Wishes for a new book

Here is a verse found on an old bookplate that I feel that would serve as a sort of a "grace" for a new book:

May this volume continue in motion,
And its pages each day unfurl'd,
Till an ant has drunk up the ocean,
Or a tortoise has crawl'd round the world.

Long live writers and long live your book. If you want to write a book that lasts until the ants drink up the ocean, join the Ligonier Valley Writers. For more information go to lvwonline.com

How to lie by telling the truth

Here is a great quote on our art from the great novelist, Isabell Allende:

"You can tell the deepest truths with the lies of fiction."

Thanks for reading. If you want to get better at telling your truth with "the lie of fiction" the Ligonier Valley writer is here to help. For more info check out lvwonline.com

Great book for fiction writers

I just finished a wonderful book on the art of writing: The Lie That Tells the Truth: A Guide to Writing Fiction by John Dufresne. This book is very thorough and covers all aspects of writing novels and short stories. I particularly enjoyed his chapter on crafting dialogue. Dufresne is a very talented writer with a number of novels and story collections under his belt. This book uses examples of quality writing to illustrate the techniques he is describing. It is easy to understand and an enjoyable read. I feel that it is worth reading this book for the many quotes from writers and other artists liberally sprinkled through its  pages. The Lie That Tells the Truth   is a valuable book for writers in all genres. I look forward to reading Dufresne's book on writing the novel.

Keep writing! Thanks for reading.

Jim Busch

Creating an Empathy Machine

I was listening to a radio interview with John Landgraf, the CEO of the cable network FX. He was talking about the importance of story in building an audience for his company. The show's host asked him how he defined what constitutes a "good" story. I really like he answer and believe that it not only applies to TV scripts but to any good writing. Here is what he said,

" A story is an empathy machine that allows us to see the world through the eyes and minds of others."

I think this succinct statement is as good a definition of a good story as any I have read. We writers are the mechanics who build "empathy machines" to help others see the world from a different perspective.

Thanks for reading.

Jim Busch for the Ligonier Valley writers.  

Mark Twain--Self-publisher and Marketer

Mark Twain is remembered as one of America's greatest writers. People often forget that he was also a genius at marketing himself and his books. When he published his first books, he felt that the publishing houses of his day took advantage of him by taking the lion's share of the proceeds from his creative work. Twain took a step that is common in our day, but was groundbreaking in his; he decided to become his own publisher. Since he was living a century before digital publishing became available, he did this by making arrangements with a printer and starting his own publishing house.

Because he lacked the capital of an established house, he sold his books by subscription, essentially selling the books before they were printed and collecting at least part of the revenue upfront. Twain recruited commissioned sales people across the country to go door to door selling his books. He gave his representatives detailed instructions on selling his books and even how to sell special editions in more luxurious bindings. You can find these instructions by Googling "Mark Twain-how to be a successful agent." When Twain learned that another publishing company was taking advantage of his dear friend Ulysses Grant, Twain stepped up and offered him a much more favorable deal for his memoirs. This turned into one of the most lucrative publishing ventures of the 19th century.

I often talk to fellow writers that tell me they've published a book (or several), but then apologize for self-publishing it. They act as if this is "cheating" and it somehow diminishes their accomplishment. My response is that, "If self-publishing is good enough for the author of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, it should be good enough for any writer."

If you want to learn more about writing, publishing or just want to spend time with other creative types, join the Ligonier Valley Writers today. You can reach the LVW at www.LVWonline.org

Thanks for reading this post.

Jim Busch

 

Poetry Roadtrip

The Dodge Poetry Festival is just two weeks away. This is the preeminent poetry event in the U.S. and was featured on Bill Moyers PBS series "Fooling with Words" some years back. This is a great event for anyone who loves words. My wife and I have attended a number of these festivals (Hearing Coleman Barks and Robert Bly perform the poetry of Rumi is one of the highlights of my life). This year's line up features readings by 70 poets including local writer Jan Beatty, the always entertaining Billy Collins, Rita Dove and Robert Pinsky. In addition to the readings there are many workshops for writers of all levels, storytelling, musical performances and a great selection of books for sale. This years festival will be held in Newark, New Jersey (Proof that art can happen anywhere). For more information go to http://www.dodgepoetry.org/  If you can make the festival it is well worth your time.

Thanks for reading.

Jim Busch for the LVW

Is "Spritzing" the future of reading?

