Friday, January 6, 2012

Ask Elnora--About Words??? Lenora Worth

Hello, beautiful friends. We've been talking about words. That makes sense, because we are writers. Writers love words. Elnora discovered words at a young age. I learned how to spell my name because my older sister kept drilling it into my head. Then I learned I could actually make up stories in my head and talk to people who weren't really there. I learned I had a vivid imagination that was filled with words. Then one of my older sisters (Glenda, who died in 1991 because of a drunk driver) took me to the library and got me a library card. I'll never forget the smell of the Carnegie Library. It smelled a bit old and musty but it also smelled pleasant and safe. It smelled like words--fresh and stuffy, new and old, tired and energized, happy and sad. The rows and rows of books looked like rows and rows of all things bright and exciting. I couldn't decide which books to pick first. I attended story hour each Saturday and we got to take home books and bring them back the next week. I couldn't believe I could actually take the books home and hold them and read them. It was such a gift. Somewhere in all of that excitement, I found a certain comfort in having books around me. Elnora learned so much from all those books--how to dream, how to express myself, how to dress, and how to act (or not act). I cried with "Charlotte's Web" and "Ol' Yellow" and "Sounder". I became an amateur detective with "The Hardy Boys" and "Nancy Drew". I went back in time with "Anne of Green Gables." And ... wonder of wonders ... I survived the war with Scarlett in "Gone With the Wind." So the word comfort always comes to mind when I think of books. I have books all over my office. On shelves, in cubbyholes and corners, stacked high against the wall. I have books on my nightstand and on the floor by my bed. Sometimes, I just hold a book and marvel that I actually know the writer. Then I giggle because I have books with my name on the cover. It's a delightful joy that never gets old. I have a closet full of clothes and shoes, and I enjoy shopping. But my books--those are my true treasures. Elnora learned as the youngest of seven, you are never really alone when you have a book in your hand. My word for this year is LOVE. But the one true word that makes me feel safe and happy and loved is ... comfort. Books bring me comfort. So that's the question. Why do we love books so much? Why do we love words so much? And aren't we blessed to be able to sit underneath a tree and read? Or sit by the fire and read? Or ride a bus and read? Or to hold a slim electronic contraption in our hands and hit buy and wait a few minutes and then, like magic, have a book right there in our hand? Words bring me comfort. How about you?

7 comments:

  1. Books. True, they give me comfort. I have a special appetite for books. If I have not read books (especially romance and sweet stories) for a day or two, I feel hungry and unsatisfied. My husband still can't understand my crave for books.
    Mum, I devoured all the Nancy Drew series in school library while in college. At a time, the librarian urged me to read my textbooks as I was reading novels (I collected a book each day, return it the following to collect another. Books, I can't do without them. I just love books. Might be why I chose to write too.

    Beautiful people, stay blessed. i love y'all!

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  2. Great post today Elnora. Books have always been a constant companion and friend; something that is always there for you. I loved reading Harlequin books and still do because of the happy endings. They were my escape--especially in my teen years while I was still trying to figure out my path in life. OF course back then when I rewrote the stories in my head, I dreamed of being a writer, and am so glad I followed through on those dreams.

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  3. Good posts, ladies. Elnora is on the road to speak to group of writers. Will check back during the day. Big D is my driver!! Love you, daughter. :)

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  4. I was on my feet and cheering by the end of this blog!!!! Amen! Amen! Amen! That's exactly how I feel about books! There's such a wonder in opening one up and meeting new people and going to new places. And there's nothing like a good story for a bit of comfort 'food' (without the calories) when my life is topsy turvy. And I find that I often work some of that life stuff out right along with the heroine.

    Guess what I'm doing tomorrow? Going to my Christian bookstore for a spending spree. ( Y -- that's me turning cartwheels with excitement!)

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  5. Kay, I'm in Barnes and Noble right now. I have a gift card that is begging to buy books!! I have my vanilla skinny latte. Big D has his Diet Coke. We shared a cookie. Heaven!! I'm glad we inspired you!!

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  6. My favorite things to put in a book at a signing is "Books are windows to adventure. Enjoy." Kim, if you look at any book I've signed for you, you'll find that.
    You know why. I was an only child growing up in Nebraska. We have killer winters!
    Oh the magical places good books took me to those long ago days.
    I need more adventure today. but I also need the free time of those long ago days.

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  7. Pam, we are blessed that we get to create stories in places we wish we could visit. And we also get to have grand adventures ... in our heads!

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