kill us
with mercury if our teeth
did not respect
its brittle body. Slim as an eel
but a solitary
glider, a pilot without bombs
or weapons, and
wings clear and small as a wish
to see over our
heads, to see the whole picture.
And when our gaze
grazes over it and moves on,
the dragonfly
changes its clothes,
sheds its old
skin, shriveled like laundry,
and steps forth,
polished black, with two
circles buttoned
like epaulettes taking the last space
at the edge of its
eyes.
Writer’s Moment with a friend at httpe://writersmoment.blogspot.com
Friday, June 28, 2019
A Writer's Moment: 'Life Is About Not Knowing'
A Writer's Moment: 'Life Is About Not Knowing': “I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a...
'Life Is About Not Knowing'
“I
wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t
rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle and end.”
– Gilda Radner
One of the joys in my life has been knowing Joan Licursi, among the longtime leaders of Gilda’s Club in New York City – an institute set up in the name of Gilda Radner to insure that no one has to face the ravages of cancer alone. Radner was born on this date in 1946 and after her death from cancer in 1989, family and friends founded Gilda’s Club, both in her memory and to help others with the disease.
The organization took its name from
Radner's comment that cancer gave her "membership to an elite club I'd
rather not belong to.” Radner's story
can be read in her inspiring, humorous and heart-wrenching book, It's Always
Something, written after her diagnosis with the illness. Gilda’s Club has become a global network
serving multi-thousands of victims and their families.
“While we have the gift of life, it
seems to me the only tragedy is to allow part of us to die - whether it is our
spirit, our creativity or our glorious uniqueness,” Radner once said. “Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the
best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.”
Thursday, June 27, 2019
A Writer's Moment: It's the 'Rhythm' of Each Sentence
A Writer's Moment: It's the 'Rhythm' of Each Sentence: “Read everything, write all the time. And if you can do anything else that gives you equal pleasure and allows you t...
It's the 'Rhythm' of Each Sentence
“Read
everything, write all the time. And if
you can do anything else that gives you equal pleasure and allows you to sleep
soundly at night, do that instead. The
writing life is an odd one, to say the least.”
– Alice McDermott
Born
in Brooklyn, NY, on this date in 1953, McDermott is a writer
of numerous short stories and 8 novels as well as Professor of Humanities at Johns Hopkins
University in Maryland. All of her
novels have earned accolades and awards, led by Charming Billy, for
which she won both the American Book Award and
the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction.
The product of Catholic
elementary and high schools, she studied at state universities after that,
earning degrees in English and writing. Prior
to her current position, she served as
writer-in-residence at both Lynchburg College and Hollins College in Virginia
and was lecturer in English at the University of New Hampshire, where she
earned her Master’s degree.
Her
short stories have appeared in a wide variety of magazines, journals and
newspapers including Redbook, The New Yorker, and Seventeen,
The New York Times and The Washington Post. What makes writing click for her?
“I've got to hear the rhythm of the
sentences; I want the music of the prose. I want to see ordinary things
transformed not by the circumstances in which I see them but by the language
with which they're described,” she said. “That's what I love when I read.”
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
A Writer's Moment: A Writers' Role Model
A Writer's Moment: A Writers' Role Model: “Armenian folklore has it that three apples fell from Heaven: one for the teller of a story, one for the listener, and...
A Writers' Role Model
“Armenian
folklore has it that three apples fell from Heaven: one for the teller of a
story, one for the listener, and the third for the one who 'took it to heart.'
What a pity Heaven awarded no apple to the one who wrote the story down.”
– Nancy Willard
Willard, born in Ann Arbor, MI, on
this date in 1936, was a novelist, poet and both author and illustrator of
children’s books and won the coveted Newbery Medal for her combination
poetry-prose children’s book A Visit To
William Blake’s Inn.
After growing up “surrounded by
stories and storytellers,” she studied writing at the University of Michigan,
where she earned both her B.A. and Ph.D.
(sandwiched around a Master’s degree from Stanford). She started her career by teaching writing
at Vassar and then branched off to her writing, particularly children’s and
young adult books, combining writing and teaching throughout her life. Over the years she authored 4 novels, 4
nonfiction books, 18 books of poetry, and a remarkable 43 children’s books, the
last one, Gum, published just months
before her death in 2017.
Among her many awards besides the
Newbery Medal were an O.Henry Prize, 2 National Endowment for the Arts
Literature Fellowships, and a Devins Award for Poetry.
“When I was growing up,” Willard said, “I loved stories in which a girl sets out on a
quest to rescue the prince instead of the other way around.”
Writer’s Moment with a friend at httpe://writersmoment.blogspot.com
Monday, June 24, 2019
A Writer's Moment: You Gotta Show Up For Work
A Writer's Moment: You Gotta Show Up For Work: “I don't teach writing. I teach patience. Toughness. Stubbornness. The willingness to fail. I teach life. The odd ...
