Dan Jorgensen's Blog, page 91

A Writer's Moment: 'Any dream will do'

A Writer's Moment: 'Any dream will do':   “Every writer I know has trouble writing.” – Joseph Heller   Born in New York City on May Day, 1923 Heller was an ...

A Writer's Moment: 'Your life -- something to be sculpted'

A Writer's Moment: 'Your life -- something to be sculpted':   “I’d visit the near future, close enough that someone might want to talk to Larry Niven and can figure out the language; distant enough t...

'Your life -- something to be sculpted'

 

“I’dvisit the near future, close enough that someone might want to talk to LarryNiven and can figure out the language; distant enough to get me decent medicaltechniques and a ticket to the Moon.” – Larry Niven
That would be multi-award winning author Niven’s choice if he couldtime-travel.  Best known for his massivebestselling novel (and series) Ringworld, Niven said he thinks dinosaursprobably became extinct because they didn’t have a space program. And whilehe’s glad we do, he’d still like to see us pick up the pace and be better prepared… just in case. 
Born in Los Angeles on April 30,1938 Niven began Sci-Fi writing in his early 20s, starting with short stories,then turning to novels. To date, he has turned out over 100 books, both Sci-Fiand Fantasy and he has "several" new books in progress.   His writing is a uniquecombination of hard science fiction, theoretical physics, detective fiction,and rollicking adventure.   

In 2015, Niven was honored by theScience Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (actually a worldwideorganization) with its prestigious “Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award”for his lifetime body of work.                                                               A 5-time Hugo Award winner for hisbooks and short stories, Niven also has written scripts for several top Sci-Fitelevision series and done work on DC Comics’ Green Lantern.     Niven’s adviceto writers: “Treat your life like something to be sculpted.”

'Be proactive and keep pounding on the door'

 

“Ithink writers have to be proactive: they've got to use new technology andsocial media. Yes, it's hard to get noticed by traditional publishers, butthere's a great deal of opportunity out there if you've got the right story.”– Ian Rankin

Rankin, born in Scotland on April 28, 1960 is best known for his “Inspector Rebus” novels, even though he did not set out tobe a crime writer.  In fact, he didn’tthink he even had “the right story” for the "crime fiction" genre. He thought his first novels Knots and Crosses and Hide andSeek were more “mainstream” keeping with the Scottishtraditions of Robert Louis Stevenson and Muriel Spark.  

 

But his readers disagreed and so far he’s had some 40 books published, many of them not only best sellers but also adapted into TVmovies.  He makes his home in Edinburgh wherehe sets most of his novels and “educates” his readers about his hometown in theprocess.

 

Rankin uses “life experiences" in his writing and he's had many, beginning as a worker in his dad's grocery store.  He also worked as a grape-picker, swineherd, taxman, alcohol researcher (I’ddefinitely like to hear more about that one), hi-fi journalist, collegesecretary, and punk musician in a band called The Dancing Pigs.

  

“I am, of course, a frustrated rock star - I'd muchrather be a rock star than a writer,” he said. “Or own a record shop. Still, it's not a bad life, is it? You just sitat a computer and make stuff up.”

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A Writer's Moment: 'Be proactive and keep pounding on the door'

A Writer's Moment: 'Be proactive and keep pounding on the door':   “I think writers have to be proactive: they've got to use new technology and social media. Yes, it's hard to ge...

'Language, first and last'

 

 

“Poetryis, first and last, language - the rest is filler.”– Mark Strand

  

Born on Prince EdwardIsland in April of 1934, Strand became an American citizen and had adistinguished career as a poet, essayist and translator.  He died in 2014at age 80.

 

Poet Laureate Consultant to the Libraryof Congress, he received the Wallace Stevens Award (given to "recognizeoutstanding and proven mastery in the art of poetry”) and numerous other major prizes, includinga MacArthur “Genius” grant and the Pulitzer Prize for his book Blizzard ofOne.  For Saturday’s Poem, here is Strand’s,

 

The EverydayEnchantment of Music

 

A rough sound was polished until itbecame
a smoother sound, which was polished until
it became music.
Then the music was polished until
it became the memory of a night in Venice
when tears of the sea fell from the Bridge of Sighs,
which in turn was polished until it ceased
to be and in its place stood the empty home
of a heart in trouble.
Then suddenly there was sun and the music came back
and traffic was moving and off in the distance,
at the edge of the city, a long line of clouds appeared,
and there was thunder, which, however menacing,
would become music, and the memory of what happened after
Venice would begin, and what happened after the home
of the troubled heart broke in two would also begin.

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A Writer's Moment: 'Language, first and last'

A Writer's Moment: 'Language, first and last':     “Poetry is, first and last, language - the rest is filler.” – Mark Strand    Born on Prince Edward Island in A...

A Writer's Moment: A role model for integrity and truth

A Writer's Moment: A role model for integrity and truth:   "The speed of communications is wondrous to behold.  It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we ...

A role model for integrity and truth

 "The speed of communications is wondrous to behold.  It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue."  -- Edward R. Murrow

Born in North Carolina on April 25, 1908 Murrow was aleading light in the news business for 35 years before his life was cut shortby lung cancer on April 27, 1965.    Murrow received numeroushonors for his journalistic excellence and integrity, including the Medal ofFreedom and a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II just weeks before hisdeath.

A radio war correspondentin World War II, he founded the CBS television news program See It Now, and his work behind the CBSnews desk and as an interviewer influenced two generations of news anchors,beginning with Walter Cronkite.  Today, his name gracesthe Excellence in Reporting awards given annually in both the print and broadcastworlds.
The 2005 film GoodNight, and Good Luck, directed by George Clooney, focused on Murrow's efforts to "tell the truth" about Senator Joseph McCarthy's reign of intimidation in the early1950s, inspiring yet another generation of those seeking to “do journalismright.” 
 "To be persuasive we must be believable," Murrow said.  "To be believable, we must be credible; and to be credible we must tell the truth."     [image error]

A Writer's Moment: Finding that 'good twist' to tell your story

A Writer's Moment: Finding that 'good twist' to tell your story:   “I've always believed that a good twist is one that, when it is presented to the audience, half of them say, 'I...