'Tangling with human emotions'

 

“I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.” – James A. Michener

 

Born in Pennsylvania on this date in 1907 Michener wrote 40-plus books, hundreds of essays and short stories, and several screenplays and radio pieces. Most of his popular novels, which have sold over 75 million copies, are lengthy family sagas based on detailed historical, cultural, and even geological research.  

 

Michener’s writing career began during his naval service during World War II.   His first effort (at age 40) was the Pulitzer Prize-winning Tales of the South Pacific, also the foundation for Rodgers and Hammerstein’s long-running award-winning Broadway show and movie South Pacific.    His book Centennial, set in my adopted state of Colorado, was written to coincide with the state’s 100^th and nation’s 200^th birthday and is still exciting and relevant in this 150^th and 250^th anniversary year.

 

I first got turned on to both Michener and my own itch to become a writer when my high school English teacher handed me a copy of his book Hawaii and said, “Read this and maybe someday you can write like he does.  You have it in you.” 

 

“I think the crucial thing in the writing career is to find what you want to do and how you fit in,” Michener offered as advice to writers.  “What somebody else does is of no concern whatever except as an interesting variation.”