Dan Jorgensen's Blog, page 153

A Writer's Moment: All the sounds of Spring

A Writer's Moment: All the sounds of Spring:   “Like a piece of ice on a hot stove a poem must ride on its own melting ... Read it a hundred times, it will forever ke...

All the sounds of Spring

 

“Like a piece of ice on a hot stove a poem must ride on its own melting ... Read it a hundred times, it will forever keep its freshness as a metal keeps its fragrance.  It can never lose its sense of a meaning that once unfolded by surprise as it went.”

 – Robert Frost

 

I almost always think of Robert Frost’s poetry when I hear or see things in nature.  This morning, unlike the bird that bothers Frost in his short poem below, the bird near our house is not singing off-key but, instead, just creating angry noise.

 

But I decided a noisy bird is still better than no bird.  I just wish, like the bird Frost is annoyed with in his poem, it would work a little on its singing.   For Saturday’s Poem, here is Frost’s,

 

A Minor Bird

 

I have wished a bird would fly away,
And not sing by my house all day;

Have clapped my hands at him from the door
When it seemed as if I could bear no more.

The fault must partly have been in me.
The bird was not to blame for his key.

And of course there must be something wrong
In wanting to silence any song.

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'The heart and core of ages past'

 

“For books are more than books, they are the life, the very heart and core of ages past, the reason why men lived and worked and died, the essence and quintessence of their lives.” – Gene Fowler
Longtime journalist, screenwriter and novelist Fowler was born in Colorado in March of 1890.  During his lifetime (he died in 1960) he wrote 20 books, several plays and a couple dozen movie scripts while simultaneously serving as syndication manager for King Features.
I first learned about Fowler when researching my book And The Wind Whispered because of his interviews and connections with Buffalo Bill Cody, a key character in the book.  Fowler also was close friends with actors John Barrymore and W.C. Fields and did one of the best books ever written about Jimmy Durante, Schnozzola.                                                                 His philosophy for success:  “Just believe in yourself and your abilities.  It is always easier to believe than to doubt.”

A Writer's Moment: 'The heart and core of ages past'

A Writer's Moment: 'The heart and core of ages past':   “For books are more than books, they are the life, the very heart and core of ages past, the reason why men lived and worked and died, th...

A Writer's Moment: Writing songs for the heart

A Writer's Moment: Writing songs for the heart:   “When my writing really started to take off was when I made a decision that I would write only what I wanted to write, for my heart, and...

Writing songs for the heart

 

“When my writing really started to take off was when I made a decision that I would write only what I wanted to write, for my heart, and if 10 people wanted to hear it, that's fine.” –  David Friedman
But, of course, far more than 10 people wanted to hear Friedman’s songs, which have included dozens and dozens of award winners and the scores of many movies, including numerous Disney animated features like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. 
Friedman published the music book Listen To My Heart: The Songs of David Friedman through his own publishing firm Midder Music featuring 63 of his most popular songs, including "Listen to My Heart,”  "We Live On Borrowed Time,” and  "Trust the Wind,” all of which reached number one on Billboard's top hits.
                                                              
On Broadway, Friedman, who was born in 1950, served as musical director for such original productions as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Song & Dance and Beauty and the Beast. 

“In the music industry, we value large success.  I realized that while I would like that, that it's not what my writing is about. And if I start making it about that, it becomes impure.  I think of my songs as there to be something to move people emotionally.”

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A Writer's Moment: 'The pages that sell your book'

A Writer's Moment: 'The pages that sell your book':   “ Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle.   They read it to get to the end.   If it’s a letdown, they won’t buy anymore.   The first...

'The pages that sell your book'

 

“Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle.  They read it to get to the end.  If it’s a letdown, they won’t buy anymore.  The first page sells that book.  The last page sells your next book.” – Mickey Spillane   Born on this date in 1918, Spillane was a master of “successfully getting to that last page."  Born Frank Morrison Spillane, “Mickey” created one of the most memorable characters, hard-boiled detective Mike Hammer.  At the height of his popularity in 1980, Spillane, who died in 2006, was responsible for a remarkable 7 of the year’s 15 top-selling fiction books featuring his hero.  To date, his books have sold more than 230 million copies.
Like many great writers, Spillane used life experiences as background for his own work, starting during his high school days in New Jersey.  His jobs included time with the circus, lifeguarding, meatcutting, bartending and flying – something that led to serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II.                                              Spillane, who died in 2006, said he was “a writer not an author” who also loved to read, especially about history.   “I think a lot of authors like history because they want to be part of it.”

A Writer's Moment: 'Each is like a thousand words'

A Writer's Moment: 'Each is like a thousand words':   “I think many times news organizations, whether it's for lack of resources or something else, cover the headlines and don't follo...

'Each is like a thousand words'

 

“I think many times news organizations, whether it's for lack of resources or something else, cover the headlines and don't follow up, even though the story continues for the people living there - they can't leave. I think it's critical that they do these follow-up stories to realize that there is still suffering, and the need is dire.” – Carol Guzy
Born on this date in 1956, ZUMA press photographer Guzy has had a stellar career as a news reporter and  photographer, the latter earning her international acclaim.  Working for The Miami Herald and The Washington Post, she won a remarkable 4 Pulitzer Prizes —one of only 4 people and the only journalist to do so.          
                                                                                  The first woman to win the “Newspaper Photographer of the Year” Award from the National Press Photographers Association, Guzy didn’t start out hoping to be a news photographer, planning instead to be a nurse.  
“The nursing program gave me more than a degree,” she said.  “It helped me gain an understanding of human suffering and an incredible sensitivity to it.   I know that without this background, my photography would have a totally different edge.”  With it, she’s brought us up close and personal to images of both anguish and joy.

“When I'm photographing, I think - like any rescue worker who deals with tragedy - you have to have some protective barrier around your heart so you can do your job,” she said. “You tend to have a delayed reaction to things. I feel things more deeply after I put the camera down.”