Anthony Doerr recently won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his World War II novel All the Light We Cannot See. And his book is not only noteworthy, it’s popular. It seems as if everyone I know has read or is reading that story, including one of my relatives, who is one of the sharpest...
Tag: writers
My Regards to Broadway
It’s impossible to talk about Broadway musicals without sounding corny. So let’s acknowledge that and move on. I’ve been obsessed with musicals for as long as I can remember. Why? Because on Broadway, the dreamers were the heroes. And they were not head-in-the-clouds dreamers, they were people who took action and changed everyone around them...
Giving Your Most Precious Gift
Today I had the pleasure of attending a fundraiser for one of my favorite local charities. As always, I was in awe not only of the stories told by the families who benefit from the services, but by those of the volunteers and staff who shared how much their work means to them. We are...
Whose Voice Do You Need in Your Head?
This blog is called Bursts of Brilliance because that’s what it feels like when you get a great idea, like the heavens opened up and handed you a gift. But that gift will pass you by if you don’t seize it. And it will wither on the vine if you don’t nurture it. I’ve seen...
What’s a Woman to Do?
Ask any person on the street to name a famous painter, and they’ll likely say Van Gogh, Michelangelo, Monet, etc. Ask that same person to name a famous composer, and you’ll hear names like Mozart or Bach or Beethoven. According to statistics for 2014, male actors still out earned female actors in Hollywood. If you...
Do You Dream of Agents?
I have lots of writerly dreams that may or may not come true. I dream of seeing the words “based on a novel by Teresa Funke” roll by on the silver screen. I dream of being the first self-published author to win one of the prestigious literary awards. I dream of keynoting at a major...
The Power of Art
“Black Lives Matter” may just be one of the most powerful political slogans of our time. And it all started with a Facebook post. According to an article I read, Alicia Garza was upset when George Zimmerman was acquitted of killing Trayvon Martin. She wrote a heartfelt post on Facebook that contained the words, “black...
An Open Apology to My Creative Self
I’m sorry for the times I pushed you to move forward when you weren’t ready. I’m sorry for the times I believed people who said that in order to do your best work, you had to starve. I’m sorry for the times I drove you to the point of exhaustion and frustration, and for the...
When Was the Last Time You Scared Yourself?
My son leaves tomorrow for a semester of study in England. He’s quite nervous and hopefully a little excited, just as I was when I embarked on my studies abroad experience at the age of 19. I confess that I was more than a bit terrified as I boarded that plane, but it wound up...
Ink Smudges on Fingertips
The other day I sent a handwritten note to a friend, only to have him tell me he could not read what I wrote. “My handwriting has always been bad,” I said. “Not this bad,” he replied. And I’m sure he’s right, because who has time to write by hand anymore and why bother? We...