Timorous or Bold
The way we are living, timorous or bold, will have been our life. –Seamus Heaney (April 13, 1939-August 30, 2013) In memory of the Irish poet and Nobel laureate. Read the obituary in The Irish Times.
Category: Get Me Rewrite
Read The Dream
We like to talk about excellent writing here at re:Write. Today, we celebrate a work with roots in a rich oral tradition, but which is nevertheless an outstanding example of how the pen can indeed be mightier than the sword …
This Glorious Ocean Life
Yes, as every one knows, meditation and water are wedded for ever. –Herman Melville “Call me Ishmael.” They may be the most famous opening words of any English-language novel, but read just a little bit further into Moby-Dick and you’ll be …
One Book and One Pen
“One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.” –Malala Yousafzai Hear the remarkable 16-year-old Pakistani woman–shot in the head by the Taliban for speaking out in favor of education for girls–addressing the U.N. Watch it …
The Writer’s Duty
“A writer has the duty to be good, not lousy; true, not false; lively, not dull; accurate, not full of error. He should tend to lift people up, not lower them down. Writers do not merely reflect and interpret life, …
The Power of the Pen
How powerful are words? Powerful enough to spark — and sustain — a revolution. These were written by Thomas Paine in December 1776: These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in …
When Not To Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps
A long time ago, I heard the term “bootstrapping” described as a journalistic no-no in the newspaper world. It meant inflating the credibility of a source. I haven’t seen the word used that way in years, but I see examples …
Standing Still with the Sun
“Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air’s salubrity.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
We Don’t Stand For Much
Your typical mission statement is a glowing, intended-to-be inspiring description of everything an enterprise believes in. But the other day I read an article arguing that one way to establish your brand is to proclaim what you stand against. And …
What Fresh Hell Is This
I heard two different versions of a news story the other day. Both were aired by major American broadcasters. One of them bugged me. “British Prime Minister David Cameron has called an emergency cabinet meeting…” “There was a bizarre incident …