Pulitzer Prize for Novels

In 1917, Hungarian-American Joseph Pulitzer donated money in his will to an award for the best author in newspaper, music composition, photography and literature.  Each April, twenty one awards are bestowed by 20 juries composed of 102 judges.  Here are some novels which stand out for me:

2015  All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)

A novel about World War II, human nature and the "contradictory power of technology".

2006  The March (E.L. Doctorow)

Based on the closing year of the Civil War during which General Sherman and his troops marched (retreated) through the South, leaving a "60 mile wide scar of destruction in their wake".

I didn't read The March, but I did read E. L. Doctorow's Ragtime, based on the Jazz Era in the United States.

1999  The Hours (Michael Cunningham)

A story based on three generations of women and how the Virginia Woolf novel Mrs. Dalloway affected them.  It was adapted for the screen in 2002.

1994  The Shipping News (Annie Proulx)

A New York State newspaper journalist marries and raises two daughters.  His two timing wife "meets her just desserts" and he moves to his ancenstral home in Newfoundland to live with two other generations of his family.

1983  The Color Purple (Toni Morrison)*

A Black woman growing up in the Deep South experiences abuse at the hands of her father, and later, her husband.

1980  The Executioner's Song (Norman Mailer)

Based on the execution of Gary Gilmore for multiple murders by the state of Utah in 1977.

1961  To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)*

Set in the Deep South, this novel is based on the trial and conviction of a black man for the alleged rape of a white woman.  It was adapted for the big screen in 1962 starring Gregory Peck as the lawyer who defends the black man.

1952  The Caine Mutiny (Herman Wouk)

I didn't read The Caine Mutiny but I did read Herman Wouk's The Winds of War  and War and Remembrance, both based on World War II.

1948  Tales of the South Pacific (James Michener)*

Based on the author's experiences in the Pacific as a lieutenant commander in the US Navy during World War II.

1940  The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)*

A string of Okies, farmers driven off their parched land by drought, packed up their Model T's and road across the desert to California to pick grapes during The Great Depression.

1932  The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)

Family life in a Chinese Village before World War II.  This novel returned to the bestseller list when Oprah made it the book of the month club selection in 2004.

1927  Early Autumn (Louis Bromfield)

Based on a custody battle between a husband and wife and the man the latter hires to protect her son from being kidnapped by her ex-husband.  The bodyguard and the son form a strong bond.

1921  Age of Innocence (Edith Wharton)

An upper class couple's impending marriage in New York City in the 1870's.

*These are the titles I have read.

http://www.pulitzer.org/node/8501

Twenty Tips to Find Inspiration for a Newspaper or Magazine Article

"The feature writer who doesn't have two or three projects bubbling on his own stove is doing only half the job." (William Blundell)

So you want to write a newspaper or magazine article.  Where do you find your ideas?   Here are twenty tried and true tips to finding inspiration for your article.  Before you know it, your fingers will be tapping a mile a minute on the keyboard.

1.  Hop in the shower

It's in the shower that many people are hit with a sudden brainstorm.  The warm relaxing water helps to calm and focus the mind.

2.  Put your subconscious to work

Napoleon Hill went to bed one night, asking his subconscious for an appropriate title for the book he was writing.  At 2 am, he suddenly awoke, with a title -- Think and Grow Rich -- the book that sold 20 million copies.  For more information, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_and_Grow_Rich.

3.  Visit the local library

Visit the library which is constantly receiving new material.  Here is a link to the Brantford Library at http://brantford.bibliocommons.com/.

4.  Visit the bookstore

Jot down book titles which you can look up at the library to save yourself money.

5.  Peruse the newsstand or magazine rack

The New Yorker http://www.newyorker.com/ and Reader's Digest http://www.readersdigest.ca/ are two good magazines for inspiration.

6.  Read online newspaper or magazine articles.  Newspapers will often offer a few articles to read free of charge.  You can also peruse their archives.

7.  Read junk mail

Learn about new products, stores, annual events or human interest subjects.

8.  Use all five senses to observe

Practise the art of good listening.  But don't neglect the other four senses.  A good story incorporates noises, smells, tastes, etc. to draw the reader in.  Read about employing the five sense at https://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2014/05/14/unforgettable-writing-all-5-senses-add-emotion/.

9.  Tap into your own experience

Write about delivering your new baby, changing jobs, your recent divorce, your exotic trip or your rare disease.  Steve Fishman turned his brain hemorrhage into an award winning article as well as a book A Bomb in the Brain (http://www.amazon.ca/Bomb-Brain-Steve-Fishman/dp/0380708981).

10.  Ask PR people for ideas

PR people can be full of ideas.  However, they usually have an agenda.  They can give you access, however, to key experts and the can provide important background information about a topic.

11.  Keep your notebook handy

You may come up with the perfect idea when lying in bed, or while playing with your toddler at the park, or while riding on the train.  Have your notebook with you to write it down.  By the way, buy a good solid notebook small enough to fit in your pocket or purse.

12.  Attend a lecture

You don't have to be a college or university student to do this.  Sometimes local libraries have speakers.  It's a great way to get an expert's point of view on a topic.  Here is an inspirational lecture by Randy Pausch which turned into a book The Last Lecture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo.

13.  Read press releases

Apparently www.eureka.com is a great site for science topics.

14.  Write morning pages

Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way, recommends that all artists write morning pages each day to clear the cobwebs out of their brain.  You can do it manually or online at http://750words.com/.

15.  Read blog sites

Read the top ten blogs on the topic in question.  Read what comments people have written in response to the posts.

