Christmas Belongs to Dickens

No author trumps Charles Dickens for finding the essence of Christmas. It's not just endless versions of A Christmas Carol that earn him such distinction. In many other works Dickens played with the themes that lie at the heart of Christmas. His great novels often feature poor parents seeking shelter and safety for their children. Nearly every plot highlights a shivering child cleaving to the moral path despite local hostilities.

A literary landscape without the likes of Oliver Twist and Pip would be barren. Each of these characters has to navigate mean, cold streets, searching for a next meal or temporary home, while foes are bent on destroying them. Dickensian villains suffer a range of resentments that cripple their hearts like emotional arthritis. But the author made sure his young heroes would discover that the world's kindness is as vast as its evil. In most of his tales, compassion is the victor and morality triumphs.

If writers had their own literary Christmas, I'd put a tree in the reading room covered with ornaments named for great characters. Imagine green glass wreathes and golden angels etched with words like Bob Cratchit, Uncle Pumblechook, and Miss Havisham. There'd be trinkets for bad guys like Uriah Heep, Quilp, and Fagin. Honestly, you could decorate a tree the size of the White House with the great names and plots that Dickens gave us. Can't leave out Jarndyce and Jarndyce or the Artful Dodger. Maybe a reformed Ebenezer Scrooge could play angel at the top of the tree. Of course, there'd have to be candles and strings of light...and a great big holiday goose. And, please sir, some porridge.

Add Water and Clouds, Get Stirred

Gloom has the power to stir the creative process. Rainy skies and thick clouds make a cozy envelope for the imagination. Add a cup of tea and some geographic isolation, and you've got the perfect set-up for writing a masterpiece. This recipe worked wonders for the Bronte sisters who grew up at Haworth, a parsonage on the bleak moors of Yorkshire, England.

Once their mother died, the Bronte children spent much of their time reading and doing household chores. Emily Bronte attended school only sporadically, but her family's reading culture provided her with a strong literary foundation. By combining her knowledge of the classics with rich childhood imaginings, Emily was able to create "Wuthering Heights", one of the greatest novels in the English language.

The story of Cathy and Heathcliff mixes fact and illusion so skillfully the reader needs an occasional pinch from the narrator to remind us which generation of Earnshaws we're watching. The ultimate effect of the book is to create a seamless tale that moves from past to present, ghost to flesh, and dream to reality without losing our interest.

Emily Bronte's book is a monument to the power of gloom. She uses it to blur the edges of her story, making it more intriguing. Next time the skies darken and the mist rises, milk that moment for its mystery. Then pour yourself into your writing.

The Stunning Sound of Truth

When writers capture truth in all its facets, their work has a different ring. Authentic voices can make a believer of the most skeptical reader. The narrator’s voice in Sapphire’s novel “Push” -- the basis of the wrenching film “Precious” -- sounded so real, it convinced many people that the author had suffered the same tortures endured by her main character. Lee Daniels, the film‘s director, said, “When you read it, it’s so honest….that you begin to wonder whether or not this is real…[the author couldn’t] have written it with such authenticity for it not to be lived.…Then when I found out that this was a combination of many lives, it was staggering.”

Sapphire explains how she achieved this remarkable effect: “There was a lot of verite, a lot of reality. There’s also a lot of fantasy. I created a world for Precious where she’s redeemed and saved and touched because that never happened for me.”

The author drew many of her character’s features from observing young people during her years as a teacher in Brooklyn, Harlem, and the Bronx. She said, “If I had twenty people, sometimes I could see who was gonna make it. It wasn’t always the smartest one…it certainly was almost NEVER the toughest one.” According to Sapphire, the successful students were usually the ones who were creative. After all, she says, “What is creativity but the ability to see what’s not there? In order to have a life different from the one you have, you have to have the ability to visualize something different.”

Although Precious survives a hideous series of events, she emerges from her story as the victor. Sapphire felt that this positive outcome was essential. She remarked, “You can read these horror stories [about what happens to kids] in the Daily News [but] learning to read and write changes reality [for Precious].” The power of literacy is sacrament for most writers. And for those wondering how to change a life, count creativity as the best tool in the box.

Can we believe you, Mr. King?

An author with an authentic voice excites readers in a new way. Their stories feel persuasive, even when they’re built on a framework of outlandish acts or weird events. Consider the heroes and villains of Stephen King. Exhausted by the demands of real life, we can still find the energy to read more about Carrie White and her odd powers before sleep claims us. That’s because King accurately captures the truths of adolescence -- before his character starts burnin' down the house!

Mr. King, who has written 30 bestsellers, insists that he “never got to like Carrie White and …never trusted Sue Snell’s motives in sending her boyfriend to the prom with her.” But to get to the emotional core of his book “Carrie”, he spent a long time digging through his memories of high school, remembering how the “most reviled girls” in his class looked, acted and were treated.

Exploring those old recollections helps us to follow the dictum to “write what we know”. King believes that this directive should be interpreted in a broad way. So, if you're a lawyer or a school teacher, you shouldn't use your job to define the limits of your knowledge. Your work must incorporate stuff dredged up from the depths of feeling and whimsy. As Mr. King says, “If not for the heart and imagination, the world of fiction would be a pretty seedy place. It might not even exist at all.”

As far as I’m concerned, imagination is like that mist rising from the pond on rainy mornings. A photo might capture it, but good writing has a way of keeping it alive, long after the sun comes out.

Your Unmistakable Voice

Developing an authentic voice is often tough for new writers. An author's inner voice can easily be drowned out by the endless echoes we hear from publishers, performers, and those who seem more successful than we are. Even writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, have admitted the challenge of hearing their true voice amid the noise of the literary marketplace.

