Favorite Reads for February 11th

Articles

The Saving Power of Story on Memoria Press
One of the things I think is important in life is purpose. We need to understand not just our purpose in life, but the purpose behind what we do everyday, behind even our hobbies and the things we do for fun. This is a good reminder from Memoria Press of what one of the purposes behind stories is.

Derrida vs. the rationalists on The New Humanist
  In my opinion, Derrida and Deconstructionism is to blame not only for the decline in reading which is so often bemoaned but also for a plethora of other ills that plague our attempts to discover, transmit, and build on truth and wisdom. This article does a good job of laying out how Deconstructionism began and how it functions. The author believes that deconstruction has a lot to teach us about the human condition, and lays out some of those points in a clear manner. I disagree with almost all of his conclusions, but the article is well written and lays out the argument very well. I think it is important to read things we disagree with, not only to understand opposing view points, but to understand the things that matter to them, the questions they are asking, and the assumptions they are making. Too often our apologetics answer questions nobody is asking, and assumes things people began questioning decades ago.
I write a little bit on deconstructionism at some point if there is any interest. I think it is incredibly important, especially for writers, to understand and argue against it because of the pivotal role it has played in how reading is approached and taught in the last century.

Posts

What Is Deep POV And Why Is It Important by Tessa Emily Hall
Deep POV is one of the defining aspects of great story tell and something I'm struggling to master myself. This post is a good introduction to it and an explanation of how it works. I think Rosemary Sutcliff is one of the best at utilizing this technique, pulling you into her stories and creating a rich sense of atmosphere.

Also...
My friend Abygaile Claire just published her first book! Martin Hospitality is now available on Amazon. Check out Abi's blog The Left-Handed Typist for more information on her book, and a peek at what she has coming up next. Also, look for an interview I did with Abi to be post here in the next week.