A Writer's Moment: Kindness Is Everyone's Business

A Writer's Moment: Kindness Is Everyone's Business: “My doctrine is this: If we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and do nothing, we make ourselves sha...

Kindness Is Everyone's Business

“My doctrine is this: If we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt. Cruelty and oppression … is everybody’s business to interfere with when they see it.” – Anna Sewell

Born this date in Great Yarmouth, England, Anna Sewell embedded herself in our culture and concern for animals with her classic novel Black Beauty, written in 1877 while she was nearing death from tuberculosis.  It is her only published work. 

The novel, made into several movies as well, became an immediate best-seller.  Sewell died just five months after its publication but lived long enough to see its impact and success. With 50 million copies sold, Black Beauty is one of the best-selling books of all time. 

Although originally written for those who worked with horses, it also teaches us how to treat people with kindness, sympathy and respect.

“It is good people who make good places.  Never miss an opportunity to tell someone how much they mean to you.”

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A Writer's Moment: 'Breathings of Your Heart'

A Writer's Moment: 'Breathings of Your Heart': “Fill your papers with the breathings of your heart.” – William Wordsworth   Wise words from the man who helped launch what’s known as...

'Breathings of Your Heart'

“Fill your papers with the breathings of your heart.” – William Wordsworth
 

Wise words from the man who helped launch what’s known as “The Romantic Age” in English literature with his share of the renowned Lyrical Ballads in 1798. 

                                    His “Lines Written in Early Spring,” one of the ballads, has some of the most beautiful descriptive writing about the season ever penned, and if you want to see a “How it should be done” piece read that one alone -- if you don’t have time for the entire Lyrical Ballads masterpiece.

Poet Laureate of Great Britain from1843-1850, the year of his death, Wordsworth wrote a string of beautiful in-depth poems over a span of 50 years, including The Prelude, considered one of the greatest epic poems of all time.

“The best portion of a man’s life," Wordsworth said,   "(are) his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.”

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A Writer's Moment: 'Lost in Adventure'

A Writer's Moment: 'Lost in Adventure': “The poet is a madman lost in adventure.” – Paul Verlaine   Born in Northeast France on March 30, 1844, Verlaine became associated w...

'Lost in Adventure'

“The poet is a madman lost in adventure.” – Paul Verlaine

 Born in Northeast France on March 30, 1844, Verlaine became associated with the so-called “Symbolist” writing movement of the mid-to-late 19^th Century and one of France’s best-known poets.   He started his writing career after completing his collegiate studies in Paris and doing stints in the French Army, the Civil Service, and as a writing teacher.  

             After his first book of poetry, Poèmes saturniens, became an instant success,  he wrote 2 dozen more books of poems before his death at the relatively young age of 52.  Two years before his death, he was named France’s “Prince of Poets.”  For Saturday’s Poem, here is Verlaine’s,

                                                Clair De Lune

Your soul is as a moonlit landscape fair,
Peopled with maskers delicate and dim,
That play on lutes and dance and have an air
Of being sad in their fantastic trim.

The while they celebrate in minor strain
Triumphant love, effective enterprise,
They have an air of knowing all is vain,
And through the quiet moonlight their songs rise.

The melancholy moonlight, sweet and lone,
That makes to dream the birds upon the tree,
And in their polished basins of white stone
The fountains tall to sob with ecstasy. 

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A Writer's Moment: Bearing Witness To Her World

A Writer's Moment: Bearing Witness To Her World: “Writing is far too hard work to say what someone else wants me to. Serving it as a craft, using it as a way of growing in my own understa...

Bearing Witness To Her World

“Writing is far too hard work to say what someone else wants me to. Serving it as a craft, using it as a way of growing in my own understanding, seems to me to be a beautiful way to live. And if that product is shareable with other people, so much the better.” – Jane Rule

Born in New Jersey on March 28, 1931, Rule studied writing at  Mills College in California, spent time working and living in England and then taught for a time in Massachusetts before relocating to Canada for the final 50 years of her life.  

                   Her first novel, Desert of the Heart, was rejected 22 times before being published in 1964 and establishing her as both a major writer and key spokesperson for gay rights.  In 1985 the book was adapted into an award-winning movie Desert Hearts.  

 

From 1964 to her death in 2007 Rule authored another dozen novels and numerous essays, served on the executive committee of the Writers' Union of Canada, and earned a basketfull of writing prizes, including two lifetime achievement awards.

“Every artist seems to me to have the job of bearing witness to the world we live in,” Rule once said.  “To some extent I think of all of us as artists, because we have voices and we are each of us unique.”

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A Writer's Moment: A 'Techno-Writer' From The Beginnng

A Writer's Moment: A 'Techno-Writer' From The Beginnng: “I've been on the Web from the beginning of the Web. The good part about writing about technology is that you never run out of ideas, ...

A 'Techno-Writer' From The Beginnng

“I've been on the Web from the beginning of the Web. The good part about writing about technology is that you never run out of ideas, because it's changing so fast. The bad part is that it's changing so fast that there's a million new products and ideas every day and every week.” – Walt Mossberg

Born in Rhode Island on this date in 1947, Mossberg is widely credited with pioneering modern, consumer-focused technology review and commentary.  The longtime principal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal, he also co-founded the online newsletter AllThingsD and the technology news website Recode and created the D and Code Conferences.

