tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3459102772155347338.post6261928680897633971..comments2023-12-18T04:15:28.686-05:00Comments on Ten Block Walk: Getting back to the blog, and asking questionsMolly O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14812748747208236745noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3459102772155347338.post-34264653649601827352010-11-01T13:33:04.454-04:002010-11-01T13:33:04.454-04:00I love this post, Molly! And I love that the focus...I love this post, Molly! And I love that the focus is on the questions, rather than the answers. I find that the best questions are the ones that can’t be answered, or at least aren’t meant to be answered RIGHT AWAY, or might need to be re-answered over and over again throughout one’s creative process, or one’s life, etc. It is the fact that those questions exist that make life interesting. <br />One my favorite quotes of all time (and indeed, my life’s mantra, really) is by the poet Rilke, from his book LETTERS TO A YOUNG POET:<br /><br />“Be patient toward all that is unsolved within your heart and try to love the questions themselves, as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Do not now seek the answers which could not now be given to you, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”<br /><br />Here's to living the questions.Katiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08138015634527420058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3459102772155347338.post-15001014914965912052010-10-27T22:14:40.524-04:002010-10-27T22:14:40.524-04:00Do mean girls grow up or do they just turn into me...Do mean girls grow up or do they just turn into mean old ladies? I had this discussion with my daughter and granddaughter. We all had the same problem the same week. <br /><br />Actually that's a great deal like what my character in Coldest Day in Texas asked. The kids in the manuscript I'm working today ask a similar question.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3459102772155347338.post-77524304382814290792010-10-27T19:27:29.555-04:002010-10-27T19:27:29.555-04:00Question One: What was the best question you'v...Question One: What was the best question you've been asked recently, & why has it stayed with you?<br /><br />A friend asked, "Are you still mad?" And I said no. But the question is still with me because I am mad even though I don't want to be.<br /><br /><br />Question Two: Writers and artists, what questions do your stories ask?<br /><br />Is it possible to find a deeper message in romance that's filled with steamy scenes and nothing but happy endings?<br /><br />Nice Blog! We're at opposite ends of the publishing spectrum, so you know I won't be hawking you with pitches. :)ryan fieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13361694356025572544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3459102772155347338.post-42953221503847714372010-10-25T15:00:55.423-04:002010-10-25T15:00:55.423-04:00This is a really fun approach to creativity that I...This is a really fun approach to creativity that I think both artists and writers can enjoy: <br />http://www.frankchimero.com/idea/<br /><br />Where's the potential?<br />What's more Norris-y?Renee Kurillahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09657553036284383390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3459102772155347338.post-69511253243793246512010-10-25T11:09:51.792-04:002010-10-25T11:09:51.792-04:00Welcome back! Wow, that is some fish! I can hardly...Welcome back! Wow, that is some fish! I can hardly wait to see all the books you've been working on. <br /><br />The best question I've been asked lately is one that has definitley stuck with me. Now I ask it of everything I write. It is:<br /><br />What is the heart of your story?<br /><br />It's a question that one has to put a lot of thought into to get right. I was asked it at the query stage and realized it was something I needed to know at the outlining stage.Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130733681254163610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3459102772155347338.post-11327000155469194602010-10-25T09:57:56.678-04:002010-10-25T09:57:56.678-04:00Beth Moore in her study of the Fruit of the Spirit...Beth Moore in her study of the Fruit of the Spirit asked in her love segment, "Who hasn't loved you?" She suggested that the opposite of love is rejection. It helped me think through those experiences as to not subconsciously repeat them and heal from some painful times.Jennifer Noblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10790540939358276409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3459102772155347338.post-3464680137158593742010-10-24T22:57:17.069-04:002010-10-24T22:57:17.069-04:00I recently came upon the question, "What is e...I recently came upon the question, "What is essential?" I can't remember where or how this question came up. I think it may have been on a blog about getting rid of clutter. But I wrote it down on a piece of scrap paper on my desk: What is essential? <br /><br />I've been returning to the question often. I'm thinking about what is essential in terms of stuff (like the junk in boxes in the basement). But I'm also asking what is essential in the YA novel that I'm revising (yet again)? What is essential to that story and those characters and what can go?<br /><br />I've also been mulling: What is essential in my life...not the materialistic stuff in this case; instead: How do I spend my time? Am I spending my time on the activities that mean the most to me and take the highest priority? How can I spend more time being really present to those I love?<br /><br />I'm still dwelling on this question and the possibilities, but it seems to me that what is essential is related to stripping away the non-essential and actually ending up with more. <br /><br />Finally, I agree with you that novels (especially those for kids and teens) raise questions. Love that.<br /><br />After previewing my comments, I'm thinking that a good question often leads us to . . . more interesting questions.<br /><br />Thank you for the post.<br /><br />KellyeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com