Books are lighthouses erected in the great sea of time.
~ Edwin Percy Whipple
Authors Speak
This Succeed and Soar series invites writers to answer questions about their artforms and special inspirations.
Welcome Sally Wiener Grotta
Photo [c] 2014, Sandra Gould Ford
Sally, what phrase inspires your writing and life?
How have these words helped your writing, your life?
No book can be written without “Butt to chair; hands on keyboard.” But what drives me to write is my need to try to understand what is incomprehensible to me in this world. And I write to try to find ways to make connections – through questions and listening. My newest book “Daughters of Eve” (Bayit Publishing) is an essay collection that is all about questioning and listening. It’s a discussion workbook and journaling guide that explores the nature of living in the 21st century through the filter of the stories of the women of the Hebrew Bible (such as Eve, Sarah, Hagar, and so forth).
It’s designed to facilitate exchanges not so much about religion or the Bible, but about how our reflections on those ancient female archetypes influence and reveal who we are today. Most of all, it’s about connecting with and questioning the past, and then listening to our own hearts and minds, and to one another. By doing so, we can open paths for in-depth, respectful conversations on all kinds of subjects, among both non-religious and religious participants, as well as among people of different faiths or no faith.
How did these words inspire Daughters of Eve?
While I’ve been inspired by many great authors and thinkers, such as Maya Angelou, Jorge Luis Borges, Ursula K. Leguin, Viktor Frankl, in the end, it’s up to me. The primary requirement of being a writer is to write. So, I do, nearly every day, for at least a ½ hour, often longer. When I’m feeling uncertain or don’t know quite how I want the words to be formed, I remind myself: “Butt to chair; hands on keyboard.” And I type whatever. Stream of consciousness. My character’s personality quirks. A physical description of a scene. I type until the story pours out of me.
Sample text
From the first essay in “Daughters of Eve” (download a free sample chapter at https://bit.ly/Daughters_chapter)
<< If you could be magically transported into Eve’s body before she reached for the fruit, would you pick and eat it?
To not eat would mean to be immortal, protected, and forever innocent. To eat would mean death for you and all your descendants, and struggling every moment of your short life. You’d be awake to good and evil, kindness and hurt, love and hate, and all the passions and needs that would beset your flesh and spirit. >>
Definitely check out Sally’s video chats with authors at Why If? Why Not? How?
About the Author
Sally Wiener Grotta, award-winning writer, photographer & speaker. Her newest books are: Of Being Women, a collection of feminist scifi stories (Noble Fusion), and Daughters of Eve, an essay discussion workbook that explores what it is to be a woman today through the filter of biblical tales of matriarchs (Bayit).
Keep in mind,
Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.
– Jim Rohn
Succeed and Soar!
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