When I was a child, my parents held out to me the example of an excellent and dedicated writer, my great-grandfather, Arthur Gray Staples. My mother, a Pulitzer-Prize winning poet herself, told me many stories of his life in Maine, in the early 1900's, as the editor-in-chief of the Lewiston Evening Journal, which was considered one of the most prestigious on the East Coast. In addition to running … [Read more...]
Beyond The Here And Now Of Myself
If, as I said in my last newsletter, writers' lives are ruled by solitude and self-discipline, how then do we go about bringing light into the rooms of the mind where creativity comes to life? After all, we follow our calling for some reason. What compels us to face down our computers every day, and to hope for the apt words to come into our hearts and consciousness? For that matter, how does … [Read more...]
How My Readers Waved A Magic Wand
The life of a writer can be lonely and frustrating. If you are not extremely successful, you generally can't pay your bills without someone else supporting you; and it can be difficult to get published from book to book, even if you are fairly well-known and loved by a devoted cadre of readers. Potential editors look at your sales figures and often base their decision on those alone when deciding … [Read more...]
Pack Rat? Or Purger?…sorting out the trash from the treasure.
I am standing in my attic, looking at the precarious piles of banker's boxes stacked toward the roof, the five chests of Christmas ornaments, the over-sized carton of old wrapping paper and bows. The yellowed art prints, the discarded lamps, and the spotted mirrors. All the stuff of years past. So many things I should have already thrown away or donated to a charity. Yes, I confess I am a pack … [Read more...]
