Monthly Archives: January 2011

Genre Jumping

I just attended a very lively program hosted by Watchung Booksellers, a cozy independent local bookstore just a short walk from my home in Montclair. The theme: commercial versus literary fiction. It promised to be a hot topic and attracted … Continue reading

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Process Peek

Peeking into another writer’s mind and way of working is always exciting for me, especially when it’s an author I really admire. Fortunately, I just came across a long, meaty interview with the writer Cynthia Ozick, author of the amazing … Continue reading

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The Wall

In The Right to Write, a wonderful and helpful guide to harvesting the joys of the writing life, Julia Cameron describes what she calls “The Wall.” This is a point where a project that seems to be humming along and … Continue reading

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Snow Falling

One of the comforting things about my sister Judy’s birthday yesterday (see Beautiful Girl) was the gentle snow that fell in the early morning. It was so lovely, it made the whole day feel softer. I took Judy’s dog Ryder … Continue reading

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Beautiful Girl

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. ‘Pooh!’ he whispered. ‘Yes, Piglet?’ ‘Nothing,’ said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw. ‘I just wanted to be sure of you.’” The birthday card with this little story sits in a spot where I see … Continue reading

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Artful Advice

Sometimes, going back to basics is a good idea. That’s why, every once in a while, I pull from my shelf my beloved sister Judy’s faded copy of Aristotle’s Poetics and dip into it. This version has a great introduction … Continue reading

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Thinking Bigger

“Nurture your mind with great thoughts. To believe in the heroic makes heroes.” Benjamin Disraeli Napoleon Hill, the author of Think and Grow Rich, one of the world’s most popular primers on success, grew up in terrible poverty. As a … Continue reading

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Old Wine

I know, I know, the biblical saying is about new wine in old bottles, not old wine in news bottle, but I can’t help it. This is what came to me when I read that Robert Caro’s Pulitzer Prize-winning tome, … Continue reading

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Cliche’ Catcher

“Nothing will work unless you do.”    Maya Angelou “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”    Vince Lombardi Cliché: 1) a trite phrase or expression; also: the idea expressed by it; 2) a hackneyed theme, characterization, or situation; 3) something (as a … Continue reading

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Help Found

“My answer to the woman who asked if I wrote ‘The Secret Life of Bees Myself’ was a simple yes, but I could have added that I had a lot of help.”  Sue Monk Kidd Here’s a wonderful story about … Continue reading

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