Paul Acampora's Blog, page 4
September 25, 2010
If we really wanted to raise boys that read…
The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting opinion piece today by Mr. Thomas Spence entitled, “How to Raise Boys That Read.” Mr. Spence is an Ivy-league educated lawyer who runs a publishing company (the modestly named Spence Publishing Company) that focuses on a mostly (but not exclusively) right-wing readership. In his piece, he offers several reasonable points including:
1. A full experience with literature is a good thing.
2. An educated citizenry is vital to a functioning democracy.
I agree...
1. A full experience with literature is a good thing.
2. An educated citizenry is vital to a functioning democracy.
I agree...
September 21, 2010
Some thoughts inspired by Banned Book Week
Banned Books Week starts in a few days, but there’s always somebody somewhere who wants to get a head start. This year’s go-getter is Wesley Scroggins of Springfield, Missouri. With some high quality misrepresentation, faulty logic and poor writing skills, and in the name of Jesus Christ, citizen taxpayers and concerned parents everywhere, Mr. Scroggins advocates the pulling of several books from the shelves of his school district’s libraries. As a concerned parent and a citizen taxpayer, I h...
September 18, 2010
Finding time to write
People often ask how I find time to write. The answer is simple:
I try not to think about it.
There are 168 hours in a week. If I added up all the commitments I’m supposed to address, there simply would not be enough time to write. So I carry a notebook everywhere I go, and I’m not embarrassed to use it. In any given week, you can find me making stories in grocery store parking lots, on soccer sidelines, inside ballet studio waiting rooms, perched atop bleachers, and, very...
September 15, 2010
Special Message to my Bristol Friends
Hello friends,
If you grew up in Bristol, it’s possible that my Uncle Tony was your grade school Principal or you’re your teacher. If you went to South Side, Hubbell, Westwoods, Jennings or Ivy Drive, you probably had Mr. Acampora at your school or in your classroom.
Last year, my Uncle Tony was diagnosed with Lou Gherig’s disease. He remains one of the smartest, kindest and funniest people I know. At the same time, his body is behaving badly. Rather than sit around and mope, however, he’s wor...
If you grew up in Bristol, it’s possible that my Uncle Tony was your grade school Principal or you’re your teacher. If you went to South Side, Hubbell, Westwoods, Jennings or Ivy Drive, you probably had Mr. Acampora at your school or in your classroom.
Last year, my Uncle Tony was diagnosed with Lou Gherig’s disease. He remains one of the smartest, kindest and funniest people I know. At the same time, his body is behaving badly. Rather than sit around and mope, however, he’s wor...
September 8, 2010
www.paulacampora.com
www.paulacampora.com
Sept 7, 2010
Just finished updating my website. Took me 3 months to update 8 pages which leads me to believe 1) I should stick to fiction and 2) I've got to hire a webmaster. In the meantime, check out some pictures from our really fun trip to the Great Allentown Fair. For people who ask where I get my ideas, you should go to the fair!
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Sept 7, 2010
Just finished updating my website. Took me 3 months to update 8 pages which leads me to believe 1) I should stick to fiction and 2) I've got to hire a webmaster. In the meantime, check out some pictures from our really fun trip to the Great Allentown Fair. For people who ask where I get my ideas, you should go to the fair!
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February 16, 2010
I'm really looking forward to books I don't even know about yet!
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In no particularly order, here’s what I’ve read or am in the process of reading during 2010:
January 31, 2010
We either carry our audience with us or irritate them.
A collection of observations that pertain to writing and writers from Blaise Pascal’s Pensees:
The greater intellect one has, the more originality one finds in men. Ordinary persons find no difference between men.
All great amusements are dangerous to the Christian life; but among all those which the world has invented, there is none to be more feared that THE THEATER.
It is not enough that a thing be beautiful; it must be suitable to the subject, and there must be in it nothing of excess or...
The greater intellect one has, the more originality one finds in men. Ordinary persons find no difference between men.
All great amusements are dangerous to the Christian life; but among all those which the world has invented, there is none to be more feared that THE THEATER.
It is not enough that a thing be beautiful; it must be suitable to the subject, and there must be in it nothing of excess or...
November 22, 2009
A short lesson on plot...
Snapshot from my house in which we discuss what book my kid should read next, I receive a short lesson on plot, and the child proves that perhaps it is possible to read too much...
Kid: Emmy & the Shrinking Rat. What’s that about?
Me: It’s about a girl named Emmy and a shrinking rat.
Kid: Very funny, dad. But really. What’s it about?
Me: Didn’t I just tell you?
Kid: But what’s the problem they have to solve? Do they go on adventures? Is there a bad guy?
Me: I’m not sure, but I don’t think th...
November 14, 2009
Writing day log...
Got in a rare full day of writing today! Kept a log to keep on track. Enjoy:
5:10 Up and at ‘em. Shower. Dress. Make coffee. Breakfast. Write write write.
6:30 Dress the dogs. Let the kids out. Make son’s lunch. (Note: pasta smells bad before dawn, but chili does not. Weird.) Greet teenage boy with a little made up song about chemistry. It’s hard to rhyme this early. Dentistry?
7:00 Check backpack contents: laptop, powercord, notebooks, pens, apples, leftover Halloween candy. Stick post-it note...
5:10 Up and at ‘em. Shower. Dress. Make coffee. Breakfast. Write write write.
6:30 Dress the dogs. Let the kids out. Make son’s lunch. (Note: pasta smells bad before dawn, but chili does not. Weird.) Greet teenage boy with a little made up song about chemistry. It’s hard to rhyme this early. Dentistry?
7:00 Check backpack contents: laptop, powercord, notebooks, pens, apples, leftover Halloween candy. Stick post-it note...
October 29, 2009
Best description of elephants ever
Best description of elephants ever...
"They're just this group of normally abnormal creatures going through the ups and downs of life with big hearts, mood swings, and huge, swingy-assed togetherness."
From Deb Caletti's "The Nature of Jade"
"They're just this group of normally abnormal creatures going through the ups and downs of life with big hearts, mood swings, and huge, swingy-assed togetherness."
From Deb Caletti's "The Nature of Jade"