Despite his success, Fitzgerald felt he'd allowed others to tell him "how to do, what to say" and that he was "only a mediocre caretaker" of his own talent. He said that the push and pull of other people's opinions "always confused [him] and made [him] want to go out and get drunk." This solution clearly had BIG drawbacks.

The challenge of heeding our artistic voice is even more difficult in today's loaded media environment. Nevertheless, developing that ability is essential because it adds power to good writing and fuels a writer's artistic growth. The most original and compelling writers are often those who develop a routine that blocks out the flood of cultural messages -- for at least part of the day. These breaks allow the writer to focus more clearly on the images and ideas they really must explore. During moments of closer listening, we give ourselves a chance to tune into the voice that is unmistakably ours, unequivocally unique. It is both a flowing current and a lifeboat.

As the Story Turns....into Poetry

Many writers draw inspiration from other authors' work -- then shape it into something truly novel. In the last year of his life, Raymond Carver stopped writing the vivid short stories for which he was best known and spent his final months writing poems that incorporated themes from Chekhov stories.

The method Carver used to do this writing was something he worked out with Tess Gallagher, his poet wife. She would get up in the morning and read a Chekhov story, then retell the story to Carver at breakfast. In the afternoon, Carver would read the story for himself and, later that evening, they'd discuss it together.

Over the course of several months, they discovered what Gallagher called "the poet in Chekhov" -- though Chekhov, too, had earned his fame as a master story writer. Carver would mark up the passages in Chekhov that appealed to his writing impulses, then start to compose around them. This elliptical process helped Carver to write poems that, in Gallagher's words, "allowed distinctions between genres to dissolve without violence or a feeling of trespass." After all this work, Carver's final book, "A New Path to the Waterfall", reads almost like a how-to manual for literary evolution. Makes me want to write a really good .... mess of words.

Live to Tell it

A great memoir doesn't just record the details of another person's life, it provides a new lens for examining worlds you may never visit. In recent years, the genre has produced books that re-shape our notions of poverty, addiction, and literary life. As Gabriel Garcia Marquez observes in his memoir, "Life isn't what one has lived, rather it is what one remembers and how one remembers it to tell to others."

Myths about the writing life are so widespread, it's hard to believe you'd ever meet a writer who isn't a drunk, a junkie, or a sex addict. In reality, it takes so much discipline to write, edit, publish, and sell sell sell your work, that most working writers have little time for dereliction. Vivir Para Contarla, by Garcia Marquez, offers an antidote to the image of the self-destructive scribe. His memoir is a picaresque blueprint for writers who dream of seeing their work in print. Like many authors, Garcia Marquez thought up his masterpieces while toiling for small, low-paying publications. The one thing he never overlooked, while knocking out stories and mooching meals, was to live with brio. He formed friendships with people from every profession. The dreams of idealistic politicians and diligent prostitutes formed part of his life story. And his life story shaped the visions of many authors who followed him. Reading his work makes you want to live, and write, like you really mean it.

When Spirits Call -- 10/31 Reading in Jim Thorpe

Maybe it's the falling leaves or the first hint of chimney smoke, but late October in the Poconos is always lovely and mysterious. Each year, during the Days of the Dead, we hold a reading in Jim Thorpe to recognize the ethereal presence and absence of those who've passed on. Join us next Sunday, 10/31/10, 2 PM, at the Strange Brew Coffee House for "When Spirits Call", a mix of poetry, song, fact, and fiction. If you bring along some object or photo, we'll add it to our community ofrenda.

Anyone who would like to read or perform, should contact Pennyl Pointe at this site or by phone -- (570) 722-1680 -- to be added to the readers list for the afternoon. Past events have been solemn, profane, beautiful and funny. Don't miss this one.

Howling Wind + Halloween + Mystery!

Howling wind + Halloween = mystery! Choosing the right point of view can amplify the power of any crime yarn. P.D. James, author of 20 books, likes to write as "a detached recorder" which allows her to move into the minds of various characters, "seeing with their eyes." This shifting viewpoint shows "how differently we can all perceive the same event." She's 90 years old now. No murderer could fool her.

One of her works served as the basis for the film "Children of Men". Although it is more of a science fiction story than a mystery, it explores the dark side of social engineering and the plight of those who've been tossed from earth's life boat. If you've only seen the film, it's worth the effort to read the story and compare both versions. Her use of the shifting perspective allows both doom sayers and optimists to come away from the story feeling satisfied.

Workshop for Writers in Jim Thorpe, PA: Writing The Anthracite Experience

Pennsyl Pointe Writers Retreat is kicking off a workshop series for writers working on stories from Pennsylvania's coal country. Coal towns once epitomized the fulfillment of American dreams. Today, tales from anthracite communities are even more relevant because they illustrate many of the conflicts still shaping America's national character.

The workshop will be held in the Albright Mansion, at 66 Broadway in Jim Thorpe, PA. The session begins at 9 AM in the Rose Room with coffee and introductions. A $95 dollar workshop fee covers instruction, reading materials, and a tasty lunch provided by the host restaurant. The last exercise will end by 5 PM. An early bird discount reduces the price to $90 for those who register by July 10th. Contact tenpagesaday@msn.com or call (570)722-1680 for more details.

The workshop will be facilitated by Colleen Davis, whose work runs the gamut from technical writing and travel pieces, to fiction and speeches. She has a BA and MS from the University of Pennsylvania and has written for clients as diverse as Vineyard Stars and the Washington Post. Her ancestors arrived in anthracite country before the civil war and she was raised in Frackville, PA.