You Gotta Show Up For Work
“I don't teach writing. I teach
patience. Toughness. Stubbornness. The willingness to fail. I teach life. The
odd thing is most of the things that stop an inexperienced writer are so far
from the truth as to be nearly beside the point. When you feel global doubt
about your talent, that is your talent. People who have no talent don't have
any doubt.” –
Richard Bausch
Born
at Fort Benning, GA 1945, Bausch now makes his home in southern California
where he is a professor of writing at Chapman University and an award-winning
writer of short stories, novels and poetry.
Among
his numerous awards are a Guggenheim, the PEN/Faulkner for
Excellence in Short Story Writing, and a W.Y. Boyd for Excellence in
Military Writing for his multiple-award winning historical novel Peace.
His advice for those who aspire to writing: “Write a little bit every day,
each day. Visit it, every day - in other words, show up for work.”
Writer’s Moment with a friend at httpe://writersmoment.blogspot.com
Sunday, June 23, 2019
A Writer's Moment: Shaking Up The 'Familiar'
A Writer's Moment: Shaking Up The 'Familiar': “The role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say.” – Anaïs Nin Anaïs Nin was...
Shaking Up The 'Familiar'
“The role of a writer is not to say
what we can all say, but what we are unable to say.” – Anaïs
Nin
Anaïs
Nin was largely ignored as a writer until the 1960s. Today she is regarded as
one of the leading women writers of the 20th Century and a source of
inspiration for all who challenge conventionally defined gender roles.
Born
in 1903 to Cuban parents living in France, she spent some years in both Spain
and Cuba before living most of her life in the United States where she honed her writing skills through her journals, meticulously kept from age 11
until her death at age 74. Nin is yet
another great example of the value of journal writing and how it can not only shape one's writing, but also provide a mirror on the day-to-day happenings of the world around us.
“It is the function of art and
writing to renew our perception,” she said.
“What we are familiar with we cease to see. The writer shakes up the
familiar scene, and, as if by magic, we see a new meaning in it.”
Saturday, June 22, 2019
A Writer's Moment: Authoring 'Real Life' Poetry
A Writer's Moment: Authoring 'Real Life' Poetry: “I do think I have an ability to record sensual and emotional facts and factoids, to construct a convincing surface of what life feels lik...
Authoring 'Real Life' Poetry
“I
do think I have an ability to record sensual and emotional facts and factoids,
to construct a convincing surface of what life feels like, both physical life
and emotional life.” – Anne Carson
Born in
Canada on June 21, 1950, Carson is a poet, essayist, translator and
Professor of Classics who taught first in Canada and then at both the
University of Michigan and Princeton University in the U.S. Winner of both Guggenheim and
MacArthur (the “Genius Grant”) Fellowships, she also won the prestigious Pushcart
Prize for her poetry, often lauded for both what the poems say and how they are
portrayed on paper. For Saturday’s Poem, here is Carson’s,
Room In Brooklyn
This
slow
day
moves
Along the room
I
hear
its
axles
go
A gradual dazzle
upon
the ceiling
Gives me that
racy
bluishyellow
feeling
As hours
blow
the wide
way
Down my afternoon.
slow
day
moves
Along the room
I
hear
its
axles
go
A gradual dazzle
upon
the ceiling
Gives me that
racy
bluishyellow
feeling
As hours
blow
the wide
way
Down my afternoon.
Friday, June 21, 2019
A Writer's Moment: A Key To Writing Success
A Writer's Moment: A Key To Writing Success: “I often will write a scene from three different points of view to find out which has the most tension and which way I...
A Key To Writing Success
“I
often will write a scene from three different points of view to find out which
has the most tension and which way I’m able to conceal the information I’m
trying to conceal. And that is, at the
end of the day, what writing suspense is all about.”– Dan Brown
Born in New Hampshire Brown (who
turns 55 tomorrow) has utilized his technique to perfection. His thrillers exude suspense and his readers
flock to them, having purchased well over 200 million copies since his first
success, The Da Vinci Code in
2003. Brown's novels are treasure hunts
set in a 24-hour period, and feature the recurring themes of
cryptography, keys, symbols, codes and conspiracy theories. They’ve been translated into 52
languages.
While writing is his life it wasn’t
that way until the mid-1990s when he was on vacation, read a thriller by Sidney
Sheldon, and decided that’s what he really wanted to do. Up until then he had been a successful
singer, songwriter and pianist.
Brown likes the real people in his life as key
characters – a great writing technique that every writer should consider. And it certainly helps answer that old
question often tossed a writer’s direction: “Where do you get your characters?”
