tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755502616289652010.post7732010663664235217..comments2024-03-07T04:13:36.330-06:00Comments on The Storyteller's Inkpot: It's a Small WorldUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755502616289652010.post-55688273538090738562011-03-02T14:34:19.964-06:002011-03-02T14:34:19.964-06:00I, too, love the ordinary. I don't seem to hav...I, too, love the ordinary. I don't seem to have the knack for the fantastic. When I look at my books I see a kid in foster care, a stoner who goes to high school and a first baseman who misses his mom. In a new book, the main character lives in a small Midwestern <br />town just like the one I grew up in. On the other hand, there's a ghost! But, it's a very ordinary ghost.Ron Koertgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05007470685805649302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755502616289652010.post-46007902191343252472011-03-02T12:13:12.633-06:002011-03-02T12:13:12.633-06:00I'm going to have to read Little Women again s...I'm going to have to read Little Women again soon. I remember having the reaction you describe to reading Swiss Family Robinson as an adult. As a young reader, I loved the adventure and ways in which the family was resourceful. Perhaps I tuned out--or just didn't get--the preachy parts. As an adult, I could barely make it through the first chapter.Cheryl Bardoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00084503940091474111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755502616289652010.post-58443758116715246362011-03-02T09:53:33.337-06:002011-03-02T09:53:33.337-06:00Oh: so that's the title! No wonder I couldn&#...Oh: so that's the title! No wonder I couldn't find it online. Thanks.Liza Ketchumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04926743479295373837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755502616289652010.post-77004797332556114592011-02-28T11:19:35.314-06:002011-02-28T11:19:35.314-06:00Geraldine Brook's "March" is fantast...Geraldine Brook's "March" is fantastic. I really love her writing and can't wait for her new book this spring. In March she tells the story of the father in Little Women, who, you will recall, is absent most of that book. It is the story of his chaplaincy in the Civil War -- his ideals bumping against the reality of war etc. It is beautiful, harrowing, and fascinating how she does this. I believe part of her research included reading the journals and letters of Alcott's father.Melanie Heuiser Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06366472252267770102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755502616289652010.post-16278133648130395392011-02-28T08:21:59.468-06:002011-02-28T08:21:59.468-06:00It's fascinating to visit LMA's original h...It's fascinating to visit LMA's original home in Concord, where you can see the simple desk where she wrote. You can also view the well, in the basement, where they drew up water for the household. Like Marsha, I was put off, on a second reading of Little Women, by Marmee and by the novel's ending, but when I thought about the daily drudgery that Louisa endured--while still finding time to write as many books as she did-I remain impressed by her output and stamina. Has anyone read Marsh, the new book about her father? It sounds interesting.Liza Ketchumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04926743479295373837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755502616289652010.post-45758012476872171372011-02-25T18:30:07.710-06:002011-02-25T18:30:07.710-06:00Andy Goldsworthy is fantastic. Love his stuff. O...Andy Goldsworthy is fantastic. Love his stuff. One of the interesting things about his work is that it's not meant to last; the pile of stones falls over, leaves decay, marks in the sand are washed clean by wind and water. He works outside the artificial sense of permanence offered by galleries. His books of photography are phenomenal.Peter Pearsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05680264754278143181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755502616289652010.post-48945262833281695342011-02-25T09:45:20.334-06:002011-02-25T09:45:20.334-06:00Cheryl, the last time I read Little Women I was ov...Cheryl, the last time I read Little Women I was overwhelmed by the goodness, mostly Marmee's preaching. The Pilgrim's Progress theme seemed to dominate my adult readings. Maybe I should try again.<br /><br />Phyllis--I'll have to check out the Goldsworthy documentary, thanks for the tip. One of my favorite PBS shows is Art in the 20th Century--have you watched those? Episodes are available on the PBS site. So interesting hearing visual artists talk about their work.Marsha Qualeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02506544531376399293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755502616289652010.post-37525469179774907902011-02-25T08:04:45.470-06:002011-02-25T08:04:45.470-06:00Donald Maass in WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL WORKBOO...Donald Maass in WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL WORKBOOK suggests thinking of something your character would never do, then writing a scene in which the character must do that very thing. Works for writers, too.<br /><br />And Andy Goldsworthy, a visual artist who builds his ephemeral sculptures out of such material as ice, leaves, driftwood, says in the documentary RIVERS AND TIDES that sometimes when he builds a work he likes to take it to the very edge of collapse. <br /><br />Thanks for helping us remember this, Marsha. Even in my very quotidian life, there are edges to which I could go. Maybe even go beyond.Phyllis Roothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17657073228684324956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755502616289652010.post-7879143330958800002011-02-24T23:56:21.489-06:002011-02-24T23:56:21.489-06:00Good point. This is the same quality that makes Ra...Good point. This is the same quality that makes Ramona books so powerful--entire chapters revolving around misunderstanding what the teacher says, or losing new rain boots in the mud. I still loved Little Women when I last read it about five years ago. Why can't you read it now?Cheryl Bardoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00084503940091474111noreply@blogger.com