Stoked a Fire
Had a long drive home last night in the cold, dark rain...listened to a few tunes on the way, and when I checked Facebook when I'd finally settled there was a message from my sister Carrie about a Jackson Browne lyric...it took me a minute, but I got it, and we were off and running on a discussion of his talents.
And it struck me that we had a lot going on in that house on the hill. There was so much culture, so many discussions about talent. We would huddle together, in time before the net, and decipher the lyrics, and revel in the words.
And we were all reading a lot...okay, not John and Jim, but the rest of us. All books for fun. I'd read book after book, never caring about when book reports were due. In fact, when that was announced in class, every head in the room turned my way. I was the Internet for stealing a paper way before the Net.
I have vivid recollections of Dad's records being played as he sang the words for us and Mom was always in trouble for having so many damn books laying around. We, as kids, never had to go to the bookstore...Mom always had good reading for us.
And now Sam comes into my room and looks at my bookshelves.
"Did you read all of these?" he'll ask.
"Some more than once."
And I know how my Mom felt about getting rid of her books. I never want to send one packing. They are all important to me in one way or another.
Carrie, of course, was always special to the process of starting to write. I clearly recall brainstorming the plot of Desperation with her. We were in my parents garage.
"What if Jackie does this?" she'd ask.
All great stuff.
Think I'm going to put on a little Jackson Browne and think 'old school'.
They've made research and being creative easy these days, but exercising your brain is flat-out awesome!
And it struck me that we had a lot going on in that house on the hill. There was so much culture, so many discussions about talent. We would huddle together, in time before the net, and decipher the lyrics, and revel in the words.
And we were all reading a lot...okay, not John and Jim, but the rest of us. All books for fun. I'd read book after book, never caring about when book reports were due. In fact, when that was announced in class, every head in the room turned my way. I was the Internet for stealing a paper way before the Net.
I have vivid recollections of Dad's records being played as he sang the words for us and Mom was always in trouble for having so many damn books laying around. We, as kids, never had to go to the bookstore...Mom always had good reading for us.
And now Sam comes into my room and looks at my bookshelves.
"Did you read all of these?" he'll ask.
"Some more than once."
And I know how my Mom felt about getting rid of her books. I never want to send one packing. They are all important to me in one way or another.
Carrie, of course, was always special to the process of starting to write. I clearly recall brainstorming the plot of Desperation with her. We were in my parents garage.
"What if Jackie does this?" she'd ask.
All great stuff.
Think I'm going to put on a little Jackson Browne and think 'old school'.
They've made research and being creative easy these days, but exercising your brain is flat-out awesome!
Comments
Just finished a Memoir called Lit by Mary Karr. Brilliant writing.
70's...unbelievable how the world has changed, hopefully, since then. Every teacher in the country should be forced to read it.