His secret to his success (besides having writing talent, of course): “Hard
work. I still get up every morning at 4
a.m. I write seven days a week,
including Christmas. I still face a
blank page every morning, and my characters don’t really care how many books
I’ve sold."
Writer’s Moment with a friend at httpe://writersmoment.blogspot.com
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
A Writer's Moment: A Comic Book Superhero
A Writer's Moment: A Comic Book Superhero: “Take something you love, tell people about it, bring together people who share your love, and help make it better. Ultimately, you'll ...
A Comic Book Superhero
“Take
something you love, tell people about it, bring together people who share your
love, and help make it better. Ultimately, you'll have more of whatever you
love for yourself and the world.” – Julius Schwartz
Perhaps few people even know
Schwartz’s name, but he left readers with a lasting legacy by helping develop
some of our most iconic comic book “superheroes” during his lifetime. Schwartz also came
up with the concept (and title) of the Justice League of America.
Born
on this date in 1915, Schwartz (who died in 2004) was DC
Comics’ primary editor in the development of DC’s flagship superheroes Superman and
Batman. Also a literary agent, he co-founded the Solar Sales Service
Literary Agency, where he represented such writers as Robert Bloch, Ray
Bradbury and H. P. Lovecraft, including some of Bradbury's first published
works and Lovecraft's last.
He is credited with helping organize the first
World Science Fiction Convention in
1939 and is one of just a few editors to be inducted into both the Comic
Industry’s Jack Kirby Hall of Fame and the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame,
something he found almost unbelievable. “Not too many people,” he said, “ever know who the editor is.”
Writer’s Moment with a friend at httpe://writersmoment.blogspot.com
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
A Writer's Moment: From Storytelling To Redemption
A Writer's Moment: From Storytelling To Redemption: "Storytelling makes possible redemptions and healings that can't happen in any other way." – Stephen Do...
From Storytelling To Redemption
"Storytelling
makes possible redemptions and healings that can't happen in any other
way." – Stephen Donaldson
While Donaldson is American, he has been “other-worldly” in his writing, developing a wide range of fantasy and science fiction novels that have cemented his position as a leading writer in the genre’ and had him knocking around in an alternative universe as his primary setting. His most well-known series is the 10-novel fantasy The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
While Donaldson is American, he has been “other-worldly” in his writing, developing a wide range of fantasy and science fiction novels that have cemented his position as a leading writer in the genre’ and had him knocking around in an alternative universe as his primary setting. His most well-known series is the 10-novel fantasy The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
Donaldson’s writing – sometimes characterized
by its psychological complexity and use of an arcane
vocabulary – has generally attracted critical praise for its "imagination, vivid
characterizations, and fast pace."
I think he also deserves high marks for great choice of titles (one I
especially like is The Rune of Earth).
A graduate of The College of Wooster
and Kent State (both in Ohio), he currently makes his home in New Mexico where
he celebrated his 72nd birthday in mid-May. “I may
not yet be as old as dirt,” he said, “but
dirt and I have an awful lot in common.”
Sunday, June 16, 2019
A Writer's Moment: An 'Understanding' of Truth
A Writer's Moment: An 'Understanding' of Truth: “All of us create our own versions of an event, of our lives, even, not because we're liars, necessarily, but beca...
An 'Understanding' of Truth
“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 this date in 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 the connections between human nature
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 of libraries and their influence.
“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!“
Saturday, June 15, 2019
A Writer's Moment: Poetry Expresses Love Of The World
A Writer's Moment: Poetry Expresses Love Of The World: “When it (poetry) aims to express a love of the world it refuses to conceal the many reasons why the world is hard...
Poetry Expresses Love Of The World
“When
it (poetry) aims to express a love of the world it refuses to conceal the many
reasons why the world is hard to love, though we must love it because we have
no other, and to fail to love it is not to exist at all.”
– Mark Van Doren
Born in June 1894, Van Doren was a
poet, writer, critic and professor of English at Columbia University for nearly
40 years, shaping the writing skills of dozens of America’s leading 20th
century writers. His teaching skills
were such that Columbia created an annual award in his name honoring its best
teacher as selected by the students. In
1940, Van Doren was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his poetry.
For Saturday’s Poem, here are Van
Doren’s
Nothing Stays Spring Thunder
Nothing stays Listen, the wind is still,
not even change, And
far away in the night –
That can grow tired See! The uplands fill
of it's own name; With
a running light.
The very thought
too much for it. Open the doors. It is warm;
And where the sky was
clear—
Somewhere in air Look!
The head of a storm
a stillness is, That
marches here!
So far, so thin-
But let it alone. Come
under the trembling hedge—
Whoever we are Fast,
although you fumble...
it is not for us There! Did you hear the edge
of winter crumble?
of winter crumble?
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