Dan Jorgensen's Blog, page 141

A Writer's Moment: 'The book. Good invention'

A Writer's Moment: 'The book. Good invention':   “Man was very fortunate to have invented the book. Without it, the past would completely vanish, and we would be left with nothing, we wo...

'The book. Good invention'

 

“Manwas very fortunate to have invented the book. Without it, the past wouldcompletely vanish, and we would be left with nothing, we would be naked onearth.” –  James Salter

Born onthis date in 1925, Salter was the pen name for James Arnold Horowitz.   He later adopted Salter as his legalname.  A writing “craftsman” of thehighest order, Salter wrote both novels and short stories and was renowned forhis ability to write beautiful prose.         
Also known as a great “selector” ofcharacter names, Salter once noted, “There are writers for whom names mean nothing;everybody could be called John and Elizabeth, and the writing would be just asgood.  But, to me, a name is like a piece of clothing.   It gives you an impression right away.”

The son of a career militaryofficer, Salter followed his father to West Point and moved to the AirForce when it became a separate military branch in the late 1940s.  He flew over 100 combat missions in the KoreanWar and wrote about it in his first novel, the best-selling TheHunters, made into a highly acclaimed movie.  It also made actor RobertMitchum a star.

Salter, who died at age 90, wrote 20 best-sellers, including AllThat Is, at age 88, and the screenplay for Downhill Racer,but he preferred writing books. “The writers of books are companions in one's life and, as such, areoften more interesting than any other companions.”  

A Writer's Moment: 'Understanding Everyday Multiculturalism'

A Writer's Moment: 'Understanding Everyday Multiculturalism':   “I've always loved writing, and the impulse for me is storytelling. I don't sit down and think: 'What political message can I...

'Understanding Everyday Multiculturalism'

 

“I'vealways loved writing, and the impulse for me is storytelling. I don't sit downand think: 'What political message can I sell?' I love the creativity of it.”– Randa Abdel-Fattah
Born in June 1979, Abdel-Fattah is anative Australian of Palestinian-Egyptian heritage, bringing an interestingcultural mix to her writing.  She startedwriting and had her first published work as a 6th grader.  “I’ve been writing stories since I was akid,” she said.   “I love writingstories.”
She wrote numerous short stories asa teenager and by age 18 produced the first draft of Does My Head Look Bigin This? later to become her debut novel.  The tale of a 16-year-oldMuslim girl who decides to wear the hijab full-time, it’s a story of lifechoices, bias and abiding friendships. The book and a play based on it have won numerous awards and accolades.
A champion for social justice andhuman rights, she is a frequent speaker and writer on and regular broadcast commentatoron those topics.  She also is a regularguest at schools around Australia addressing students about her books and thesocial justice issues they raise.   Andshe loves celebratory events           from all cultures and religions.   “Religiouscelebrations, and the good will, high spirits and generosity that mark them,are wonderful occasions for understanding the potential of 'everydaymulticulturalism,’ and how people from diverse faiths can connect and show theycare, rather than go down parallel, sometimes hostile, roads.”@font-face {font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-font-charset:78; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} @font-face {font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-font-charset:78; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}

A Writer's Moment: 'Someday? Why not today?'

A Writer's Moment: 'Someday? Why not today?': “Someday is not a day of the week.” -- Janet Dailey   Born in May 1944, Dailey said “waiting for someday” was not an option if she was goin...

'Someday? Why not today?'

“Someday is not a day of the week.” -- Janet Dailey

 

Born in May 1944, Dailey said “waiting for someday” was not an option if she was going tofulfill her lifelong dream to actually BE a writer.

Andso she did, and was, completing more than 90 novels in just 25 years until her death in December of 2014.   Her books, primarily romances, are widelyloved and have sold over 300 million copies in 19 different languages, makingher one of the most popular writers throughout the world. 

Manywriters tend to procrastinate and usually need a challenge to finally get theball rolling.  For Dailey it was achallenge to “prove it,” when she said she was disgusted with a lot of romancewriting and thought she could do better.   “A challenge is a challenge,” she said, “and while writing is achallenge it’s also a fulfillment.” 
 [image error] JanetDailey

A Writer's Moment: 'Unlocking creativity'

A Writer's Moment: 'Unlocking creativity':   “Writing is a muscle that needs to be exercised every day: The more you write, the easier it becomes.” – Jane Green Green, who lives...

'Unlocking creativity'

 

“Writingis a muscle that needs to be exercised every day: The more you write, theeasier it becomes.” – Jane Green
Green, who lives in Connecticut, was born in London on this date in 1968 and has become one of the world's leading authors of commercialwomen's fiction, with millions of books in print and translations in over 25languages.  Her most recent bestseller is Sister Stardust.

A journalist by training, she workedas a feature writer for several London-based newspapers, including The Daily Mail, before turning to a successful and lucrative creative writing career in the late 1990s, now authoring some two dozen bestsellers. 
 Green made the move from journalistic to creative writing following an interesting regimen.  “I treated my books as a verylong journalistic exercise," she said.   "I just thought of every chapteras an article that needed to be finished (on a deadline).”         
Her journalism training also taught herthat writing is a job, and that you must write, whether you are inspired ornot.  “The only way to unlock creativity," she said, "is to write through it.”

A Writer's Moment: 'One word at a time'

A Writer's Moment: 'One word at a time':   “I think the reason I'm a writer is because first, I was a reader. I loved to read. I read a lot of adventure stories and mystery boo...

'One word at a time'

 

“Ithink the reason I'm a writer is because first, I was a reader. I loved toread. I read a lot of adventure stories and mystery books, and I have wonderfulmemories of my mom reading picture books aloud to me. I learned that words arepowerful.” – Andrew Clements  During his senior year at Springfield,IL, High School, Clements’ English teacher handed back a poem he’d written awarding him an A—a rare event in thisteacher’s class.  And, she’d written in large red letters, “Andrew—thispoem is so funny. This should be published!”
As many writers say, a teacher often shapes theirwriting lives, definitely true for Clements, who was born on May 29, 1949.   In college, he began writing regularly and authored more than 70 books, while also working in publishing and as a writing teacher.         His books have won some two dozen majorawards.

“Sometimes kids ask how I've beenable to write so many books,” he said.   “The answer is simple: one word at a time.Which is another good lesson, I think. You don't have to do everything at once.You don't have to know how every story is going to end. You just have to takethat next step, look for that next idea, write that next word.”