The writer's duty according to Ursula K Le Guin

I have just learned that the great writer Ursula K Le Guin passed away at the age of 88. A prolific author she penned 20 novels, 12 books of poetry, hundreds of short stories and 13 children's books. Her books were translated into 40 languages and she sold millions of copies around the globe. Here is how Ursula K Le Guin described the true work of a writer.

"The writer's pleasant duty is to ply the reader's imagination with the best and purest nourishment that it can absorb."

Check out the LVWonline.org site for information on our upcoming programs. This spring we will be presenting programs on writing an Edward R. Murrow style "This I Believe" essay and a program on writing historical fiction in conjunction with Fort Ligonier.

Thanks for reading this post.

Jim Busch

Lynda Barry on story structure

Here's a great quote from cartoonist/writer/graphic novelist Lynda Barry. I think I would file this under--Once you learn the rules you are allowed to break them! Barry has build a successful career by breaking with conventions and following her own unique muse. Her creativity is evident in the metaphor contained in this quote:

"People think if you're writing a story you have to follow story structure--it's like thinking the only reason we have teeth is because there are dentists." Lynda Barry

Thanks for reading. Be sure to visit  LVW.org to check out some of the exciting new programs for aspiring writers and all lovers of great storytelling.

 Jim Busch

The purpose of story

H. W. Brands is one of my favorite living historians. He has a talent for making a work of non-fiction read like a novel. He understands the value of story. Here is a great quote from Professor Brands on the purpose that stories fill in our lives.

"Stories are simplifications of complicated realities that give us some kind of purchase, some kind of grip on the world."

You can help others get a grasp on some "complicated realities" by submitting your story, poem or work of art to the 2015 Loyalhanna Review. Submissions will be accepted February 15th. Check out the Ligonier Valley Writers website.

Keep your pencils sharp, the ideas flowing and your dream alive.

Thanks for reading this blog--Jim Busch

Art is the big YES!

"Much of our lives involves the word 'NO.' In school we are mostly told, 'Don't do it this way. Do it that way.' But art is the big yes. In art, you get a chance to make something where there was nothing." Marvin Bell

As a poet, Marvin Bell understood the true allure of any creative activity.When we write or paint or compose a new piece of music we break free of the limitations of the physical world. We enlarge and enrich the realm of human experience and human knowledge. Every time you sit down to write, you are saying "YES" to the creative spirit of the universe.

Thanks for reading

Jim Busch