A graduate of both Brandeis and Columbia Universities, where he studied Journalism, he was the first technology writer to receive the prestigious Loeb Award for Commentary, and in 2001, he won the World Technology Award for Media and Journalism.

Mossberg is rightly regarded as a visionary in reporting on the technology field, abruptly changing from a successful career as a political writer to one in technology when worldwide users were only numbered in the thousands.    “It's often hard to remember that the personal computing era is still quite young,” he said.  “It only dates from 1977, with the arrival of the first mass-market PCs.” 

 “I was an early user of AOL - so early, I didn't even have a number after my user name. For me, email was once vital, both for personal and business uses.  (Today) email is a Senior Citizen.”

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A Writer's Moment: 'Life: It Goes On'

A Writer's Moment: 'Life: It Goes On': “ In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life:   it goes on.” – Robert Frost Frost was born...

'Life: It Goes On'

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life:  it goes on.” – Robert Frost

Frost was born in California in March of 1874 but grew up and spent most of his life in New England.  I’ve always loved Frost’s poetry and the imagery and attention he pays to the land. 

His realistic depictions of rural life, the beauty of the land, and command of American colloquial speech – all while examining complex social and philosophical themes – may never be equaled. 

Poetry is a simple process, he liked to say.  It's just an emotion finding a thought and the thought finding its words.   Like every writer he hit dry periods, but unlike many he had something to say about that.  “Poets,” he noted, “are like baseball pitchers.  Both have their moments.  It’s the intervals that are the tough things.”  

The only poet to win four Pulitzer Prizes, he also was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, being named Poet Laureate of Vermont, and delivering an original poem at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy.   A great teacher, he liked to say that education is just hanging around until you’ve caught on.  

 “I talk in order to understand,” he said.  “But I teach in order to learn.”

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A Writer's Moment: 'Thanks, I'll Have Another'

A Writer's Moment: 'Thanks, I'll Have Another': “One of the nice things about books as opposed to television and movies … is people really do get involved, and they d...

'Thanks, I'll Have Another'

“One of the nice things about books as opposed to television and movies … is people really do get involved, and they do create, and they do have their own visions of what different characters look like and what should happen.  It’s great.  It means their brains are working.” – James Patterson

Born in New York on March 22, 1947, James Patterson has become the most prolific author of all time with his phenomenal success as a mystery and children’s writer.  Intending to become a college professor, he was a Ph.D. candidate when he decided to try his hand at advertising and, like everything he tries his hand at, succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.   But, he abruptly retired in 1996 to devote his time to writing.  Good move.

His novels, especially featuring detective/psychologist Alex Cross, have been among the most popular of all time selling hundreds of millions with 114 reaching Number 1 on the New York Times bestseller list.  He holds the distinction of having had more books sold as e-books than any other author, and he is the first author to ever have the Number 1 titles in both adult and children’s categories at the same time.       His awards include the Edgar, the BCA Mystery Guild’s Thriller of the Year, and the International Thriller of the Year.  But, he said, the award he most cherishes is Author of the Year from the Children’s Choice Awards.

“This is what I believe is most important:” he said, “Getting good books into the hands of kids – books that will make them want to say, ‘Wow, that was great.  Give me another one to read.’”

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A Writer's Moment: Always Scratch That 'Creative Itch'

A Writer's Moment: Always Scratch That 'Creative Itch': “Why can’t somebody give us a list of things everybody thinks and nobody says, and another list of the things that eve...

Always Scratch That 'Creative Itch'

“Why can’t somebody give us a list of things everybody thinks and nobody says, and another list of the things that everybody says but nobody thinks?”—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Holmes, born in 1809, was a member of the Fireside Poets, whose fellow members proclaimed him “one of the best writers and thinkers of our day.”

Those would probably be throw-away words except for the fact that the other writers doing the proclaiming were Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, William Cullen Bryant, John Greenleaf Whittier and James Russell Lowell, all of whom wrote some of the most memorable and thoughtful pieces in American literatary and poetic history.  

The Boston-based Holmes was a physician, professor and lecturer and one of America’s most popular mid-19^th Century poets.  He was encouraging to all who sought his advice, telling them not to hesitate to scratch their “creative itches.”   “If you have creative things to say, then say them,” he often advised.

“Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so?” he asked.  “Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. And before they know it, time runs out.”

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A Writer's Moment: Tapping Into 'A Secret Language'

A Writer's Moment: Tapping Into 'A Secret Language': “When I started writing poetry in my senior term of high school - I was sixteen - I felt in touch with a secret language. It gave me a sens...

Tapping Into 'A Secret Language'

“When I started writing poetry in my senior term of high school - I was sixteen - I felt in touch with a secret language. It gave me a sense of identity. I suddenly discovered I wasn't alone.” – Gerard Malanga

Born in New York City on this date in 1943, Malanga is a world-renowned poet and a noted filmmaker, photographer, curator and actor. 

