His Books Are His Monument

Skimming through Mike Cox's biography of Fred Gipson, author of Old Yeller, (a novel I've never read; although of course saw the movie) I happened upon the photo of Gipson's tombstone, which ends Cox's book. The tombstone reads: "His Books Are His Monument."

Simple yet poignant. The whole meaning of a writer's life. It's what I hope people will know me for--books. I've yet to publish one.

quote of the day

"You must write to please yourself; you must be completely honest about the world as you see it."

--From Writing A Novel by John Braine

quote of the day

"There is no greater happiness in the world than to be fulfilled in your vocation, even if the material rewards are minimal. There is no greater bitterness than to realize that your vocation has come to nothing, even if you're materially successful. But life awards few consolation prizes: To fail as a writer doesn't automatically mean that you will be successful at anything else."

-- from Writing A Novel by John Braine author of The Crying Game

the exile returns

After a long hiatus, I've changed sites and hope to start blogging regularly again.