A Writer's Moment: 'The Gifts For Giving'

A Writer's Moment: 'The Gifts For Giving':   “The gifts that one receives for giving are so immeasurable that it is almost an injustice to accept them.” – Rod McKuen Born on A pri...

'The Gifts For Giving'

 

“The gifts that one receives for giving are so immeasurable that it is almost an injustice to accept them.” – Rod McKuen

Born on April 29, 1933 McKuen was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s and '70s.  McKuen, who died in 2015,  produced more than 30 books of poetry, and hundreds of recordings of popular music, spoken word poetry, film soundtracks and classical music. He earned two Academy Award nominations and one Pulitzer nomination for his compositions.

                                                                                                                         

I've always admired his works The Earth, The Sea and The Sky and his beautiful, sentimental ballad If You Go Away.  For Saturday’s Poem, from his string of poems that are simply titled with numbers, here is:

                                                                                                                                                     Twenty        

 

People riding trains are nice

they offer magazines

and Chocolate-covered cherries,

they offer details you want most to know

                                      about their recent operations.

If I’d been riding home to you

I could have listened with both ears

but I was on my way away.

Across from me

there was a girl crying

                        (long, silent tears)

while an old man held her hand.

It was only a while ago you said,

Take the seat by the window,

                             you’ll see more.

I filled the seat beside me

with my coat and books.

I’m antisocial without you.

I’m antiworld and people too.

Sometimes I think

I’ll never ride a train again.

At least not away.

 

 

 

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A Writer's Moment: 'The application of common sense'

A Writer's Moment: 'The application of common sense':   “Editing is simply the application of the common sense of any good reader. That's why, to be an editor, you have to be a reader. It&...

'The application of common sense'

 

“Editing is simply the application of the common sense of any good reader. That's why, to be an editor, you have to be a reader. It's the number one qualification. As an editor, I have to be tactful, of course.” —Robert Gottlieb

Born on this date in 1931, Gottlieb is both an editor AND a writer, but it’s his editorship for which he is best known, having served as editor of The New Yorker for a number of years and editor-in-chief at book giant Simon & Schuster for 30 years.

While at S&S, he discovered and edited Catch-22 by the then-unknown Joseph Heller, and during his years there he edited works by almost every major writer – both of fiction and nonfiction. 

Gottlieb said it was his love of reading that led to his fascination with dissecting how books were crafted.  “I was the only child, and I know my father had certain thoughts about me. He was a lawyer and extremely literary, but he would have been much happier if I had wanted to be a lawyer, a scientist, an engineer. But what I wanted to do was read.”

For a time he thought that also might mean that he would become a writer, but he said it was something he never really wanted to be.  “I don't like writing - it's so difficult to say what you mean,” he said.   “It's much easier to edit other people's writing … and help them say what they mean.”

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A Writer's Moment: 'Finding the right story'

A Writer's Moment: 'Finding the right story':   “I think writers have to be proactive: they've got to use new technology and social media. Yes, it's hard to get noticed by tradi...

'Finding the right story'

 

“I think writers have to be proactive: they've got to use new technology and social media. Yes, it's hard to get noticed by traditional publishers, but there's a great deal of opportunity out there if you've got the right story.” – Ian Rankin

Rankin, the Scottish crime writer best known for his “Inspector Rebus” novels, did not set out to be a crime writer and, in fact, didn’t think he had “the right story” at first.  He thought his first novels Knots and Crosses and Hide and Seek were more “mainstream,” keeping with the Scottish traditions of Robert Louis Stevenson and even Muriel Spark.   He was a bit disconcerted by their classification as “genre fiction,” worrying they might not draw a reading audience.

Not to worry.   So far, he’s written 44 books, dozens of short stories, movie & television pieces, working at his home in Edinburgh where he sets most of his novels.  One of the fun things about reading his books is to learn more about that Scottish city and the little details he weaves throughout.

Rankin, whose first job was in his dad’s grocery store, 

had lots of “life experiences” (always a plus for a writer)         

before becoming a full-time novelist.  He worked as a grape-picker, swineherd, taxman, alcohol researcher (I’d definitely like to hear more about that job), hi-fi journalist, college secretary, and punk musician in a band called The Dancing Pigs.

“I am, of course, a frustrated rock star - I'd much rather be a rock star than a writer,” he said.  “Or own a record shop. Still, it's not a bad life, is it? You just sit at a computer and make stuff up.”   

 

 

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A Writer's Moment: 'We Must Be Truthful'

A Writer's Moment: 'We Must Be Truthful':   “To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; and to be credible we must be truthful.”...

'We Must Be Truthful'

 

“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; and to be credible we must be truthful.” – Edward R. Murrow

 

Today marks the anniversary of the death of Murrow in 1965, a leading light in the news business for 35 years.  Murrow, born April 25, 1908 in North Carolina was honored often for his journalistic excellence and integrity, including the Medal of Freedom in 1964.  He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II just weeks before his death (from lung cancer).

