Entry # 105 - "On the Heart's Affections"

Photo Credit - Alex Dunn - Naples, FL October Sky

 "I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart's affections and the truth of imagination."  --- John  Keats.

"How can we describe the beauty of this life? It fills us until we think our hearts will burst with the joy of sight, sound, and touch -whether of the human hand or of sun & sea spray driven by a breeze. "--- Jan Bowman

I think of these things today as I write. 


William of Occam (yes - that Occam) was reported to have said,
                 "No more things should be presumed to exist than are absolutely necessary."

Having said this, I want to mention a book that I think is interesting and really valuable to any writer.  I recommend the purchase of Schott's Original Miscellany by Ben Schott. First printing in 2002 by Bloomsbury.   What is it?  Well it is 158 pages of packed curiosities. It has been described as an encyclopedia, a dictionary, an almanac, an anthology, a lexicon, a treasury, a commonplace, an amphigouri, a vade-mecum and more.  In fact - Schott's efforts lay claim to "unconsidered trifles."  Its purpose is "to gather the flotsam and jetsam of the conversational tide.  It claims to be essential.  And (perhaps) it is possible to live one's life without it, but it seems a curious and brave thing to attempt."     

REMEMBER - "If you find a book you love, don't hoard the discovery. Reading is not a contest." ---  from The Soul of Creative Writing by Richard Goodman.

YOU'RE INVITED - email:  janbowmanwriter@gmail.com

Send me your thoughts about what you've read and want to share and I'll plan to post it on the first Tuesday of each month.  Here's what you do:
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Write a couple of paragraphs, if you would like to talk about a book.  Don't worry about being particularly academic.  This is not intended to be a formal review, unless you really long to write one, and in any case - write what you wish from your own impressions and reactions. 

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Then send an email to me. I will collect these, edit a bit, if necessary, before posting your comments on the first Tuesday of the month under the title: READERS TALK.       Send to:  janbowmanwriter@gmail.com

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Jan Bowman’s work has appeared in Roanoke Review, Big Muddy, Broadkill Review, Trajectory, Third Wednesday, Minimus, Buffalo Spree (97), Folio, The Potomac Review, Musings, Potato Eyes, and others. She won the 2011 Roanoke Review Prize for Fiction. Her stories have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best American Short Stories and a story was a finalist in the “So To Speak” Fiction Contest. She is working on two collections of short stories and currently shopping for a publisher for a completed story collection. She has nonfiction work pending publication in Spring 2013 Issues of Trajectory and Pen-in-Hand. She writes a weekly blog of “Reflections” on the writing life and posts regular interviews with writers and publishers.   Learn more at:

Website – www.janbowmanwriter.com

Blogsite – http://janbowmanwriter.blogspot.com