BOOK BRIEF: Relentlessly Reinventing One’s Art and Self

Sam Shepard: A Life by John J. Winters. Counterpoint, 2017. 432 pages.

BOOK BRIEF: Creating a New Theatrical Language

August Wilson: A Life by Patti Hartigan. Simon & Schuster, 2023. 544 pages.

BOOK BRIEF: Learning from a Master and His Masterpieces

Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins by Aidan Levy, Hachette Books, 2023. 715 pages + 416 pages of endnotes.

Nineteenth Anniversary of WORDS ON THE LINE

On January 4, 2005, 19 years and 1,110 posts ago, WORDS ON THE LINE was born. When I began adding topics, tips, and tales to this blog, I wasn't thinking of keeping it going until 2024. I was simply using it as a vehicle for staying in touch with clients and encouraging effective and efficient writing. But here I am, still connecting. Throughout the years, the blog has been cited by numerous reputable sources including Kaplan Education and universities. 

To review posts here, you have three choices:

1. Scroll down to the Topics on the right.
2. Scroll down to the chronological Blog Archive above the topics on the right.
3. Use the Search bar at the upper right.

To check some of my work as an author, click on the links below: 

• Amazon Author Page
• Dramatists Guild
• New Play Exchange 

New Year's Resolutions: A Look Back and Ahead

I have written on new year's resolutions before, once suggesting that we can resolve to change a behavior on any day. Whether our goals are related to health, education, work, communication, travel, philanthropy, or relationships, we need not wait until the clock strikes midnight on January 1. Nor should we get down  on ourselves for "breaking" a resolution. Achieving a goal for the most part is better than not meeting it at all. 

A key to life need not be to hit every mark we set, but each mark must evolve from our experiences. Cases in point: Muhammad Ali lost the Fight of the Century in 1971. In 1985, Apple's Steve Jobs lost his job in the company he created. Barack Obama suffered a landslide loss in a Democratic primary bid for Congress in 2000. In all three cases, these men came back to reach even greater heights. 

Success is impossible without some sort of failure along the way. This truth tells us that achieving resolutions may have setbacks, but these failures should not define us. They should teach us, embolden us. So get to work on those writing resolutions, and work from the premise that failure is inevitable but instructive.