“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”
Margaret Mead
“The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark.”
Thomas Paine
students
Quotations on Writing First Drafts by Charles F. French
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“Do not revise while writing a first draft!”
“No first draft is ever perfect, nor should it be.”
“Remember that writing is never finished–it is due.”
(This quotation or something like it has been offered by many teachers of writing.)
Get The Draft Done! — The title of my upcoming book.
Gallows Hill can be found here in ebook.
Gallows Hill in paperback can be found here.
An interview about Gallows Hill can be found here.
Please follow the following links to find my novel:
Thank you!
The book trailer:
Maledicus:Investigative Paranormal Society Book I
My radio interview:
Quotations on Questions
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“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
Albert Einstein
“. . . re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.”
Walt Whitman
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Socrates
“The purpose of education should not be the accumulation of facts but the gaining of the ability to question everything.”
Charles F. French
Dining With Character, Part 3 — Revisited
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To continue this series, I wanted to invite major characters from British mythology. As before, I am imagining what it would be like to invite a few fictional characters to a dinner and have conversation with them.
(This is the first page of the extant original copy of Beowulf, written in Old English.)
Today’s guests are Beowulf, King Arthur, and Aragorn, all kings from British epics: Beowulf by an unknown poet, Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. These books range from the Dark Ages, circa the mid 800s to the Middle Ages, circa 1485 to the contemporary world in the mid 1900s. These texts are all important to me, both as a reader and as a teacher, because I have used all of these books in different college classes, primarily in the Wescoe School of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. While covering a very long historical range, they all deal with the difficulties faced by leaders especially when the fate of their kingdoms rests in their decisions and actions.
(King Arthur and his knights)
For this entry, we would dine again at a traditional British pub, and we would be seated around a fairly large, wooden, round table. This seems appropriate, given the attendees.
“Aragorn300ppx” by Source. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aragorn300ppx.png#/media/File:Aragorn300ppx.png
I would like to ask these three kings what it was like to lead soldiers actively into combat. Unlike the leaders of contemporary armies, they faced death directly with their fellow fighters. I would also ask them what they see the main responsibilities of leaders to be. I would also like to ask them if they consider fate to be real, or are they in control of their own destinies? Given the variation in optimism and pessimism that ranges in their attitudes, their approaches to facing the difficulties of life and death would be fascinating to explore.
I would certainly be curious to see how these three warrior kings spoke with each other. I think a checking of the swords at the door might be a very good idea.
What questions would you ask these leaders or other leaders in mythology?
Quotations on Thinking
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“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”
Albert Einstein
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”
Plutarch
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Socrates
French On English: A Guide To Writing Better Essays by Charles F. French–Part of the Lehigh University Celebration of Authors
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I was honored to have been included in a lovely event this week: Harvest of Ideas: A Celebration of Lehigh Authors reception hosted by the Friends of the Lehigh University Libraries.
This was an annual recognition of Lehigh University faculty, including adjunct faculty, who have had works published and placed into the library collection. The event itself occurred in Linderman Library’s Bayer Galleria, which is a room of stunning beauty. In the photograph, I am standing in front of a fireplace that was once a functional heating system. The wood paneling and bookshelves that fill the large space complete the extraordinary atmosphere of the room.
In addition to a wonderful spread of food and drink, the faculty books were put on prominent display on tables along the main wall of the room. I am honored to have my book on writing essays included.
I was also delighted that a jazz combo of Lehigh undergrad students performed during the event, and they were excellent! These young adults sounded like they had been performing jazz for many years. I closed my eyes, and I imagined an old, smoke filled room with such musicians playing!
It is always a wonderful feeling to receive recognition such as was given here, so I offer my thanks to the Friends of the Lehigh University Libraries, the staff who prepared everything, and the wonderful librarians! Thanks to all!
Gallows Hill can be found here in ebook.
Gallows Hill in paperback can be found here.
An interview about Gallows Hill can be found here.
Please follow the following links to find my novel:
Thank you!
The book trailer:
Maledicus:Investigative Paranormal Society Book I
My radio interview:
A Call For Guest Posts for the ULS, The Underground Library Society
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Hello to everyone! I recently had an excellent guest post from Josh Gross, a wonderful blogger. I am sending out a request to anyone who would like to join the ULS, the Underground Library Society, and who would like to write a guest post about it. This is an organization begun in my First Year Writing class last semester at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. When asked, my students said that they would like to have this organization continue, and I am very pleased by their sentiment. So, I hope to keep it alive in the blogging world.
If you decide to write a guest post, all that is needed is for you to choose a book you would become if we lived in a world in which books were illegal. Then, you would write a post about that book and why you would pick it to memorize. I am not saying you would actually have to memorize the book, but it is what you would do if we lived in a world of total censorship.
The ULS is a small attempt to battle censorship and book banning.
So, would any of you like to do a guest post? Please let me know.
Quotations on Freedom of the Press
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“Freedom of the Press, if it means anything at all, means the freedom to criticize and oppose”
George Orwell
“Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.”
Thomas Jefferson
“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.”
Benjamin Franklin
“Let us never forget that those who oppress freedom by attacking the freedom of the press are neither patriots nor lovers of democracy.”
Charles F. French
Thank You to Readers!
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I have thanked writers before, and I will again, but it is also important to recognize the other crucial element in a writing relationship, and that is the readers. Without readers, books are simply words on a page, without being seen, known, imagined, or interpreted.
I love reading as much as I love writing, and I hope that readers continue to indulge in whatever kind of writing they enjoy.
To me, reading is one of the most important joys in life, along with romance and food. I read every day, and I often have as many as five books going at one time. I teach English Literature, so reading is also part of my work, but I always have at least one book around that I consider my dessert reading. And since I love desserts, I am not, in any way, diminishing those books. They simply serve a different purpose from the literature I teach.
My mother instilled the love of reading in me when I was very young, and I cannot remember not being able to read. It is a joy that will stay with me the rest of my life.
I am, therefore, on both sides of this creative relationship: writer and reader.
So once again, to those without whom writers are nothing, thank you! And please keep reading.
Thank you to all readers!
Get Caught Reading!
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May is Get Caught Reading Month! This is a wonderful idea begun by the Association of American Publishers, and I support it completely.
So please let someone see you reading, especially children. It will encourage them to read also!
