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My 10 favorite fictional authors
In a world where authors are told to “write what you know,” it’s not surprising that so many novels feature characters who write for a living.
I sense these stories appeal to other writers or aspiring writers or bibliophiles. Since I am two of the three, I’m utterly drawn to such tales. Here are my 10 current favorites fictional authors:
* Joan Wilder, “Romancing the Stone”
* Karen Eiffel, “Stranger Than Fiction”
* Richard Castle, “Castle”
* Jack Torrence, “The Shining”
* Temperance Brennan, “Bones”
* Gil Pender, “Midnight in Paris”
* T.S. Garp, “The World According to Garp”
* Mike Noonan, “Bag of Bones”
* Jamie, “Love Actually”
* Paul Sheldon, “Misery” -
Time for a curiosity check
Answer these three questions:
1) You’re reading a book and come across a word you don’t recognize. Do you look it up in the dictionary?
2) While sitting on your couch, you hear a loud noise. Do you get up to see what caused it?
3) Have you started a new hobby in the past year?
Answering yes to any/all of these questions indicate that you have some level of curiosity — deep in the recesses of your brain, there’s a center of wonder, a place of questioning, a need to know. This is great news! Now, feed that need. As Plutarch once wrote: “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”
Did you answer no to any/all of the above questions? That’s great news, too! You now have the opportunity to grow, to change and to try. The world is literally your oyster. Pick up a new book, listen to a singer you’ve never heard before, wander through a museum or explore a city, a library or a hiking trail. The more your step out of your comfort zone, the more likely you’ll have experiences that will change your life.
Don’t know what to do first? Here are some great suggestions.
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Quote of the week
“A city is successful, not when it’s rich but when its people are happy. Creating bikeability and walkability shows respect for human dignity. We’re telling people, ‘You are important — not because you’re rich, but because you are human.’ If people are treated as special, as sacred even, they behave that way. We need to walk just as birds need to fly. Creating public spaces is one way to lead us to a society that is not only more equal but also much happier.” —Meik Wiking
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Spying a bit of magic
After a long week at work, I’m usually too tired or too mentally drained to be very creative. Which breaks my heart because writing short stories and poems and journal entries and novels has always brought me such joy.
It feels like my imagination has been hiding in a safe room, unable or unwilling to leave. I’m convinced she’s hanging out with my muse since both have been MIA in recent years. As is my nature, I keep that safe room fully stocked with books and food and fresh water so who knows when they’ll come out again. Yet once in a while, when I peer through the tiny window in the door, I can spy a bit of magic.
On Thursday morning, the northern hemisphere welcomed the Summer solstice. While the solstice marked the arrival of torment for me — damn you Summer migraines — it was also the longest day of the year. As someone who vastly prefers the nighttime, I took some comfort in knowing that from this point forward, my blessed darkness was on its way back.
To celebrate, I applied that bit of found magic to a challenge issued by New Hampshire Pubic Radio: Sum up this season by writing a haiku. I managed to write two, and I’m thrilled to say NHPR broadcast both of them:
Summer Solstice in New Hampshire as dawn broke this morn
summer’s light bathed New Hampshire
the solstice is here* * *
Summer Solstice
first day of summer
season of heat, bugs, migraines
bring back the darkness
