Anne Faye

We writers all have those days when we are in desperate need of some inspiration and encouragement, a reminder of why we do what we do. Writer's Digest has put together a list of 72 of the Best Quotes About Writing. You are sure to find at least one or two that speak to you today. The one that speaks to me today? This one by Virginia Woolf: “Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.” Check it out here: 72 of the Best Quotes About Writing

Some picture books are as much of a delight for adults as they are for children. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is that type of book. The Academy Award Winning Short Film by the same name was based on this book by William Joyce. Honestly, I loved the video, but I love this book even more! The story is one all book and library lovers will enjoy. "Morris Lessmore loved words. He loved stories. He loved books. His life was a book of his own writing, one orderly page after another. He would open it every morning and write of his joys and sorrows, of all that he knew and everything that he hoped for." After his home is destroyed in a storm, Mr. Lessmore begins to wander and encounters a lovely flying lady being pulled by a squadron of books. She sends him a book which leads him to a very unusual library where he soon takes up residence and spends his life caring for the books and continuing to write his own story. The beautiful illustrations in this book ...

For the first time ever, the Seattle Pacific University MFA program (which emphasizes the Judeo-Christian tradition in literature) has merit scholarships available! All accepted applicants–beginning at the upcoming admission deadline–will be considered for scholarship assistance based upon the quality of their creative work. That’s good news: there’s no separate application for the scholarships! The next deadline for admission to the SPU MFA is October 1, 2012. Beth Myhr, an MFA alumna, said, “When I decided, after twenty years of writing, that it was time to go back to school, I looked for three things in a program: intellectual rigor, high standards for the art, and a program that would support what I consider a fact of art—that beautiful work is the soul of our culture. I needed a program that saw the spiritual practice in the writing process. The SPU MFA program was a perfect fit.” To find out more about the program and determine its fit for you, check out the ...

I finished reading On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. As I mentioned previously, I had been told that this book was a classic, and in surveying the myriad comments on Amazon, I have no reason to disagree. As with all classics however, not every reader loves them, and in this case, I fall into that category. I think that I just wasn't King's target audience. First, I've only read one of his works in my life, so I certainly couldn't be called a fan, yet I greatly respect what he has achieved as a writer. I did find his autobiography very interesting, but I found his crass language something of a turn-off. Second, his section on writing was very informative and I did pick up some good tips, but I think, being a man, he writes more for male writers. He suggests spending at least four hours a day reading/writing. I would love to, but there aren't many moms out there that have that luxury. I'm more in the "write w...

I love walking through cemeteries. I pray for the dead and explore the tombstones and wonder about the people remembered there. I posted on Twitter a while back that on a recent exploration I found this unusual stone. It is a flat stone set into the ground, obviously hand-carved by a loved one. It's unusual for two other reasons - first, there is no first name so I don't know if it marks the grave of a young man or a young woman; second, it has a smiley face (under the date). Who was this young person and who carved the stone? There is a story here, and I wish I knew what it was . . . If I get the chance, I might research obits from 1935 and see if I can find out. In the meantime, my imagination will continue to get the best of me.

Get free admission for two on September 29th at participating museums. Here is the list for Massachusetts - I wish I could go see them all! http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museum-search/?c=y&page=1&state=Massachusetts Find out more and print your ticket at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/

I'm currently reading On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King which was given to me and which I have heard is a classic writing book. I'm still fairly early in the book and haven't really formed an opinion of it yet, but I enjoyed King's telling of his first payment for writing. He was in first grade (although he missed most of the year due to sickness) and started writing stories. He shares: I eventually wrote a story about four magic animals who rode around in an old car, helping out little kids. Their leader was a large white bunny named Mr. Rabbit Trick. He got to drive the car. The story was four pages long, laboriously printed in pencil . . . When I finished, I gave it to my mother, who sat down in the living room, put her pocketbook on the floor beside her, and read it all at once. I could tell she liked it - she laughed in all the right places - but I couldn't tell if that was because she liked me and wanted me to fee...