Herself

Herself

Recommended Book: Herself: Reflections on a Writing Life

By: Madeleine L’Engle

 

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

HERSELF: REFLECTIONS ON A WRITING LIFE

By: Madeleine L’Engle

ISBN: 978-1524759308

QUESTIONS EXPLORED:

  • What are the elements of a writer’s life?
  • What does it mean to write from the truth, and how can we seek it as writers?
  • How might we get started, create rich characters, and tell the stories only we can tell?

 

WHAT I LOVE:

Herself is my go-to book for words of wisdom about writing craft, and a writer’s life. Madeleine L’Engle said many times that she doesn’t teach writers to write. However, as Carole Chase writes in her introduction to the book, “As thousands of individuals who have say in her writing workshops and read her books over the past five decades will tell you, Madeleine may not teach people how to write but she certainly inspires them to unearth the writer within.” Whenever I need to dig deeper, stretch my courage, or be reminded why I write, I return to this book.

PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION:

The author of over fifty books, including Newbery Award winner A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle is internationally acclaimed for her literary skills and her ability to translate intangible things of the spirit– both human and divine–into tangible concepts through story. In Madeleine L’Engle Herself: Reflections on a Writing Life, you’ll find hundreds of this celebrated author’s most insightful, illuminating, and transforming statements about writing, creativity, and truth.

Buy from:

 Print | eBook 

The links on this page are affiliate links. More details here.

A Ring of Endless Light

A Ring of Endless Light

Recommended Book: A Ring of Endless Light

By: Madeleine L’Engle

 

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

 A RING OF ENDLESS LIGHT

By: MADELEINE L’ENGLE

ISBN: 978-0312379353

QUESTIONS EXPLORED:

  • What are the many kinds of love, and what do they look like in ordinary life?
  • How might poetry and the art of writing bring solace and comfort?
  • What is the impact of a life well-lived? How can we live life to its fullest?

 

WHAT I LOVE:

Madeleine L’Engle often spoke and wrote about her characters as though they weren’t made of imagination, ink, and paper. Instead, they arrived in her life as living, breathing people. Her characters are complicated and creative. They’re dealing with life’s highs and lows. I love how L’Engle blends light with darkness, joy with pain, making each more distinct in her work. In A Ring of Endless Light, as in all of L’Engle’s books, I read not only as a reader, but also as a writer. I’m so grateful for the way she teaches me something new each time I read her words.

PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION:

“L’Engle has the magic storytelling gift that makes it a pleasure to lose yourself in her spell.” ―Newsweek

After a tumultuous year in New York City, the Austins are spending the summer on the small island where their grandfather lives. He’s very sick, and watching his condition deteriorate as the summer passes is almost more than Vicky can bear. To complicate matters, she finds herself as the center of attention for three very different boys.

Zachary Grey, the troubled and reckless boy Vicky met last summer, wants her all to himself as he grieves the loss of his mother. Leo Rodney has been just a friend for years, but the tragic loss of his father causes him to turn to Vicky for comfort―and romance. And then there’s Adam Eddington. Adam is only asking Vicky to help with his research on dolphins. But Adam―and the dolphins―may just be what Vicky needs to get through this heartbreaking summer.

A Ring of Endless Light is a 1981 Newbery Honor Book.

Buy from:

 Print | eBook | Audiobook

The links on this page are affiliate links. More details here.

Certain Women

Certain Women

Recommended Book: Certain Women

By: Madeleine L’Engle

 

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

 CERTAIN WOMEN

By: MADELEINE L’ENGLE

ISBN: 978-1504049467

QUESTIONS EXPLORED:

  • What makes a family, and what is the importance of family in our lives?
  • How do loyalty and love interact, and where are they at odds?
  • What might forgiveness cost, and how might it transform lives?

 

WHAT I LOVE:

While I loved reading this book the first time through as a reader, I have returned to it multiple times as a writer. It’s a masterclass in crafting complex relationships on the page through dialogue, backstory, and action. As with everything else Madeleine L’Engle wrote, this book strikes a resonant chord with me, waking me up to a more fully present way of moving through each day. With each scene, she reminds me of how valuable each moment of our lives are. Live as an artist, live with intention, live with laughter and joy. 

PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION:

As he struggles with cancer, legendary screen actor David Wheaton contemplates the one role that always eluded him: King David. Comparing his own life to that of the biblical ruler, David recalls his own numerous wives and children, forcing his daughter Emma to confront the memories of her family’s unconventional past.

As David’s loved ones gather to say goodbye to their patriarch, Certain Women masterfully links past and present in an emotional story rich in dramatic tradition, showcasing the struggles—both ordinary and extraordinary—of family life.

Buy from:

 Print | eBook | Audiobook

The links on this page are affiliate links. More details here.

Writerly Play Kit 002 – Asking Better Questions

Writerly Play Kit 002 – Asking Better Questions

Writerly Play Kit: 002

Creative Thinking: Asking Better Questions

WP Kit: 002

Asking Better Questions

It’s easy to rush straight past a question and snatch the first answer we can find. Questions create tension. What will we discover? Will we have to make a choice? If so, will we make the right one? Answers provide relief. However, when we ask the wrong questions, we end up with the wrong answers. Asking better questions is an art, and one of the primary tools artists can use to improve their craft.

