Dan Jorgensen's Blog, page 67

A Writer's Moment: 'Framing life's experiences'

A Writer's Moment: 'Framing life's experiences':   “ Notebooks allow for all kinds of record-keeping, and I kept one myself as a kid. I was attracted to mixing up words a...

'Framing life's experiences'

 

“Notebooksallow for all kinds of record-keeping, and I kept one myself as a kid. I wasattracted to mixing up words and pictures freely, since that's how I think.”– Marissa Moss

Born in Pennsylvania on Sept. 29,1959 Moss had her first picture book published at age 29.  Her mid-1990s book, Ameilia’s Notebook, broke the boundaries of what a “kid’s book”should look like and laid the foundation for many other authors who have since hadsimilarly styled books.   Amelia's Notebookcame out in the format of a journal or diary penned in a black and whitecomposition notebook. 

 

Moss (who resides outside SanFrancisco) says that she loves this format because it allows her toexplore the world through a child's eyes. “I'd sent it to traditional publishers I'd been working with, but nobodyknew what to do with it,” she said. “Tricycle was this small publisher who didn't know any better and theytook a chance.”  It not only earned Mossnumerous awards but also legions of dedicated readers and a more than 30-bookseries based on Amelia’s “notebooks.”   

 

While she now has authored more than70 books, including the wildly popular “Mira’s Diary” series about a girl whotime-travels to share tales from historical settings, she said it was Ameliathat made it all a possibility. 

 

 “Amelia shows that it's not what happens inlife that counts, but rather how you frame it.  (It’s) how you talk about it.” 

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A Writer's Moment: 'Something real . . . and emotional'

A Writer's Moment: 'Something real . . . and emotional':   “I can't speak for readers in general, but personally I like to read stories behind which there is some truth, some...

'Something real . . . and emotional'

 

“Ican't speak for readers in general, but personally I like to read storiesbehind which there is some truth, something real and above all, somethingemotional. I don't like to read essays on literature; I don't like to readcritical or rational or impersonal or cold disquisitions on subjects.”– Laura Esquivel

 

Born in Mexico on this date in 1950,Esquivel is the author and screenwriter of the award-winning novel and film Like Water for Chocolate..

 

She has been honored for bothher fiction and screenwriting, but perhaps her biggest impact has been from herpowerful essays on life, love and food.  Esquivel said she believes thekitchen is the most important place in the house, characterizing it as "a sourceof knowledge and understanding that brings pleasure to all." 

 

While she’s won writing awards forboth her films and her books, she said she gravitates toward writing fiction.

 

“In film you can use imagesexclusively and narrate a whole story very quickly, but you don't always soeasily find the form in cinema to dig deeper into human thoughts and emotions,”she explained.  “In a novel you can muchmore easily express a character's inner thoughts and feelings.”

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Welcome to 'our second spring'

 

“Autumn is a second spring whenevery leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus

 

Summer's heat still blankets much of the country, but the brilliant colorsand crisp nights of Autumn have officially arrived.

 

But for another point of view, here is children's author Judith Viorst's take on the season for this early Autumn Saturday's Poem.    

          Summer’s End

One by one the petals drop
There's nothing that can make them stop.
You cannot beg a rose to stay.
Why does it have to be that way?

The butterflies I used to chase
Have gone off to some other place.
I don't know where. I only know
I wish they didn't have to go.

And all the shiny afternoons
So full of birds and big balloons
And ice cream melting in the sun

Aredone.

Ido not want them done.

 

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A Writer's Moment: Welcome to 'our second spring'

A Writer's Moment: Welcome to 'our second spring':   “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus   Summer's heat still blankets much of ...

A Writer's Moment: 'A great way to live a life'

A Writer's Moment: 'A great way to live a life':   "Fiction, for me, is sort of a protracted way of saying all the things I wished I said the night before." - Christopher Buck...

'A great way to live a life'

 

"Fiction, for me, is sort of a protracted way of saying all the things I wished I said the night before." - Christopher Buckley
The only child of conservativeauthor and speaker William F. Buckley, Christopher was born on Sept. 28, 1952and has made his own way into the writing world as a humorist and satirist,creating such well-known works as TheWhite House Mess, No Way To Treat AFirst Lady, and Thank You For Smoking– the latter made into a terrific film as well.Buckley’s humorous pieces haveappeared in most of the nation’s leading newspapers, and he also has had anongoing career as a magazine writer and editor, particularly at Forbes.   And, Buckley has done considerable time in P.R. and says that “In public relations, you live with the reality that notevery disaster can be made to look like a misunderstood triumph.” 

Buckley’s P.R. efforts wereprimarily in the political arena and his first-hand knowledge of the politicalworld often has provided the base for his satirical fiction.  His most recent, published in 2022 is Has Anyone Seen My Toes?, his 20th book.
 Writing fiction, he said, is a great way to live alife you might otherwise only imagine. “You live vicariously through yourcharacters.”

A Writer's Moment: A model for great writing

A Writer's Moment: A model for great writing:   “My writing improved the more I wrote - and the more I read good writing, from Shakespeare on down.   I was also in lo...

A model for great writing

 

“Mywriting improved the more I wrote - and the more I read good writing, fromShakespeare on down.  I wasalso in love with the English language.” – Dick Schaap

Born on this date in 1934 Schaap started his writing career as a sportswriterat age 14 at the Nassau Daily Review-Star.  There, he was mentored by famed writer andeditor Jimmy Breslin, who he ultimately worked with at three differentnewspapers and as co-author of a best-selling book.

 

After earning degrees from Cornelland the Columbia School of Journalism, Schaap served as assistant sports editorfor Newsweek magazine before movinginto television.  Acclaimed as both anews and sports reporter, he won 6 Emmys for his work at NBC, ABC andESPN. 

 

The first of Schaap's 33 books wasthe mega-bestseller Instant Replay, co-authoredwith Green Bay Packer all-pro guard Jerry Kramer.  From there his wide range of book topicsincluded a political biography of Bobby Kennedy; the novel .44, co-authored with Breslin and based on the “Son of Sam” murders;and Bo Knows Bo about baseball andgridiron star Bo Jackson, and the best-selling sports biography of alltime.   

 

Also a theatre critic (for ABCtelevision), he became the only person in history to vote for both Broadway'sTony Awards and football's Heisman Trophy winner.

 

Schaap, who died from a respiratoryinfection in 2001, offered this advice to beginning writers:  “Read and reflect on writers you admire.  And then model your writing aftertheirs.  If a writing style captures yourattention, then don’t you want to write that way yourself?”

 

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