Monthly Archives: October 2011

Finding a Good Place to Write

Posted on October 30, 2011 by

I had a friend who could write in cafes. I never knew how though. I can understand sitting in a cafe, drinking coffee and people-watching. People-watching is a wonderful occupation for writers–a necessary occupation actually. And coffee-drinking is absolutely mandatory for … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

AUTHOR QUOTES: Katherine Paterson

“The only reason for being a professional writer is that you can’t help it.” Katherine Paterson, The Spying Heart, 1989     posted by Jean Foster Akin   (NOTE: If you see an advertisement/advertising video below, it has been placed … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on October 30, 2011 by | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Classics

“A classic is classic not because it conforms to certain structural rules, or fits certain definitions (of which its author had quite probably never heard). It is classic because of a certain eternal and irrepressible freshness.” Edith Wharton (1862 – 1937)   … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on October 16, 2011 by | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Velveteen Rabbit…a book review

Posted on October 13, 2011 by

The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams (Illustrations by William Nicholson), Doubleday, 1958 Age Group: Middle Readers, 7-12; Grade Level: 2nd to 5th; Good Read-Aloud Book for Younger Children? YES! SUMMARY: The Velveteen Rabbit is the touching story of a stuffed toy … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Juvenile Fiction--Middle Readers (ages 7-12) | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Dancing with Words

Posted on October 5, 2011 by

Writers are sometimes strange, often introspective, frequently emotional, always (hopefully) highly imaginative, commonly impetuous, and every now and again unpredictable. Writers: those people who burn with desire to dance with words. I’ve been dancing for a long time. For many many years. Writing has … Continue reading →

Posted in Letting Go, Skin and Breath and Hair | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The True Writer…

Sometimes, when it’s going badly, she wonders if what she believes to be a love of the written word is really just a fetish for stationery. The true writer, the born writer, will scribble words on scraps of litter, the back of … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on October 2, 2011 by | Tagged , , | Leave a comment