Day #3

Decided that instead of following in the tracks of my writer acquantence I would just do the assignments for the days date, since this is a yearly meditation reading and writing tool.
So today's (9/4/2009) assignment is:
1. Every time you finish reading a novel, biography, work of history or current affairs, write a journal entry explaining how the book has changed your understanding of society. Won't do that today because have not recently finished any of these. Am currently reading three book; two are Bible studies and the third is sort of a biography. Will journal such an entry when I finish the biography. This is actual an autobiography of the writer below.
2. Research the life and times of one of your favorite authors; then, write as essay in which you reflect on the ways that author's works influenced his or her society. An obvious example would be Harriet Beecher Stowe. "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war," Abraham Lincoln supposedly said to the author of the antislavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Ooh! This is a difficult one. Will have to think some about this and see what I can come up with. Will continue this in a bit.

Okay, that did not take as long as I thought it might. The author I decided to research and write about is my current favorite Debbie Macomber. Her writing has not really changed my understanding of society as much as it has inspired me.
The first thing I find inspirational is that when she decided to become a writer she did not have a High School degree, she was a stay at home mother with four small children. She also was dyslexic. On her kitchen table with a rented typewriter she began her five year struggle to get published. However, her hard work and determination paied off. I am currently reading her first non-fiction book which is an autobiography entitled Knit Together: Discovering God's Potential For Your Life check out my blog http://scowanbecoming.blogspot.com/. It is in this book she talks about how she became a writer and encourages other women to follow their dreams.
Debbie is best known for her ability to creat compelling, realistic characters that not only bring her books to life but also display her uncanny ability to see into the souls of women and to express their emotions, values, and concerns. They also display her sense of humor. Her books take place in small rural town and also areas in and around Seattle, Washington where she lives. Another aspect of her books that I like is that because of her strong Christian believes, she does not include overly explicit sexual details in her books and so they can be enjoyed by a wide range of women. They do contain some sensuality which is very well done.
It is my belief that one of the reasons her books have such a large following is that women of any age can read the books and find them meaninful and applicable to their own lifes. It is almost as if these characters in Debbie's books are friends of your's and you are reading a long letter or newsletter from a group of distant friends you have not seen in a long while.
Debbie's series about the knitting shop which began with The Shop on Blossom Street, is responsible for my renewed interest in knitting. It also prompted a desire to make some blankets for Project Linus, a non-profit organization that, through local chapters, provides blankets to children in the local area who have been traumatized or hospitalized for some reason. Her non-fiction book mentioned above and in one of my other blogs has, along with a book by Donna Paltrow, encouraged me to resume my writing. It also impresses me when I learn of Debbies own philanthropic endeavors. To me this helps me see that not only does she write a good story, but her stories are a reflection of her values that she then lives out in her personal life. To me she is a good role model for women of any age.
Not real certain about her effect on society. She has received a great deal of acclaim and won a number of prestigious awards. In both words and deeds she inspires women from all walks of life to realize their dreams. She encourage women to achieve the goals that burn in their hearts just as writing did in her own years ago. In lectures around the country she encourages women to excercise their success muscle. Like her heartwarming novels, her lectures are always filled with laughter and love. Debbie also volunteers her considerable talents to help raise money for pattered-women's shelters, literacy and medical research. In 1997 Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America appointed her an ambassadore for their national office. In support of that organization's outreach to young people, she travels throughout the US to inspire and encourage them to pursue their own dreams.