Dan Jorgensen's Blog, page 8
September 22, 2025
A Writer's Moment: 'No shortcuts to writing success'
'No shortcuts to writing success'
“As a writer, one of the things thatI've always been interested in doing is actually invading your comfortspace. Because that's what we're supposed to do. Get under your skinand make you react.” – Stephen King
Born in Maine on Sept. 21, 1947 Kinghas written more than 200 short stories and 80 (and counting) novels that havesold upward of 400 million copies. Manymovies also have been made from his works; and he’s won a remarkable 6 dozenmajor writing awards. Among them are the Mystery Writers of America’sGrand Master Award, and the National Book Award Medal for DistinguishedContribution to American Letters.
King and his wife Tabitha, also anoted writer, are among America’s leading philanthropical couples, annuallycontributing some $3 million to charitable causes. And he hasbeen unafraid to share his writing talents with others, including authoring thebook On Writing, considered one of the best written on thecraft.
“If you want to be a writer, youmust do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no wayaround these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut,” King said. “Ifyou don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time or the tools towrite.”
September 20, 2025
A Writer's Moment: 'Sharing a loyalty to heritage'
'Sharing a loyalty to heritage'
“If a man is not faithful to his ownindividuality, he cannot be loyal to anything.” – ClaudeMcKay
Born in Jamaica on this date in1889, McKay was the son of peasant farmers and infused with racial prideand a great sense of his African heritage. His 1912 book of poems Songsof Jamaica, about Jamaican peasant life, established his writing credentials, which not only included poetry but many novels and short stories. Among them was 1928’s ToHarlem about New York City’s black ghetto life and arguably considered the first commercially successful novel by a blackwriter. For Saturday’s Poem, here isMcKay’s,
To A Poet
Thereis a lovely noise about your name,
Above the shoutings of the city clear,
More than a moment's merriment, whose claim
Will greater grow with every mellowed year.
The people will not bear you down the street,
Dancing to the strong rhythm of your words,
The modern kings will throttle you to greet
The piping voice of artificial birds.
But the rare lonely spirits, even mine,
Who love the immortal music of all days,
Will see the glory of your trailing line,
The bedded beauty of your haunting lays.
September 19, 2025
Solving the 'relationship' riddles
“The funny thing is, though I writemysteries, it is the one genre in adult fiction I never read. I read NancyDrew, of course, when I was a kid, but I think the real appeal is as awriter because I'm drawn to puzzly, complicated plots.” – Elise Broach
Born in Georgia on Sept. 20, 1963Broach now makes her home in Connecticut where she settled after earning twodegrees from Yale and where she writes all sorts of books, but primarilymysteries for children and younger teens. Among her many award-winning novels are Shakespeare's Secret, DesertCrossing, and Masterpiece.
Broach has also authored 9 non-mysteryPicture Books, including When Dinosaurs Came with Everything, a NotableChildren's Book (as voted by the American Library Association), and MyPet Wants A Pet. Her most recent books are the “Tween’s”book A Trip to the Country for Marvin and James, and the multipleaward-winning children’s novel Duet, a fast-paced, suspenseful and history-richmystery about an unlikely partnership between a boy and a bird.
“Mysteries always have the potentialfor interesting connections between the elements,” she said. “I'malso most interested in the relationship between the characters. I'm trying tocreate characters who not only are solving a mystery but are solving the riddleof their own personal relationships.”
A Writer's Moment: Solving the 'relationship' riddles
September 18, 2025
'Don't just dream it; commit to it'
“I love the unexplainable. It wouldbe so boring to me if everything could be explained.” – NancyPickard
Born in Kansas City on this date in1945, Pickard is the only author to ever win all four major crime/mysterywriting awards – the Macavity (5 times), the Agatha (4 times), and the Anthonyand Shamus (once each). She is a founding member and formerpresident of Sisters In Crime, the international organization dedicated to theadvancement of women mystery writers, and she also has served on the board ofdirectors of the Mystery Writers of America.
A journalist first, she worked forKansas City area newspapers for a dozen years before gravitating to creativewriting at age 35.
Among the best-known of her 18 novelsare the multiple award winners I.O.U. and The Virginof Small Plains and her most recent The Scent of Rain and Lightning. Fromher lengthy list of terrific short stories “There Is No Crime on EasterIsland” and “Afraid All the Time” have earned awards and accolades fromaround the globe.
“If you have a dream of writing,”Pickard said, “that's wishful thinking. Ifyou have a commitment to writing, that's the way to make your dreams come true.”
A Writer's Moment: 'Don't just dream it; commit to it'
September 17, 2025
'A template for writing success'
“I needed to find my way to write. Ineed about six hours of uninterrupted time in order to produce about two hoursof writing, and when I accepted that and found the way to do it, then I wasable to write.” – Robert B. Parker
Born in Springfield, MA on this datein 1932, Parker intended to teach for a living. And he was well intoan English Lit career at Northeastern University (where he became a fullprofessor) before switching to writing when his novels about a detective named“Spenser” hit the bestseller lists and then were made into a popular TV series. Parkerwrote 41 books about the private eye – his stories often credited with changingthe style and face of the crime-writing genre.
Beginning in 2005 Parker’s second best-known lawman, Jesse Stone, also made a book and TV splash. The 9 books in his “Jesse Stone”series also sold hundreds of thousands of copies and became the focus of several made-for-TV shows starring Tom Selleck.
Parker - who died in 2010 - loved the Boston area (thesetting for the "Spenser" books) and walked the streets, learned the vernacular ofits various districts, and studied policing there. It's a template for writing success, he said. Knowing your setting like the back of your hand.
“There can never be anysubstitute for your own palate nor any better education than tasting the wineyourself.”