He’s also a founding editor – with Andy Warhol – of Interview Magazine, a collaboration that grew out of working in all phases of Warhol's creative output in silkscreen painting and filmmaking.  Malanga acted in many of Warhol’s films and choreographed the music of the “Velvet Underground” for Warhol's multimedia presentation, The Exploding Plastic Inevitable.   Malanga has authored 12 photography books, 2 biographies and 23 books of poetry, the most recent being 2018’s The Beats Portfolio.   For Saturday’s Poem, here is Malanga’s,

                                                          Days of Rome

Days of nothingness
Days of clear skies the temperature descending
Days of no telephone calls or all the wrong ones
Days of complete boredom and nothing
is happening
Days of 1967 coming to a close in the frigid condition of chest
cold and cough
drops
Days of afternoons in the life of a young girl
not being on time
Days of daydreams exploding
Days of utter frustration
Days of my film being cursed and myself
with the curse never lifting
Days of closed windows to keep the cold
out the livingroom warm
Days of avoiding lunch for a phone-call
with change of plans for the day
Days of posting letters
Days of no mail today
Days of fatigue and amphetamine highs
Days of Charles Edward Ives
Days of the 4:00 pm doldrums
Days of wonder drugs to challenge the common cold
Days of utter frustration
Days of forgetting

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A Writer's Moment: Exploring The Universe of Writing and Gaming

A Writer's Moment: Exploring The Writing & Gaming Universe: “In good writing, the contemplative and the exciting happen at the same time.” – Dave Morris A native of England,...

Exploring The Writing & Gaming Universe

“In good writing, the contemplative and the exciting happen at the same time.” – Dave Morris

A native of England, where he was born on this date in 1957, Morris is the author of more than 70 books, including the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, and a leading developer of the "Empire of the Petal Throne" gaming system (created by MAR Barker and published by TSR).  He also has created the playable rules system Tirikelu; edited a fanzine; and co-authored a book on the computer gaming industry.

Prior to diving into fantasy computer gaming, he wrote a number of major fantasy and horror books, including the 7-book Knightmare series – a historical fantasy adventure series set in the early 13th century that ties in with a television series of that same name – and the bestselling contemporary horror novel, Lost Souls.    

Among his many successful publications are the “Blood Sword,” “Dragon Warriors,” and “Fabled Land” series.  “When you're a writer,” Morris said,  “everything that interests you feeds into your work.”  He also said that good writers also need to be good sales people for themselves and their works.

“Standing out as a writer today requires more than a bright idea and limpid prose,” he said.  “Authors need to become businesspeople as well.”

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A Writer's Moment: Reading, Writing and Happiness

A Writer's Moment: Reading, Writing and Happiness: “Perfect happiness is knowing that everyone I love is healthy, safe, and content.” – Joy Fielding Fielding’s quot...

Reading, Writing and Happiness

“Perfect happiness is knowing that everyone I love is healthy, safe, and content.” – Joy Fielding

Fielding’s quote just seemed apropos during this time of upheaval – plus she was born on this date in 1945, so that made it another great reason to talk a bit about her and her writing.

Born in Toronto, Canada (where she still makes her home), Fielding has been both a writer and an actress but she’s been in the writing field a lot longer, having started at the age of 8.  And while she’s acted in a number of TV shows and a few movies, she’s much better known for her writing with 27-plus novels to her credit, led by the mega-bestsellers Kiss Mommy Goodbye and The Bad Daughter.  

 

               Fielding said her primary market has been the U.S. and and that may be because most of her books are set in U.S. locales.  She said that she prefers setting her tales in big American cities, where the landscape is a better “fit” for her themes of urban alienation and loss of identity.

“I'm writing exactly the kinds of books I like to write,” she said.  “And they're the kinds of books I like to read. They're popular commercial fiction. That's what they are.” 

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A Writer's Moment: An Irish Blessing To Us All

A Writer's Moment: An Irish Blessing To Us All: “You are never too old to set another goal, or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis On St. Patrick’s Day, ‘tis a g...

An Irish Blessing To Us All

“You are never too old to set another goal, or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis

On St. Patrick’s Day, ‘tis a good opportunity to salute the writing of Clive Staple (C.S.) Lewis, born in Ireland in 1898, and one of the greatest writers of the 20^th Century.

Despite his quote above, Lewis started young, beginning to write in his parents’ attic at age 7 and never really stopping.  He wrote more than 30 books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to resonate worldwide.  Among C.S. Lewis's most distinguished and popular books are Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Screwtape Letters and, of course, the universally acknowledged The Chronicles of Narnia.  To date, the Narnia books alone have sold over 100 million copies and been made into 3 major motion pictures. 

His impact on the world's literature is ever-lasting, and he himself had a great love of literature and for what it stood.   "Literature," he said, "adds to reality, it does not simply describe it.  It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives already have become."  

As the world deals with a widespread pandemic, may the luck of the Irish -- and the words of this blessing -- be with us all.

 

An Irish Blessing

May your days be many

                                                and your troubles be few.

May all God's blessings

descend upon you.

May peace be within you

may your heart be strong.

May you find what you're

seeking wherever you roam.

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