The Light Dances at Night by Randall LaGro, oil on canvas, photo courtesy of the Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico.
"If there is magic in story writing, and I am convinced that there is, no one has ever been able to reduce it to a recipe that can be passed from one person to another. The formula seems to lie solely in the aching urge of the writer to convey something he feels important to the reader."- John Steinbeck
Update 5:45 p.m.: Et voila! This afternoon I installed a new modem; so far it's working! All being well, normal programming will resume Tuesday. I'm looking forward to catching up with the writers' groups from which I've been missing in action, as well as with you and your blogs. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
As most of you know, I've been without internet access for nearly a week now. I've been reading and working on my book - telling a series of stories - when not having extremely frustrating conversations in French with the hopeless LAN access provider. I was touched by Scott Russell Sanders's Ten Reasons Why We'll Always Need A Good Story from the book A Writer's Book of Days:
"We delight in stories because they are a playground for language, an arena for exercising this extraordinary power. Stories create community. They link teller to listeners and listeners to one another. Stories help us to see through the eyes of other people. Through stories we reach across the rifts not only of gender and age, but also of race and creed, geography and class, even the rifts between species or between enemies.
"Stories show us the consequences of our actions. To act responsibly, we must be able to foresee where our actions might lead and stories train our sight. Stories educate our desires. Instead of playing on our selfishness and fear, stories give us images for that which is truly worth seeking, worth having, worth doing.
"Stories help us dwell in place. Stories of place help us recognize that we belong to the earth, blood and brain and bone and that we are kin to other creatures. Stories help us dwell in time. History is public; a tale of influences and events that have shaped the present; the mind's time is private, a flow of memory and anticipation that continues, in eddies and rapids, for as long as we are conscious. Narrative orients us in both kinds of time, public and private.
"Stories help us deal with suffering, loss and death. Stories reek with our obsession with mortality. Stories teach us how to be human. We are creatures of instinct, but not solely of instinct. More than any other animal, we must learn how to behave. Stories acknowledge the wonder and mystery of Creation. (They) give us hope of finding meaning within the great mystery."
I am hoping to be back soon, exchanging stories with you! Also, I will post a piece about George Bush's lamentable attempts at Middle East diplomacy. On a brighter note, our German friends Ralf and Jutta, who moved to Budapest are in town. We had a wonderful dinner Saturday evening - my first outing this year, other than to the doctor's office. Better days ahead...
I hope this new year brings you good health, cheer, uninterupted internet access, peace, love and happiness!
Wonderful quotes and thoughts about storytelling. Love, JP/deb
Posted by: JanePoe (aka Deborah) | 17 January 2008 at 14:51
I LOVE that painting.
Hope that all of the tech stuff gets fixed quickly -- that's always a pain, we get so dependent on it. I have withdrawal symptoms when I'm cut off.
Stories, the stuff of life --- almost everything is a story, isn't it? But not everyone is a storyteller -- *that* is magical.
Awaiting more!
Posted by: fleur | 15 January 2008 at 21:15
love the lagro painting!!
Posted by: marita | 15 January 2008 at 21:10
finally you're back again!
you're writing a book tara!! ;))) i think that is great and hope you tell me all about it!! will you publish it as well?
would love to buy one signed by you!!
i wish my english would be better, so many stories to tell but i guess they will be sealed in my mind for ever.
i missed you!
Posted by: marita | 15 January 2008 at 21:09
I am so sorry to read (I apologize that this escaped my attention until now) that you not only had internet connection woes but had also been really ill. I hope you are back in shape soon!
(I was also out of commission after New Year's, and it took me til Sunday to get back out of the house "for real", since December 30th! I already told my family, next year I want to spend the holidays in a nice hotel in the mountains and not lift a cooking spoon!).
Posted by: Merisi's | 15 January 2008 at 17:39
I loved this. What a way to look at story telling. Not just as a creative outlet, but as a way of learning more about ourselves...
Can't wait for you to be "back". I hope you are feeling better?
oxox :)
Posted by: Amber | 15 January 2008 at 05:28
I've missed you! There's a big void in my blog stories for the day when you aren't around. And isn't blogging such a wonderful way to share our stories with one another??
Posted by: Becca | 15 January 2008 at 04:24
You are back!!! Welcome!!!!
Posted by: Sherry | 14 January 2008 at 23:18
Nice to have you back. Key sentence "Stories teach us how to be human". Thank you for sharing!
Posted by: bibbi | 14 January 2008 at 22:51
Pleased to see you back Tara. Hope the bronchitis is gone and that your new modem likes you. Nothing is more frustrating than the internet being down, it's like losing a limb.
On the story front I would hate to think what the world would be like without stories. My all time favourite for telling life as it really is for almost any human is Brideshead Revisited - only in my humble opinion anyway :)
Posted by: Di Overton | 14 January 2008 at 22:06
Glad to see you're both UP & running and OUT and running :-)
Posted by: susan | 14 January 2008 at 20:49
Hurry back Tara, you have been missed VERY much! I'm very excited to read your stories. XXOO
Posted by: Tammy | 14 January 2008 at 20:47
suffering from my own computer woes last 10 days...i understand...but also i know it as a time for me to do other things that were needed...i hope your riting is going well...blessings today, rebecca
Posted by: Cre8Tiva | 14 January 2008 at 19:54
It has been very quiet without you, my dear! We have avoided any dealings with French internet providers by being lucky enough to have a free, albeit faint, connection here in our apartment (thank goodness).
Posted by: Passementerie | 14 January 2008 at 19:25
what a very insightful quote on writing ~
I love the word 'ache" it IS an ache to write
i feel:)
so sooo happy you are back read to pen us
some of your magic with words
hugs sweetie:)
Posted by: madelyn | 14 January 2008 at 18:22
Welcome back. xox
Posted by: Colette | 14 January 2008 at 17:50
Wonderful thoughts on writing. Good luck on the Internet access!
Posted by: Kimberly Ann | 14 January 2008 at 17:07
We have been missing your stories....the artwork tells such stories as well, beautiful. A picture is worth a thousand words!
Posted by: stephanie | 14 January 2008 at 17:01
Sorry about the internet troubles Tara, but I hope you were able to read and enjoy your time away from the computer. I try to take the weekends off myself, not always successfully.
Posted by: Brian | 14 January 2008 at 16:44
Welcome back Tara, even if just for today. YOU ARE SO MISSED by me and many. Your presence is a strongly felt, and there is a void in Bloglandia when you are not here.
Just a few thoughts to add to your great commentary above about writing and reading stories. It is a supremely creative form of escape from our woes or reality. Secondly, it allows us to test our opinions and keeps us more open minded than the rest.
Thinking good thoughts for you!
xox
Constance
Posted by: rochambeau | 14 January 2008 at 15:26