Admiring Ted Kooser

I am a huge fan of Ted Kooser, the former U.S. Poet Laureate.  I came to know his work through hearing it read on the radio and television, but I had not read his poetry myself.

But, last weekend I picked up a copy of Lights on a Ground of Darkness: An Evocation of a Place and Time which he published in 2005 with the University of Nebraska Press.

The book is dedicated to his mother. In it he begins by describing a scene in 1949 in Guttenberg, Iowa.

It begins..  
"Summer, 1949. Above the Mississippi, the noon sun bleaches the blue from a cloudless midsummer sky. So high in their flight that they might be no more than tiny motes afloat on the surface of the eye, a few cliff swallows dive and roll."
~Ted Kooser

I was hooked.
I was charmed.
I embraced the little book and all its flavor.
And devoured the words.

I think you will too. Have a lovely weekend.

All the best,

~Mary

Art Website: www.MaryLachman.com

Book Website: www.MothAtTheWindow.com
Facebook: Mary Lachman Design and Moth at the Window
To Order: Moth at the Window: Poetry of Grover W. Clayton and Recollections of Indiana 

Five Tips to Jump Start Your Writing this July 4th Weekend

You have been thinking about starting that short story or book but just can't seem to make it happen. Here are 10 tips that can get you going:

1. Keep paper and pen with you at all times. I find a small bound journal works well. Moleskin makes all sizes but there are many other types that you might like.

2. Jot down ideas when they come to you. Maybe you like the notebook feature if your cell phone has one.  I prefer paper and ink but use whatever works best for you.

3. Write each day. Write about a funny thing that happened to you or someone else. Write about the crazy story you heard about the bridesmaid who didn't have her dress two weeks before the wedding and asked the bride if she knew anyone she could borrow one from. Really!? Yep true story. Some things you just can't make up.

4. Write at the same time each day.  Studies show that doing the same thing at the same time each day creates a routine for your mind and body and makes the habit stick. (Routine also makes bad habits harder to break so be careful!)

5. Write at least 100 words each day and better yet, write 750 words!
Do you want to tell a story about your family? what were the outstanding characteristics that immediately pop into your head when you think of Uncle Denny? or Aunt Lucy?
Write it down. Describe don't tell. Paint a picture with words.

Remember the toughest thing to do is to get started. So write that very first word and that very first sentence! Make it a habit. You might even like it better than a cup of coffee!

All the best,

~Mary

Art Website: www.MaryLachman.com

Book Website: www.MothAtTheWindow.com
Facebook: Mary Lachman Design and Moth at the Window
To Order: Moth at the Window: Poetry of Grover W. Clayton and Recollections of Indiana