I belong to two book clubs that meet monthly, sometimes creating for me a challenge to find the time to read both assigned books. The result, however, is worth the effort for I am constantly faced with the beauty of someone else's writing, their dialog, their construction of characters, or an unexpected twist in plot. And reading like a writer, it encourages me to try a little harder in my own writing. If I allow myself to fall under the author's spell, it is almost as if I take on, absorb a bit of their skill, and approach my next writing session with renewed passion.
Even though I love reading new authors and books in my book clubs, lately I find myself wanting to reread some of my favorite books and authors. This morning I picked up one of my all time favorites, Out of Africa by Isaac Dinesen. What a lyrical writer she is--the beauty in the way she constructs each sentence. How she uses each inner thought to contribute to the scene she is creating. And when I have finished reading a scene, I feel like I have been there, felt the approaching rain or heard the lions roar. But most of all, what a delicious story-teller Isaac Dinesen is.
Oh to absorb, as I read her words, even a fragment of Isaac Dinesen's skill.
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