Dan Jorgensen's Blog, page 86

A mirror for life's 'goings on'

 

“The role of a writer is not to say whatwe can all say, but what we are unable to say.” – AnaïsNin

 

Bornin 1903 to Cuban parents living in France, Nin spent some of her early years inFrance, Spain and Cuba but lived most of her life in the United States where sheestablished her writing credentials.  Although largely ignored until the late 1960s, today she is regarded as a major 20th Century writer, led by her multi-volume The Diary of Anais Nin.   She also wrote 7 novels, 5 books of short stories, and 5 nonfiction books.

 

Aproponent of journaling (hers spanned more than 60 years from age 11 until her deathat age 74), she gave the writing world a primeexample of the craft and how it can provide a mirror on the day-to-day “goings on” in the worldaround us.

 

“It is the function of art andwriting to renew our perception,” she said. “What we are familiar with we cease to see. The writer shakes up thefamiliar scene, and, as if by magic, we see a new meaning in it.”

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A Writer's Moment: 'Curiosity and spontaneous delight'

A Writer's Moment: 'Curiosity and spontaneous delight':   “Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the h...

'Curiosity and spontaneous delight'

 

“Oncewe believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, orany experience that reveals the human spirit.” – e.e. cummings

 

Writing becomes infinitely easierwhen inspired by the world within which we abide.  For Saturday’s Poem here is cummings’ tributeto the beauty of a day and the earth around us.

 

                                    thank you for the day

 

i thank You God for this mostamazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

 

(i who have died am alive againtoday,
and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

 

how should tasting touching hearingseeing
breathing any–lifted from the no
of all nothing–human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

 

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

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A Writer's Moment: 'Creating fun and interesting worlds'

A Writer's Moment: 'Creating fun and interesting worlds': “When I was making ‘Star Wars’ I wasn’t restrained by any kind of science.   I simply said, ‘I’m going to create a world...

'Creating fun and interesting worlds'

“When I was making‘Star Wars’ I wasn’t restrained by any kind of science.  I simply said, ‘I’m going to create a worldthat’s fun and interesting, makes sense, and seems to have a reality to it.’”– George Lucas

 Before Lucas became one of the world’s great scriptwriters and filmmakershe wanted to be a racecar driver.  Bornin California in May of 1944, Lucas spent most of his high schoolyears street racing and hanging out at garages. But after nearly being killed in a racing wreck, he lost interest andswitched his focus to . . . Anthropology, Sociology and Archaeology.   Those earlypassions later played a huge part in his creation of the character Indiana Jones.

 

Ever experimenting in his collegecourses Lucas then turned to art, photography and filmmaking, including writingmovie scripts, a skill that has won him numerous awards.

 

Among those award-winning scripts is American Grafitti, a semi-autobiographicalcoming of age story set in the 1960s. Winner of a Golden Globe for Best Writing, the script and subsequentmovie have been preserved in the National Film Registry as "culturally,historically, and aesthetically significant" for the time period theydepict.

 

“There wasn't much as a kid that inspired me in what I didas an adult, but I was always very interested in what motivates people, and in tellingstories and building things,” Lucas said. “Writing a good story is simply theprocess of creating good characters and putting them into a good plot.” 

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A Writer's Moment: 'Writing life' wherever it happens

A Writer's Moment: 'Writing life' wherever it happens:   “Life happens, and I write about it wherever I am.” – Melissa Etheridge   Etheridge, who was born in Leavenworth, ...

'Writing life' wherever it happens

 

“Lifehappens, and I write about it wherever I am.” – MelissaEtheridge

 

Etheridge, who was born inLeavenworth, KS, on May 29, 1961 said almost from the time she could walk andtalk she was interested in music, singing everywhere she went and learning toplay the guitar by age 8.

She started writing words to go with the music in her elementary school yearsand never looked back, becoming one of the world’s top singer-songwritersbefore age 20.    Writing and performingsongs inspired by her experiences and support for causes like the environment,she’s earned Grammy and Oscar Awards and dozens of other honors, including herown star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. “Asan artist, singer and songwriter, I try to use my words to create pictures inpeople's minds.”

  

A breast cancer survivor who underwent surgery and chemotherapy, she said she celebrates life each and every day.   "I don't have a bucketlist," she said.  "Whatever I do each day IS my bucket list.”

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'I learned that words are powerful'

“I think the reason I'm a writer isbecause first, I was a reader. I loved to read. I read a lot of adventurestories and mystery books, and I have wonderful memories of my mom readingpicture books aloud to me. I learned that words are powerful.” –  Andrew Clements

Born in New Jersey on this date in 1949, Clements (who died in 2019) wrotedozens of children's books, beginning with Frindle, an ongoing favoriteof kids around the world.

 

In 2016 the book won the PhoenixAward as “the best book that did not win a major award when it was published in1996.”  Frindle gives us a different way to look at dictionaries and howwords are developed and used.

 

“The dictionary is like a timecapsule of all of human thinking ever since words began to be written down,”Clements said.   “Exploring where wordshave come from can increase your understanding of the words themselves andexpand your understanding of how to use the words.”  

 

It was Clements’ use of words andhis ability to “get into the personnas” he created that made him a favorite,especially among the “Tween” age group.   For a terrific read (and don’t be embarrassedabout reading a kids’ book), read his compelling Things Not Seen.  It willopen your eyes (no pun intended).

 

“Part of being a good fiction writeris being able to imagine how someone else is thinking and feeling,” hesaid.  “I think I've always been good atthat.”

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A Writer's Moment: 'I learned that words are powerful'

A Writer's Moment: 'I learned that words are powerful': “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 stori...

A Writer's Moment: 'Just get the right words in the right order'

A Writer's Moment: 'Just get the right words in the right order':   “I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right orde...