Only 3 essential qualities for writers? Just 3? Actually no, there are probably about 100 but this morning, there are just 3 essential qualities for writers that pop into my head this morning: The ability to hold two paradoxical thoughts about just how well we write. Ceding control of the story to the characters. Extreme […]
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The seduction of noise. Do an online search and you can see a 21st century way of conceptualizing our addiction to distraction: noise pollution. Researchers have studied the effects of noise pollution and discovered its surprisingly broad impact upon adults and children. But the subject of this piece is even more insidious. Truthfully, is there any
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The real reason we work isn’t what we think, it’s the awe we’re after, not the money. If you are asked what your primary motivation to work would be, your first reply would be money… “I work for money.” Are you sure that’s it? Money is good, right, of course. We expect that the fruits
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Why do you pray? “Why do you pray?” “Because it is the only way I can figure out who I am.” My surprising response to my friend’s rhetorical question was heartfelt-perhaps too weighty to be understood by one who had not, like me, chosen to spend a large segment of their life without God. Being
Finding joy: pure luck or intention? Finding joy: Joy not happiness. They are different, aren’t they? Joy is personified by this running, grinning dog. Maybe he is running toward his favorite human or perhaps she is racing after a ball. Regardless of what the dog is going for, it’s evident that joy isn’t something he
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The four stumbling blocks to truth: For more years than I can count, these beautifully calligraphed four stumbling blocks to truth have been displayed prominently in a simple bronze frame, protected by glass. My friend Kathy and I memorized this list, making use of one or more during our frequent philosophic discussions. Laughing at the
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Tips for managing anger- a timely subject? Occasionally, I get stuck when considering what to write for tomorrow. Fortunately, there are other good writers in abundance on line. Eric Barker’s material is always excellent. He provides extensive research material on subjects that intrigue. Because these tips on managing anger are so relevant to this culture
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The correlation between change and Ecclesiastes is not an association I ever made. But then I’ve not considered the words in the third chapter of Ecclesiastes in any other than a superficial way: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time
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I’d planned a November release for the 4th in the Lindsey McCall Medical Mystery series. But it will be December before Malthus Revisited: The Cup of Wrath is published. One of the promises I made myself while writing this book was a refusal to rush it. If that meant not meeting the deadline, so be
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Sound familiar? A Life of One’s Own? Maybe you’re thinking of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, as was I until I learned more about a book published in the 1930’s. I’d never heard of Marion Milner, a British psychoanalyst and writer who embarked on a seven year experiment in living. One aimed at “unpeeling
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