Stepping in the Write Direction

By publicly navigating her own personal struggles, Glennon Doyle becomes the voice for many in crisis who feel unheard. Understanding the emotional and psychological journey of others gives a courageous blueprint to those in similar circumstances. Doyle states, “Language is my favorite tool, so I use it to help people build a bridge from what’s in front of them and what’s inside them. I have learned that if we want to hear the voice of imagination, we must speak to it in a language it understands, if we want to know who we were meant to be before the world told us who to be, if we want to know where we were meant to go before we were put in our place. If we want to taste freedom instead of control, then we must relearn our soul’s native tongue...The truest and most beautiful life never promises to be an easy one. We need to let go of the lie that it’s supposed to be.” Doyle’s words, a refusal to go gently into that good night, become lifelines affirming the good fight. Doyle adds, “I l...

This was my first James Patterson book, and I liked it because it moved along quickly, had nonstop action, and almost every chapter ended with a cliffhanger compelling the reader to get to the next chapter ASAP (and there are 119 chapters)! I liked the irreverent, unfiltered wisecracks of “Harry,” aka Harriet Blue (some made me laugh out loud), and her partners in crime “Witt,” Tox Barnes, and “Pops” Morris. I also gravitate toward investigators who blur procedural protocols when exigent circumstances dictate (and they always do) to procure answers that save lives and apprehend bad actors, however, I totally get prosecutors don’t like that much. I also like the setting of Sidney, Australia and its environs, as it makes for a nice change of scene. This is the 4th book in the Harriet Blue series, and even though it’s the first I’ve read, I felt the characters and past history was brought up to speed, so it’s very much a stand alone book.  

I have always been a fan of Leslie Jordan. When he and Karen Walker would get into it during episodes of Will & Grace, I marveled at his comic timing, his inflection of speech, and his ability to work with co-stars in a spontaneous improvisational jam like a jazz band making music in response to interpretation of each other’s sounds.   After a lifetime of seeking and struggling in a “purpose in life” journey of self discovery, he’s settled on using his superpower for humor as a light in this dark world, living a life of attraction, rather than promotion. I admire his absolute candor about challenges he’s faced, decisions he’s made, actions he took, and the total acceptance he has for himself and others. Some people are on earth to be storytellers, instinctively arranging narrative details, stringing them in a monologue like the lustrous pearls on their granny’s necklace, to mesmerize listeners.  Leslie’s natural gifts, born of a southern tradition, have been honed over yea...

 “A lot of us end up in a swamp during times of our lives,” Owens reflected. “But we also have to know how we can move to the light... you don’t have to live in a marsh to be lonely... You don’t have to live in a swamp to feel isolated.” I would add, for some of us such places are the least lonely spots we could imagine, teeming with life and wonder.  I think I’m the last person on the planet to venture within the covers of Where the Crawdads Sing . This debut novel of zoologist, Georgia native, and northern Idaho resident Delia Owens, written after she turned  60, remains transfixed on the New York Times bestseller list in its 84th week. Because I am stingy with my purchased book selections, just because 685,979 people rated it an average 4.49 out of 5, doesn’t mean I might like it. Never mind that 94% of 46,096 reviewers awarded it 4 stars or higher, because 2% found it trite unrealistic unreadable boring overwrought overrated dull irritating tripe that insulted North Caro...

It’s been a long time since I read a book that compelled me so strongly to get to the next page as fast as I could. Wildflower Heart is such a book. I started out using Siri to read it aloud, and as time went on, I was reading ahead of Siri on the page, and having to advance the voiceover to catch up with me. After reading almost 50% of the book this way, I finally shut Siri off, effectively firing her as my reader, grabbing the tablet, and reading the last half of the book at breakneck speed. There were interwoven themes, and images of great natural beauty to savor along the way. Challenges are grappled with, difficult communications lead to insights and opportunity, and life passages are facilitated.  A huge time neglected home nestled among wildflowers comes back to life when a father and daughter move in, and with it, lives previously in limbo find something stirring within. New confidence arises, and rehabilitating legs reliant upon walking assistance, are soon dancing thr...

Motivational guru Tony Robbins believes anyone can be successful in a given area by duplicating the steps and behavior of those who already enjoy success. If Robbins' premise is correct, a successful writer could be "made" by faithfully following the steps outlined in Walter Mosley's book   This is the Year You Write Your Novel.  Mosley describes precisely how he produces a manuscript, when he does revisions and research, and all other steps leading up to publication . Mosley identifies two different approaches to writing: the structured and intuitive styles. The structured writer has an overall idea of plot, characters and scenes before they start writing and may create detailed outlines, character and scene studies prior to beginning their book. This style of writer will know most of the main characters, how the book will end, and turning points before typing out the opening sentence. The intuitive writer starts with a first line and as he wr...

In a sermon airing Sunday, Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, used one of his father's favorite quotations: " Ah, great it is to believe the dream as we stand in youth by the starry stream; but a greater thing is to fight life through and say at the end, "The dream is true "!" I love the sound and meaning of these words, and was curious to find the actual text source. It's been quite a treasure hunt! I don't give up easily, but fell short of finding the exact origin in a  poem or essay. I did learn some things about the man responsible for it. You might recognize one of his other poems, "Outwitted": " He drew a circle that shut me out--Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But Love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle and took him in!" Poet Edwin Markham (1852-1940) was the youngest of 10 children when his father abandoned the family due to his belief Edwin was not his biological child. His early years were dif...