On books, reading, and writing:

• "When you finish a draft of a poem, or short story or novel, you make sure you go out and celebrate all night long because whether the world ever notices or not, you did something most people never do: You started, stuck with, and finished a creative work. And that is a triumph." — Andre Dubus III 
• "Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home." — Anna Quindlen
• "Reading is to the mind, as exercise is to the body." — Brian Tracy
• "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." — C. S. Lewis 
• ”Both reading and writing are experiences―lifelong―in the course of which we who encounter words used in certain ways are persuaded by them to be brought mind and heart within the presence, the power, of the imagination.” ― Eudora Welty
• “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” ― Louis L'Amour
• “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” ― Madeleine L'Engle
• "Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are." — Mason Cooley
• "A book is a dream you hold in your hands." — Neil Gaiman
• “The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them―words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.” — Stephen King 
• “And by the way, everything in life is writable about, if you have the outgoing guts to do it and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt."  — Sylvia Plath
• "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." — Toni Morrison
• "Books last longer than digital media, with physical books (especially hardcovers) potentially lasting for centuries while e-books may disappear without active maintenance. Many paper books, particularly high-quality hardcovers, have lasted for hundreds of years and will continue to exist indefinitely if stored properly. E-books and other digital artifacts have a much shorter lifespan without constant maintenance and updates. Internet engineer Brewster Kahle suggests that without active upkeep, digital books may not last a decade. A Yale study found that people who read books lived, on average, almost two years longer than those who do not read books. This survival advantage is thought to be linked to the cognitive engagement that book reading provides, which can hone critical thinking skills, concentration, and empathy. Researchers caution that this is an association, not a proven cause-and-effect relationship. Factors like higher income and education levels common among book readers may also contribute to a longer life." — AI Overview
• "I read because I love to read. I enjoy all kinds of books― physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks—and in many genres including my own. I write because I love to write. God gave me the desire to write as surely as He gave me the desire  to sing, play piano, teach music, love, and be loved. More importantly, I desire to do His will." — Betty M Reeves 

Thanks for reading!
​Happy Thanksgiving!

In Christian love,