I’ve written about inspiration before, but I gave it short shrift. The Encarta dictionary defines inspiration as: “stimulation for the human mind to creative thought or the making of art”.…
The Many Paths of Inspiration
Hereafter, Heaven, and Afterlife
Afterlife As this year draws to a close, I’m reflecting on other endings, chiefly the afterlife. With my mother’s passing, I’ve become preoccupied with questions about death and heaven, if…
Death’s Many Faces
My tears now come at unexpected times, like a rogue wave. I buried my mother on Nov. 10th. The funeral went well but I worried about my grandchildren—her great-grandchildren——ages 10-15,…
It Wasn’t Supposed To Be Like That
I have this void in my life right now. My mother passed away on Oct. 27th at the age of 96. I had a habit of calling her twice a…
Harry Brown Meets Network
Some writers seem clairvoyant. Gary Young the screenwriter of the film, Harry Brown, certainly seems to be one of them. He showed inequities in one country’s social system before they…
What Price Beauty?
What lengths would you go to try and live up to the popular media’s conception of beauty? Judging by what is going on in society today, it seems that many…
Writing About Yearning In Fiction And Memoirs
Everyone wants a book that keeps them glued to the page. The ones that have me reading past bedtime are stories about family or some kind of skewed relationship or…
Truth and Fiction in the Writing of Memoirs
My mother is a born storyteller. When I was young, I paid little attention; but when I became a mother myself, I began to jot down her anecdotes. I am…
Passion: The Driving Force
I sometimes wonder what keeps me day after day, hour after hour, year after year sitting in front of a computer, working on stories. I struggle to find the right…
The Horror Re-Visited
It’s been ten years since we witnessed the twin towers crumbling, New Yorkers running, and the ensuing panic that followed. I plan to watch the memorial television programs today. My…