Monthly Archives: June 2012

Books Are…

“A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a mentor, a teacher, a guidepost, a counselor.” Henry Ward Beecher Books are under siege. E-books, PDFs, digitally enhanced “products.” Everywhere you look, the book as we know it … Continue reading

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Vivid Verbs

“Action defines our reality. Time passes because things happen. And in writing, the verbs carry the action. One of the keys to writing more forcefully, then, is seeking out the most potent verbs available.” Jack Hart, A Writer’s Coach Verbs … Continue reading

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Warmly Witty

“Smarts plus heart = Nora.” Sad to think that the creator of “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail,” is no longer with us. When I think of seeing those movies, I think of two qualities that they expressed: wit … Continue reading

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Reader Alchemy

“I am no Benjamin Disraeli, but I do have my little philosophies. My philosophy of publication goes something like this: Once a book is published, it no longer belongs to me. My creative task is done. The work now belongs … Continue reading

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Aha! Moments

“If you can talk about it, you can write about it.” Jack Canfield Jack knows a thing or two about writing books: over the years, he’s had 47 New York Times bestsellers and sold 500 million copies of his Chicken … Continue reading

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Be Yourself

“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.” Oscar Wilde Clever boy, that Oscar! Being yourself is at the heart of writing dangerously isn’t it? But this isn’t always easy, as we all know. Sometimes we feel that we’re not good … Continue reading

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Treasure Found

Well, there may be many books that got away, but every once in a while, something turns up that reminds us that some almost-forgotten tales may still be told. Here’s a true story about John Cabot, the great explorer who … Continue reading

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Lost Treasures

One of the saddest things I’ve seen recently was the picture in a magazine of a cute little frog that is now extinct. This poor fellow and his kin will never again grace the earth. I felt the same sense … Continue reading

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Two Pages

“The world is beautiful, the world is hard. Fiction is duty-bound to reflect this. Kate DiCamillo To me, one of the most exciting things about being a writer is that there are always amazing new writers to discover and learn … Continue reading

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Juicy Books

When I was a kid in school I used to carry around a foresr-green bookbag. More often than not, it would be loaded, not just with schoolbooks, but with a novel I was reading. And more often than not, that … Continue reading

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