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Lynne's literary 'successes' - UPDATED 5/15/08My great writing career is underway. I've completed a childrens book (Saving the Fairies' Tales) that is off being rejected by literary agents and publishers around the world. I also completed a novelette (Barnacles) that I'd been working on for years. It's crap, but writing it entertained me to no end. I'm struggling through my "masterpiece" novel, Marina Melee and make fitful, if not always satisfactory progress on that. I've also joined two on-line writing groups, the Internet Writers Workshop (IWW) and Write Link. They're fabulous communities of writers that have been immensely supportive. IWW is particularly helpful. I've joined their YAWrite (young adult and children's writers), Novels, Fiction, and Practice writing groups. Writers in each group submit their writing and critique each others work. The YAWrite group made a huge contribution to fixing up 'Fairies' Tails' and getting it into a form that was ready to be sent off into the world. Although no agents or publishers have recognized the brilliance of this work, yet, I'm still hopeful. I've entered a few writing competitions, too. I've yet to win any, but have received "honorable mention" or a relatively high ranking in a few. My 'notable' entries are below. This piece is a book review, entered in a review competition. It was one of the top three entries. One judge said, "although I'd not usually select a biography about a scientist, this review made me want to read it." It really is a fabulous book! Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson Einstein. We all know the wild-haired genius who sparked a physics revolution. Using previously unavailable personal correspondence, Isaacson draws a complex portrait of Einstein that goes beyond the well-known image of an unconventional thinker, to show an imperfect man who struggled with family, career, politics, and moral questions. This biography deftly intertwines science with personal anecdotes to give a clear and very human portrait of Albert Einstein. The science is presented in clear, concise descriptions, similar to Einstein's own "thought experiments" that make it easily understandable. Einstein's scientific success is due to resistance to
conformity. "A foolish faith in
authority is the worst enemy of the truth," he wrote in 1901. His aversion to lock-step acceptance of
commonly held beliefs led to the most important breakthroughs in the history of
science. Yet, as a Jew in Europe, he struggled to succeed professionally amid a
society and colleagues firmly entrenched in obedience to authority, rote
learning, and strong nationalism. The
book delves into the personal and public conflicts Einstein faced due to his
views on war and politics: issues that resonate strongly in today's world making
this a very relevant and timely read.
My next 'success' was in a short-story competition, the Weekender Challenge. The 'challenge' was that the topic and specific entry details were unknown. These were sent to entrants at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning and the entry was due by 9 p.m. Sunday. The topic was "Falling." Entries had a 1200 word limit. I placed fifth, with an honorable mention with "The Visit". UPDATE: 'The Visit' has been accepted for publication in SkyWriter's winter edition! It's an on-line and limited print literary magazine - so, now I'm a published writer! TWO MORE WRITING 'VICTORIES'! My creative non-fiction essay, 'Desperately Seeking Joe' is published on-line at The Painted Door: Stories Plain and Simple. AND, a travel article I wrote on our sailing trip in Turkey will be published in the Travel Section of the Stars and Stripes (European edition) on Thursday, Feb 21, 2008. This is a double victory - some of Matt's photos from the trip will be published with the story! This is a modified version of what appears above in this blog. ANOTHER SUCCESS! My creative nonfiction essay, "The Lost Art of Funerals" will be published in Vanguard Press's 'The Battered Suitcase' in July 08!
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