A radio war correspondent in World War II, he founded the CBS television news program See It Now, and his work behind the CBS news desk and as an interviewer influenced two generations of news anchors, beginning with Walter Cronkite and followed by Dan Rather and Peter Jennings.  Today, his name graces the Excellence in Reporting awards given annually in both the print and broadcast worlds.

The 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck, directed by George Clooney, focused on Murrow's efforts to end Senator Joseph McCarthy's reign of intimidation in the early 1950s and inspired yet another generation of those seeking to “do journalism right.”  The world of journalism was made better and brighter by the life of this great reporter.

 

 

Edward R. Murrow

 

 

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A Writer's Moment: 'It's You In Partnership'

A Writer's Moment: 'It's You In Partnership':   “Writing in form is a way of developing your thinking - your thinking along with the tradition. In a way, it's not you alone, it'...

'It's You In Partnership'

 

“Writing in form is a way of developing your thinking - your thinking along with the tradition. In a way, it's not you alone, it's you in partnership.” — Marilyn Nelson

Born on this date in 1946, poet, translator and children's book writer Nelson is author or translator of 20 books and 5 chapbooks.  Professor emeritus of English at the University of Connecticut, she is the founder and director of Soul Mountain Retreat, a retreat center for new or emerging writers, especially poets.  

Born in Cleveland, the daughter of one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, she  began writing while in elementary school, gravitated to poetry and never looked back, although readers of her kids’ books say they’re glad she continued in that genre, too.   After earning a Ph.D. in English, she taught at Connecticut for many years and ultimately was honored by the State of Connecticut as Poet Laureate.

Nelson’s poetry collections include the terrific The Homeplace, which won the  Anisfield-Wolf Award and was the first of three of her books to be finalists for the National Book Award.   She is a winner of the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature, and the Frost Medal.                             

  

Soft spoken and thoughtful, Nelson said a person’s voice is as important in presenting a poem as are the words on paper.  “Many performance poets seem to believe that yelling a poem makes it comprehensible,” she said. “They are wrong.”

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A Writer's Moment: 'Finding a way to tell the story'

A Writer's Moment: 'Finding a way to tell the story':   “I've always believed that a good twist is one that, when it is presented to the audience, half of them say, 'I saw that coming.&...

'Finding a way to tell the story'

 

“I've always believed that a good twist is one that, when it is presented to the audience, half of them say, 'I saw that coming.' And half of them are completely and totally shocked. Because if you don't have the half that saw it coming, then it wasn't fair: You never gave the audience a chance to guess it.” –  Damon Lindelof

American television writer, producer, and film screenwriter, most noted as the co-creator of the television series Lost, Lindelof is a native New Jerseyite, born on this date in 1973.  Both praised and criticized for his his writing, he says that that’s exactly what any writer worth his or her salt should hope to achieve.  His ending for the Lost series left some viewers and critics mystified, some angry, and some feeling great.

“I love the 'Lost' ending,” Lindelof said.   “I stand by it, but there are a lot of people out there who hate it.”    

Regardless of how it ended, Lost received endless praise for its unique brand of storytelling and strong characters and the show never fell out of the top 30 throughout its six seasons on the air.   

“As cliched as it sounds,” Lindelof said,  “if you have an original voice and an original idea, then no matter what anybody says, you have to find a way to tell that story.”

 

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A Writer's Moment: Earth Day Every Day

A Writer's Moment: Earth Day Every Day:   "Our goal is not just an environment of clean air and water and scenic beauty. The objective is an environment of decency, quality a...

Earth Day Every Day

 

"Our goal is not just an environment of clean air and water and scenic beauty. The objective is an environment of decency, quality and mutual respect for all other human beings and all other living creatures." Gaylord Nelson

I was just out of college when I was assigned to report on the first Earth Day in 1970.   My editor was skeptical that anything might happen, but it soon became clear that people, especially young people, were organizing dozens and dozens of projects and I was on the front line reporting them.

In 1990, I was able to bring Senator Nelson as a guest speaker on Earth Day to the college campus where I was working as Director of Public Relations.  He spoke eloquently and passionately about why we must continue to not only carry it forward but expand upon it each and every year.

 

 

Gaylord Nelson

“Earth Day achieved what I had hoped for and then some,” he told the students.   “The purpose of Earth Day was to get a nationwide demonstration of concern for the environment so large that it would shake the political establishment out of its lethargy and, finally, force this issue permanently into the political arena.

“It was truly an astonishing grassroots explosion. For the first time people were given the opportunity to demonstrate their deep concern about what was happening in their own communities and across the nation – polluted air, rivers, lakes and oceans; health threatening hazardous wastes; urban blight; pesticide and herbicide poisoning of people, plants, birds and animals; the destruction of scenic beauty and wildlife habitats. All of this swirling around them and the politicians didn't seem to know, understand or care. But the people cared and Earth Day became the first opportunity they ever had to join in a nationwide demonstration to send a big message to the politicians – a message to tell them to wake up and do something.”

 

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