Getting Into the Habit – Or, How to Begin Writing

Not long ago, this author was asked by a beginning writer what was the best method for getting words on paper. The answer I gave mirrored the one I received when I asked a similar question: just write. Plunk your bottom down in the chair regularly, open a file folder, and start typing. Yes, the…

Remember the Republic

“Left to themselves, Americans build, cultivate, bridge, dam, canalise, invent, teach, manufacture, think, write, lock themselves in struggle with the eternal challenges that man has chosen to confront, and with an intensity not known elsewhere on the globe. Bidden to make war their work, Americans shoulder the burden with intimidating purpose. There is, I have…

A Thanksgiving Day Meditation

Thanksgiving Day always struck this author as a rather sedate holiday. It falls directly between Halloween and Christmas, toning down the hype for the former and preparing for the avalanche of cheerful preparations for the holiest night of the year. Where Halloween is celebrated with costumes and games and Christmas in eager anticipation of gifts,…