“There are few things, apparently, more helpful to a writer than having once been a weird little kid.”

–Katherine Paterson

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In Others' Words

Favorite works (and excerpts) from other writers

• Access
  (Erika Napoletano | RedheadWriting.com)

  I don't believe we go looking for love, Erika Napoletano writes. We're in search of those things -- and people -- that will let us in... And in return [are] worthy of access to us.

• The Crickets
  (E.B. White | Charlotte's Web)

  One of my favorite passages by one of my favorite authors (E.B. White) from one of his most classic works (Charlotte's Web). A must-read, in my opinion.

• The End of the Affair
  (Stephen Parolini | NovelDoctor.com)

  You and that half-finished novel were once hot lovers. Now, you're wondering how you can rekindle the passion you once shared.

• February 25, 1983
  (Mike Stevens | Gutenblog)

  Mike Stevens shares the story of how his auto-worker dad became his strongest business advisor. A touching story about a remarkable man I had the privilege of knowing, too.

• How to Tell a Great Story
  (Jan O'Daniel | JanODaniel.com)

  Storytelling is an art we all, as writers, need to master, whether we're writing fiction, crafting a blog entry, or drafting ad copy for the corporate world.

• I Am The Richest Man in the World
  (Nate St. Pierre | ThisIsNate.tumblr.com)

  How a guy with $27.67 to his name considers himself the richest man in the world. After reading this, you might, too.

• I spent 29 years in solitary confinement
  (Robert King | The Guardian)

  A gripping, first-person account by Robert King, detailing his 29 years in solitary confinement at Louisiana's Angola prison, for a crime he didn't commit.

• If You've Got Social Media Fatigue...
  (Sarah Lacy | TechCrunch)

  A call to return to the basics of social media... to converse, collaborate, and connect.

• Love Survives
  (Tom Matlack | scribd.com)

  Tom Matlack talks to photographer Ron Cowie about enduring love, unspeakable loss, and staying present when life falls apart. From The Good Men Project Magazine.

• The Roads Not Taken
  (Tamsen McMahon | Personal Cartography)

  What if, at each decision point in your life, some other version of yourself took the road not taken? What if there were thousands -- millions -- of other paths with other versions of You walking them?

• Sober
  (Jim Mitchem | ObsessedWithConformity.com)

  Jim Mitchem reflects on 19 years of sobriety and the lessons he has learned. From ObsessedWithConformity.com.

• This Little Girl Has Her Walters Crossed
  (Letters of Note | LettersOfNote.com)

  An endearing series of correspondence between a little girl, Walt Disney, and Walter Lantz.

• What Is Courage?
  (Elizabeth Potts Weinstein | ElizabethPottsWeinstein.com)

  A mother reflects on what courage is, after helping her young daughter battle a brain tumor in the hospital. From her personal blog.

• You Don't Have to Die to Live
  (Danny Brown | DannyBrown.me)

  Social marketer Danny Brown recalls the time, at 19, when he tried to kill himself and the impact it has had on his life.

• You're Not Creative -- Deal With It
  (Jim Mitchem | ObsessedWithConformity.com)

  Jim Mitchem argues that humans are, by nature, not creative. Rather, we are innovators -- taking ideas that already exist and reforming them into something new.