Featured articles

CREATIVE LIFE

THE duel between curiosity and fear: Three Questions to help curiosity win

Our fear is more powerful than we think, and it takes the director role more often than we’d prefer. We don’t realize how often we’re creating a reality for ourselves because we’re so sure that this is the way life is. That’s fear, directing our lives, keeping us within safe boundaries so that we don’t embarrass ourselves. What might be possible if we risked a little short-term discomfort?

PROBLEM SOLVING

asking the right questions

Our mind goes to work solving the questions we feed it. That’s why catching low-value questions and transforming them is so powerful.

CREATIVE LIFE

QUESTIONS TO START AND END YOUR DAY

Reflection is an important part of growth. What helpful reflection questions might we ask ourselves at the end of the day?

RECOMMENDED BOOK

ASKING BETTER QUESTIONS

Whether you use this book to boost your skills as a discussion facilitator for others, or to improve the quality of discussion inside your own mind, it is sure to be a transformative read.

“There are no right answers to wrong questions.”

Ursula K. Le Guin

The Writerly Play Attic

To ask strong questions is a core skill used in the Writerly Play Attic.

We visit this mental space when we need interior time to reflect, focus, and tap into our emotionally resonant, genuine voices.

 

Activities

Question Starters

FOR ARCHITECTS

Explore your connection with your idea with a series of question starters.

Try This

What If ... ? Game

FOR INVENTORS

Use this classic question to explore the possibilities in your idea.

Try This

Importance Interview

FOR COLLABORATORS

Explore what’s important to you in your idea by digging deep with a friend.

Try This

The Question Bullseye

FOR SPECIAL AGENTS

Clarify your project by exploring what’s central in the idea for you.

Try This

Wondering what Writerly Play is all about?

Writerly Play is designed to help you make the most of your creative potential. Each Writerly Play Kit is designed to help you stretch your thinking skills and develop practical strategies perfectly fit for you.

Want a shortcut? If you don’t have time to read today, but want a quick win, try this quick quiz to identify your creative strengths and weaknesses:

Once you know what works best for you, you need a perfect-for-you plan. Writerly Play functions more like a map rather than a cookie-cutter recipe. First, you’ll locate yourself on the map. Then, with a clear understanding of where you are, you can make informed choices about your next best steps.

Question Starters

Question Starters

Question Starters

Explore your personal connection with your idea through a series of question starters.

Style

Architect

Skill

Asking Questions

Time

15-25 minutes

THE ATTIC:

Question Starters

 

The purpose of asking questions in the Attic is to find what’s central in your idea and what is not. As an Architect, you may not naturally spend time on this kind of big-picture thinking before diving into the details. However, this questioning process will help you decide which details are the most important, so it will definitely save you time in the end. Make the process more enjoyable by using question starters to guide your thinking. That way, you can focus your creative energy on detailing answers rather than coming up with big-picture questions.

Materials

How to Play

  • Index Cards
  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Timer

1. Write these question starters on index cards:

  • Why does … catch my attention?
  • What experiences have I had that relate to … ?
  • If a friend didn’t understand why … mattered to me, how would I explain why I disagree?
  • What do I wish were true about … ?
  • Who do I know that reminds me of …?
  • What is most important to me about …?

2. Set the timer for five minutes, and shuffle your cards.

3. Turn one over, and finish the question in a few ways that relate to your idea. Then, turn another over, and do the same.

4. Once the time is up, you’ll have a list of questions. Choose two or three that are most compelling, and free-write your answers. Set a timer for each free-write, if you like. Take two-five minutes on each answer.

5. End your session by creating a “How might I … ?” question that will help focus your attention on what you have found to be most important through the reflective process of asking and answering questions.

6. Keep your index cards! This is a game you can return to again and again, for multiple purposes.

Adaptations

See the Forest Through the Trees

If you find yourself bogged down in the details mid-project, stop and use this game to help you sort out what matters from what might not be so important. Focus on finding the pieces that should be let go, or that you can add in phase two or three. Remember, done is better than perfect. Most of the time, finishing a project gives you the opportunity for feedback, learning and growth.

Tackle A Creative Block

This game works equally well for working through creative blocks. Instead of starting with an idea, start with a problem. Utilize the same process of finishing the question starters and then exploring answers for the most compelling ones. At the end of the game, come up with a “How might I … ?” question that will focus your energy on proactive movement past your obstacle and toward your goal.

Try On Other Creative Styles

The Question Bullseye

FOR SPECIAL AGENTS

Clarify your project by exploring what’s central in the idea for you.

Try This

What If ... ?

FOR INVENTORS

Use this classic question to explore the possibilities in your idea.

Try This

Importance Interview

FOR COLLABORATORS

Explore what’s most important to you in your idea by digging deep with a friend.

Try This

Wondering What Your Creativity Style Is?

Your creativity is like a fingerprint: completely unique to you. That said, by understanding how you fit (or don’t) into one of four creativity archetypes, you can more easily identify your approach to the creative process. Think of the creativity styles as hats. You may wear one most of the time, but another on special occasions. Your unique blend of personas will affect how you approach each phase of the creative process.