I just watched a Charlie Rose interview with the founders of "SPRITZ" Spritz is a new digital reading system that instead of putting all of the words on a page simultaneously, presents them to the reader one at a time. In addition the letter which is the focal point of the word is printed in red to attract the eye. They made the point that our current system of presenting text was created to carve words into the stone walls of temples. This system was carried over when paper came along. The Spritz designers claim that people can read up to a 1,000 words per minute with their system. I visited their website ( http://www.spritzinc.com/ ) and it is truly an amazing system, I can't imagine this will ever replace books (Remember--I'm an old codger Dang Nabbit!) but it could make reading on electronic devices much easier. I have to agree with Gandhi who said, "There is more to life than increasing its speed." but this is an interesting idea. I suggest you check it out.  

Don't forget, there are just five days left for early registration for the 2014 Ligonier Valley Writers Conference.

Keep writing.

Jim Busch

Lawrence Ferlinghetti's Descriptive powers

One of the things that sets the work of great writers apart is their powerful descriptive powers. Lawrence Ferlinghetti demonstrated his descriptive skills in the following excerpt from his book of experimental plays Routines. This is his answer to the question, "What is man?"

"Man is a self-balancing, 28 jointed adapter-based biped; an electro-chemical reduction plant, integral with segregated stowages of special energy extracts in storage batteries, for subsequent actuation of thousands of hydraulic and pneumatic pumps with motors attached; 62,000 miles of capillaries; millions of warning, signal, railroad and conveyor systems; crushers and cranes (of which the arms are magnificent 23 jointed affairs with self-surfacing and lubricating systems and a universally distributed telephone system needing no service for 70 years if well managed); the whole extraordinarily complex mechanism guided with exquisite skill from a turret in which are located telescopic and microscopic self-registering and recording range finders, a spectroscope etc., the turret control being closely allied with an air-conditioning intake and exhaust and a main fuel intake

Within the few cubic inches housing the turret mechanisms, there is room also, for two soundwave and sound-direction finder recording diaphragms, a filing and instant reference system and an expertly devised analytical laboratory large enough not only to contain minute records of every last and continual event of up to 70 year's experience or more, but to extend, by computation and abstract fabrication, this experience with relative accuracy into all corners of the observed universe. There is, also, a forecasting and tactical plotting department for the reduction of future possibilities to generally successfully specific choice."

Writing your own detailed description of "man" is an exercise that is sure to sharpen your own descriptive powers. Another way to become a better writer is to attend the annual Ligonier Valley Writers Conference this summer.   

Thank you for reading this blog, please feel free to comment on it and to share it with others.

Keep your fingers on the keyboard, the ideas flowing and your dreams alive.

Jim Busch

Ralph Waldo Emerson on writing well

It is not uncommon to find a book, usually a juicy novel, that we find hard to put down. It is unusual to find a non-fiction book, particularly one about a 19th century author, that has this addictive effect. I maybe exposing my nerdiness, but this happened to me this past weekend. I picked up a copy of First We Read, Then We Write: Emerson on the Creative Process by Robert Richardson. Richardson uses examples of Emerson's writing, selections from his journals, and excerpts from his letters to examine his unique creative process. This multifaceted book is part biography, part literary criticism and part how-to manual. Richardson delves into Emerson's use of language and his desire to use the language "of the street." He makes the point that Emerson thought that the well formed sentence was the key to good writing. This pithiness explains why so many authors and speakers make such liberal use of Emerson quotations in their books and presntations.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Emerson or in improving their own writing. Emerson's writing and creativity was fed by his close contact with a circle of literary friends, Thoreau, Hawthorne, the Alcott's etc. If you want to nurture your writing with a circle of literary friends, plan on attending the Ligonier Valley Writers Conference this coming summer. You may not become the Emerson of our age, but you will grow as a writer and you will certainly have a lot of fun.

Keep your fingers on the keyboard, the ideas flowing and the dream alive.

Thanks for reading.

Jim Busch    

Robert Frost on putting yourself into your work

"No tears in the writer...no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer...no surprise in the reader."                                                       Robert Frost

Writing is the art of transfering emotion from one person to another. If we do not put our emotions into our work we are not writers, we are simply reporters. If we limit ourselves to conveying cold facts and transferring data we leave too much of ourselves hidden. To be a writer we need to imbue our words with living emotion. Frost was a master of this, we all know how he felt when he stopped by the woods on a snowy evening or when he came to two diverging roads in the heart of the forest. It is this sharing of ourselves which makes us writers

Keep your hands on the keyboard, the work flowing and your dreams alive.

Thanks

Jim Busch