The Echo of Old Books

by Barbara Davis

He said all truly good writing—fiction or nonfiction—has a heartbeat, a life force that comes from the writer, like an invisible cord connecting them to the reader. Without it, the work is dead on arrival.”

“Did your father’s writing have a heartbeat?”

“Like thunder. Unfortunately, it isn’t genetic. You don’t inherit it, and you can’t imitate it. It’s something that’s unique to ev...

“And how does one find the heartbeat?” “I asked my father the same thing.” “And his answer was?” “By writi...