Mike - thanks so much for your response. Upon further research of Annie Dillard, I discovered that she won a Pulitzer for her non-fiction book, “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek”, which I will put on my to-read list. This essay just resonates with me, so many of her points encourage and inspire me and answer questions that I didn't even know that I had. For example, as I go about my daily life I'm thinking always about writing my book and then I sit down to write and I can’t believe how hard it is! I think she addresses that dilemma exactly with this passage:
“Why do you never find anything written about that idiosyncratic thought you advert to, about your fascination with something no one else understands? Because it is up to you. There is something you find interesting, for a reason hard to explain. It is hard to explain because you have never read it on any page; there you begin. You were made and set here to give voice to this, your own astonishment.”
Plus she uses words that I have never heard of and have to look-up (peritoneum) and references authors I’ve never heard of (Eudora Welty) and she includes little known interesting facts like the Michelangelo quote that I otherwise would never have known. The learning never stops! I’m still reading it over and over again.
I hope others will read and enjoy this article as much as I did.
Cheers!
