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"You don't write because you want to say something; you write because you've got something to say."
F.Scott Fitzgerald

"If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism; if you steal from many, it's research."
Wilson Mizner

I am unfamiliar with the curriculum of the school children of today, but, when I was a child, we had to memorize curtain passages from the classics and many poems. And, of course, my mother would help me in this effort. She had just the thing too, a book, "The Chief American Poets" published in 1905, it was still in good condition then, but by now it has some age and the scares to prove it. We would take turns reading and acting out the poems, and it was really fun, mind you, this in the very early years of TV and except for Sunday nights, there wasn't that many great programs.

My favorite poet was Henry W. Longfellow, and over fifty years later, I can still remember most of my three favorites. "The Village Blacksmith", "The Children's Hour", and "Paul Revere's Ride".  You can click on anyone of these wonderful poems, or go to Poet's Corner, to read the poems of more than 700 other 20th Centry poets.

I have tried my hand at composing a few poems, my favorite is, "Me and My Shadow In The Summer Rain", see what you think.

Get Their Attention and Hold It

Several years ago, in doing research, I read a book by Georgianne Ensign, entitled, “Great Beginnings and Endings”, since that time, I’ve paid close attention to both the beginnings and endings of the books that I’ve read.

It is said by many authorities on the subject, that the author must capture and keep the reader’s attention in the first few moment of opening a new book and keep the pages turning until the end.   As a reader, this is very true for me, of course, you have to get me to open the book first, but that’s another subject altogether.

However, when I do get to the inside of a book that looks interesting, and I can manage to read past the first two paragraphs, but get tired of reading by the end of the second page, I put the book down.   On the other hand, if I can’t put it down, I find myself still read while waiting in line to pay for my new discovery, and if someone else is driving, I’m oblivious as to how I got home.   I’m sure that this is the way all authors hope the work that has taken so much of their energies to create wants their book to be received.   It is this same goal that probably makes so many writers procrastinate, or just quit.

I can’t speak for other reader, but for myself, within the first few paragraphs, I must be pulled into the story, see what the character sees, feel what the character feels, or find empathy for what he feels.   If there is no character in the beginning, the surrounding must engulf me so much that I am inside the story, looking around, anticipating what’s to come.   And as I read on, these feelings must not leave me for long, or I’ll put the book down.

It is important that the writer create that kind of atmosphere for the reader to keeping reading.   I know this, not from research or the lessons taught in writing or communications class, but by being a reader.   I think of it as the Golden Rule put into the writing context.

This is why the novice writer is told to “write what you know about”, so that all the senses can be infused into the story that is told.   Only with practice, and life’s experiences, will the beginner be able to put himself in unfamiliar situation and in unfamiliar settings, and make the reader believe that the story is real.

As and example, as an adult, with more than sixty years of life’s experiences behind me, and even though I am not widely traveled, I know that the Steven King stories that I have read, are not real.   But the characteristics of the characters are, no doubt, based on his observations of others and his own feelings, and the settings that are made up of things we all see every day, are so real that the stories comes to life for the reader, evoking feelings of fear and anxiety to the point of chills or sweating, and even tears and the desire to flee.

This is what makes the reader want to close the book, but unable to do so, and it starts in the first page or two of the story and continues through to the last page, this is what sells King’s stories.   In my opinion, this is the ultimate in creative writing and what all writer’s should strive for.

In this section, each update, I plan to offer an excerpt of one of my endeavors in creative writing. In doing so, I hope to give my visitors some understanding of my work. I also hope the get some feedback from some of you, please feel free.

This first offering is set in the 1950’s, in a rural area of the Midwest. It involves a teenage girl and a strange old woman. It is a work of fiction based on some real events from my past.

Please enjoy the first chapter of, "The Woman In Black".

Each update, I would like to bring you one or two articles on writing that are by other authors, they can be found to copy for free at various sites on the internet. The only stipulation is that they be displayed entirely as written, along with any advertisements. I have, however, adapted their appearance to fit my sites design.

The first article, "Don't Write Well? Its Okay To Ask For Help" by Ron Knowlton, is about presenting yourself in writing on the internet, either for a personal site, or a business one. Its not meant for the novelist, but if your more inclined to pass along your knowledge of a particular subject, and don't quite know how, this article has some good tips and valuable links.

The second article, "Finding Time To Write When You Have Kids" by Heidi Ross, impressed me as being a good motivational piece for a would-be writer with children, or grandchildren around much of the time.

There are so many good articles out there to choose from, its hard to pick just one or two. As time goes by, I hope to have an archive of previous articles so that you won't miss any of interest to you.

Go to my links page, in the writer's section, you will find many fine sites dedicated to the writer's need to grow.

"Trust your hunches. They're usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level."
Joyce Brothers

"You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can't possibly live long enough to make them all yourself."
Sam Lavenson

"A different world cannot be built by indifferent people."
Peter Marshall