A few comments for people who might be interested in the process of writing novels–or maybe even want to write your own: First novels (like I’m really an authority on this) can be very personal. Mine was, anyway. I had… Read moreBecoming a Novelist: A Musing on First Novels
Actually, I didn’t either. I didn’t start out to be one–it just kind of happened, over a period of years. There were a number of images running around in my head for a long time, begging me to do something… Read more“I Didn’t Know You Were a Novelist!”
Yesterday I was quietly enjoying an Indian lunch at my favorite deli when a two-year-old boy caught my attention. Not because he was exceptional, but because he wasn’t. He was a normal little boy having lunch with his mother. He’d… Read moreThe Miracle of the Absorbent Mind
I was a copy editor for years and edited books on many topics I would not have delved into otherwise. One of the books I edited included many stories about Socrates. I had heard, of course, of the Socratic method… Read more“Shut Up, Socrates!”
The American novelist Ursula K. Le Guin passed away a week ago. I watched a couple of YouTube videos of her speeches, then went to Wikipedia and read about her life. There I was reminded that her father was a… Read moreThe “What If” Consciousness
In the 1960s in New Jersey, our suburban Sabbath looked like this: Mom rushing around like crazy to get us through breakfast on time Church Mom rushing around like crazy to get dinner into our tummies to stop the growling… Read moreA 21st-Century Sabbath
A couple weeks after January 1, we may or may not be keeping our New Year’s resolutions. It’s a good time for a pep talk (at least, I need one about now!). Many of us probably made resolutions about starting… Read moreSticking With the Spiritual Life
When I was in high school, I prided myself on being able to remember everything about everything. Not that my mastery of detail ever reached quiz-show heights, but it was good enough to get me dubbed by my classmates “the… Read moreAI: The Human Mind on Steroids
Beginnings are exciting, refreshing. They bring a sense of newness, of anticipation of interesting things to come. They bring a burst of energy and enthusiasm. The first day of spring. The first day of school (if you’re a kid who… Read moreThe Joy of Cycles
It being Christmastime, yesterday I ran across a recording of “The Little Drummer Boy,” which I hadn’t listened to recently. It put me in touch with the wonder of Christmas, the stars in a tiny child’s eyes at the sheer… Read moreThe Power of Innocence