16.  Debunk myths

Read a 2005 Popular Mechanics article which debunks the myths of 9/11 at http://web.archive.org/web/20050210033600/http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/defense/1227842.html.

17.  Conduct an interview

Writer Patricia Fry attended her grandson's Little League game where she got a lucrative topic for an article.  The person sitting beside her was a storyteller.  Their conversation sparked "The Healing Power of Storytelling".  Visit http://www.writing-world.com/basics/where.shtml

18.  Write about your hobby

Brat Packer Andrew McCarthy turned his love of travel into a second career as a travel writer.  Visit http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/oct/29/andrew-mccarthy-heart-throb-writer.

19.  Follow trends

Writer Patricia Fry wrote an article about how to help children with the grieving process.  A magazine held on to her pitch for months.  Then the Oklahoma Bombing happened in 1995 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing).  All of a sudden, her idea was marketable.

20  People watch

Visit the park or a cafe. Observe people in their everyday routines.  There are stories everywhere, just waiting to be discovered.  See my post "Underneath the Ordinary Lies the Extraordinary" at https://www.pinterest.com/lindajonasson50/on-history-home-writing/.

https://programsuccess.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/brainstorming2.jpg

Blogging: Jump Start Your Creativity

"You can't use up creativity.  The more you use, the more you have." 
(Maya Angelou)

It is far too easy to run out of ideas once you start a blog.  Before you know it, you have abandonned your project.  You are the author of a "ghost blog".  Susan J. Getgood, in her book Professional Blogging for Dummies (http://www.amazon.ca/Professional-Blogging-Dummies-Susan-Getgood/dp/0470601795) recommends ten strategies to jump start your creativity.  

1.  Keep a Notebook

Carry around a 3 x 5 inch notebook (small enough to fit in your purse or a jacket pocket).  Every time you get inspiration, jot down the idea to look at later.  Don't forget to keep a notebook at your bedside for late night inspiration.  When you are surfing the Internet, if you come across a useful article, bookmark it at delicious.com.

2.  Read the Newspaper

As you pour over the newspaper, an interesting headline might catch your eye.  Take advantage of it to build a post.  If you don't subscribe to the newspaper, go online and read snippets from the day's news.  Or search the archives of various newspapers.  Old headlines can also serve as inspiration.  I remember when my husband helped his dad put new siding on his cottage, when they took off the old siding, underneath they found newspapers from the Second World War.  What food for thought!  

3.  Reread Your Favourite Posts

Write a roundup, a top ten of your favourite posts.  Pick a theme ex. My Top Ten Posts About Cooking Light.  Maybe you've written about a controversial issue and your opinion has changed. 

That is also fuel for a good post.  

4.  Read Other Blogs

Use another blog post as inspiration for your blog.  Provide a link to the original post.  This is where your blogroll comes in handy.  Then you have your favourite blogs right at your fingertips.    

5.  Search the Internet Aimlessly

Type in a keyword and let the searching begin.  Use aggregators like alltop.com or Yahoo! which lets you choose a trending topic and surf.  If you sign up for stumbleupon.com, the search engine will find results for you based on your likes and dislikes.  

6.  Spend an Hour on Your Hobby

Doing an activity that you like reminds you why you love it so much.  Grab your binoculars and go bird watching.  Grab your camera and photograph nature.  Grab your tools and putter in the garden. Raid your kitchen cupboards and bake up a storm.  Spending time at your hobby produces something called "flow" where, you are so immersed in the activity, that an hour seems to pass by in minutes.  It relaxes the mind, but at the same time focusses it.  

7.  Play a Game

Play games like Scrabble or Boggle.  It serves as a fun way to strengthen your verbal skills.

8.  Look Up Old Friends on Facebook

Pick someone you went to high school with who had an unusual last name.  Look him up on Facebook and see how he turned out.  If it's a girl, type in her maiden name.  If she is married, often she will include her maiden name with her married name.

9.  Take a Walk

Bring your notebook and/or camera along.  Jot down your observations.  See where your thoughts lead you.  Go to the driving range.  If the weather is inclement, stay inside and ride the elliptical machine.  Physical activity clears the cobwebs out of your head.

10.  Move to a Different Window

Move to a different chair or a different room.  Walk to the local coffee shop or library.  It's amazing what inspiration you will get in a public place.  There's a story wherever you go.  I found that out when I was taking an online writing college course.  At the specialist's office, I had an hour to kill in the waiting room.  My homework was to pretend I was a newspaper reporter, go to a cafe or park or other public place and "get a scoop".  I got out my notebook and started to record my observations. Lo and behold, there was a big story right under my nose.  The elderly man beside me asked the teenage girl beside him why her arm was in a sling.  She said she was the victim of a drive by shooting, right in Brantford!  Who would have thought?

11.  Listen to Music

Listen to your favourite songs and let your mind wander.  A catchy lyric might serve as inspiration for a blog title.  Visit http://writersrelief.com/blog/2014/12/writers-playlist-part-1-music-jump-start-creativity/.

12.  Read a book

I read the book Goals:  How to Get Everything You Want Faster Than You Every Thought Possible by Brian Tracy which gave me a whole month's worth of material for blogging. See http://alinefromlinda.blogspot.ca/2015/01/conceive-believe-achieve.html.

For more information, read Write Starts:  Prompts, Quotes and Exercises to Jump Start Your Creativity by Hal Zina Bennett (2010).

"Think outside the box" at astrologyunboxed.com.