A Writer's Moment: 'Raw Material for Creativity'

A Writer's Moment: 'Raw Material for Creativity':   “I think most serious writers, certainly in the modern period, use their own lives or the lives of people close to them or lives they hav...

'Raw Material for Creativity'

 

“I think most serious writers, certainly in the modern period, use their own lives or the lives of people close to them or lives they have heard about as the raw material for their creativity.” – Chaim Potok

Potok, who was born on this day in 1929, is most famous for his first book The Chosen, published in 1967 and listed on The New York Times’ best seller list for 39 consecutive weeks.  Ultimately, the book sold well over 3 million copies.

Potok, who was raised in a strict Jewish household, was encouraged to only read and study orthodox Jewish writings by his parents.  But after reading Evelyn Waugh's novel Brideshead Revisited as a teenager, he said he knew that he wanted to be a writer in the same fashion as Waugh, who became his lifelong writing hero and role model.  He produced his first fiction at the age of 16, and at age 17 he made his first submission to the magazine The Atlantic Monthly. Although it wasn't published, he received a note from the editor complimenting his work. 

Rejection with encouragement sometimes has a little less sting.

Also an artist, Potok has a number of paintings that have been purchased for collections in noted galleries.  The language of art permeates his writings and one critic called him "The Michaelangelo of the written word."   

“I think the hardest part of writing is revising,” he said.   “And by that I mean the following: A novelist, like a sculptor, has to create the piece of marble and then chip away to find the figure in it.”  

 

 

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A Writer's Moment: 'The Leading Cause of Writing'

A Writer's Moment: 'The Leading Cause of Writing':   “Reading is probably what leads most writers to writing.” – Richard Ford Ford is a novelist and short story writer, perhaps best-kno...

'The Leading Cause of Writing'

 

“Reading is probably what leads most writers to writing.” – Richard Ford

Ford is a novelist and short story writer, perhaps best-known works for novels The Sportswriter and its sequels, Independence Day (winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and The PEN/Faulkner Award), The Lay of the Land and Let Me Be Frank with You, also a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

A native Mississippian born this date in 1944, Ford also wrote the terrific short story collection Rock Springs, which has been widely anthologized. A story collection mostly set in Montana, it includes some of his most popular stories and pretty much cemented his reputation as one of the finest writers of his generation.

Ford struggled with dyslexia in his growing up years and didn’t get seriously interested in reading literature until his college days at Michigan State.  He has stated in interviews that his dyslexia may, however, have helped him as a reader and then in becoming a writer, forcing him to approach books at a slow and thoughtful pace.

He earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from California-Irvine where he was taught by both Oakley Hall and E.L. Doctorow.  He said he owes a tremendous debt to both for helping develop his writing skills.  A fine editor, too, he has been widely sought after to do editing work and has edited many award-winning works. 

   

“Happiness for me,” he said,  “is getting to write about the most important things I know.”

 

 

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A Writer's Moment: 'Kind of a Very Complex Game'

A Writer's Moment: 'Kind of a Very Complex Game':   In a crazy way, writing is a lot like any kind of very complex game - like chess, where you have the knowledge as you're composing al...

'Kind of a Very Complex Game'

 

In a crazy way, writing is a lot like any kind of very complex game - like chess, where you have the knowledge as you're composing all of the ramifications of each move, of each choice you make. – Adam Ross

Born on this day in 1967, Ross is an American novelist and short story writer whose 2010 debut novel, Mr. Peanut, also was named a New York Times Notable Book, as well as one of the best books of the year by The New Yorker, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The New Republic, and The Economist.   An intricate murder mystery, the book has been translated into 16 languages.

Born and raised in New York City, Ross is a gifted athlete and won a state championship in wrestling.  But, simultaneously, he grew up interested in acting and appeared in several movies and numerous television commercials and shows as a child and teenager.   His pathway into writing began as an undergrad at Vassar College and then while pursuing his MFA at the University of Washington.  Since graduation, he has lived with his wife and children in Nashville, where he has been a frequent

                                                                             

contributor to newspapers and magazines, including The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast and The Nashville Scene.  His short stories have appeared in The Carolina Quarterly.  Ross is editor of the historic literary journal The Sewanee Review.

“I think that if you have a knack for storytelling, and you work really hard at it, you'll have a chance to tap into something deep,” he said.   “But the fact remains that good sentences are hard won. Any writer worth a lick knows constructing a sentence, a paragraph, or a chapter is hard work.”

 

 

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A Writer's Moment: Happy Valentine’s Day!

A Writer's Moment: Happy Valentine’s Day!:   There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day, but some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roma...