One book leads to another...

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Sketching Nature In Prose



Welcome, writers! If this is your first visit to one of the best writer’s support groups on the web, relax, you’re home ;-) Take a look around our awesome group by clicking the links below, including all of the many great resources offered by the Insecure Writers Support Group, founded by Alex Cavanaugh, right here and right now on this first Wednesday of the month, when IWSG members convene through blogging, Facebook, and Twitter to talk about whatever is on our writing minds and agendas. See what we’re all talking about here

Happy Library Lovers Month! When browsing a library or bookstore do you typically have a particular author or theme in mind? Would you agree that reading for relaxation is one of the most enjoyable paths to inspiration?

Even the most thought out plans can get derailed sometimes and much-needed writing time is forsaken. When that happens I often resort to long moments of window-gazing (shh, don’t tell ;-)) and thinking of – or writing – Haikus. In honor of National Haiku Writing Month, I’m sharing a poem by one who I think is a master at sketching nature in prose, Masaoka Shiki:

Toward those short trees
we saw a hawk descending
on a day in spring

The IWSG optional question of the month is “What do you love about the genre you write in most often?”  The first word that comes to mind is impressionable. The second thought I have is caution; the care that must be taken to ensure that the fresh, new pallet of a child’s mind is painted in wondrous enchantment. I can’t think of a better backdrop than nature. 

On this day in literary history, one of my earliest favorite authors was born. While the stories by Laura Ingalls Wilder no doubt live on in the hearts of many today (including mine), her style and subject matter remains a source of timeless inspiration for writers of life in its sincerest form.

So, what are you writing?


"Home is the nicest word there is" ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

16 comments:

  1. Hi Diedre, 'Impressionable' and 'caution', such powerful watchwords - particularly when considering introducing children to fiction.

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    1. Hi Angela!

      True. As fascinated as the very young are by the written word, why not present the best ones first?

      Delete
  2. Howdy, dIEDRE ~
    Every time I see the word "haiku" I have to suppress the urge to say, "God bless you".

    >>... "Home is the nicest word there is"
    ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder


    Hmmm... I didn't know that. I always thought "nice" was the nicest word.

    I like your approach to children's literature ("impressionable" and "caution"), and I really need to buy one of your books someday. What's your favorite of the children's books you've published?

    I wrote a manuscript for a children's book many years ago (prior to the print-on-demand self-publishing era) and I still like it. A friend of mine was going to illustrate it and publish it for us but that never happened. (I think he's really just not a children's lit kinda guy.)

    So, I still need to find an illustrator for it. That'll probably happen in my next life. ...Or the one after that.

    Dreams fade with the years.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS'

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    1. Hi Reno!
      Bless you, too ;-)
      For the very young, I thoroughly enjoyed writing Beanie's Backyard. It was a thrill to have my grandson read his favorite chapters to me.
      You have a story languishing in webs of uncertainty?! Dust it off, my friend! Dreams don't have to fade. Ever.

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  3. When I browse at a library, it's for a specific type of book, mostly research books. Otherwise, I use the online system to request what I want then I stop in to pick it up, which reminds me...I have two books waiting for my on hold. :)

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    1. Hi Lady Chrys!
      I like to sit in the children's section to see what they bring to the table. One little guy read a story (to me) so well that I couldn't believe he'd not yet learned to read.
      Once I recovered my charger,I was astonished to find I have three unread books on my kindle ;-)

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  4. Libraries... I take my kids to the library regularly, usually once a week, and they each come home with at least 10 books. Half the time I'm eyeing what they're reading, while working on my kindle collection, but sometimes I have to indulge and just grab a few books for myself.

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    1. Hi Crystal!

      I sure know how you feel. We all need our "me" books ;-)

      Delete
  5. I usually go into the library or a bookstore with a list of what I'm looking for. I don't browse as much as I used to. Hmm, maybe something to go back to, try again for fun? :)

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    1. Hi Madeline!

      Absolutely! Take a shopping cart ;-)

      Delete
  6. I LOVE libraries. I just wish I had more time to look around and pluck books off the shelf to read. Great post!

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    1. Hi Victoria!

      Me too! Even when I can't stop in, it's a comfort to know that libraries still exist ;-)

      Delete
  7. Ho Diedra, I use weather a lot in my stories as a backdrop, almost as a secondary character. I love lots of storms. Show storms. Thunder and lightning. Even a major sand storm.

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    1. Hi Stephen!

      "Secondary character," What a perfect summary! I love storms as well. Here in the desert they are cause for celebration;-)

      Delete
  8. I miss the bookstores that used to be near me. Now I'm not sure where the closest one is. I used to like to just randomly browse, but often when I made a special trip to a bookstore it was with something specific in mind.

    When I was in college I spent a lot of time in the library and I would just browse to see what interesting things I could find. It's been several years since I've been to my local library which is within walking distance of where I live. Those visits were rarely to browse, but to pick up specific books (or other media) that I had requested online. I'd go and just pick them up then leave.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Hi Arlee!

      Before the internet I could fill up entire spiral notebooks with research notes obtained from the library. Now, I guess I'm spoiled.

      Often, I'll go to a bookstore with a specific author in mind and discover a new one whose book is strategically placed nearby ;-)

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Any thoughts? Join the conversation, comments welcome here!