Today is the last day of Dog Days, the hottest, most humid part of summer. Tradition uses July 3 - August 11 to mark these sultry days. Let's hope the mercury will start sliding down the scale and hover at a tolerable temperature. In my area of Appalachia, the thermometer has crept as high as 104 degrees. Whew! It bakes my brain to be outside.
Tomorrow, August 12, 2010, look to the western skies around 10 p.m. for a chance to see a spectacular meteor shower. Shooting stars will be painting the heavens with streaks of light. Don't miss it.
This blog wouldn't be complete without a word about Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Introduced to readers 50 years ago this year, Lee's message resonates with as much truth now as it did in 1960. There's a good article by Loretta Ellsworth in the September 2010 issue of "The Writer." Ellsworth shares what she learned about writing from Harper Lee.
My childhood has similarities that run parallel with Scout's recollections. The Boo Radley of my youth was a street lady who offered presents of rusted pop bottle caps or wrinkled comics from Bazooka bubble gum. Though not as recluse as Boo, she was every bit as scary.
Scout will no doubt live forever. I've met a dozen or more young girls over the years, who've been honored to carry the name Scout. In an excerpt from one of Dean Koontz' Frankenstein novels, he likens one of his characters to the young tomboy we love in TKAMB.
Finally, I'll add that recently I learned Robert Duvall played Boo Radley in the 1962 movie To Kill A Mockingbird, starring Gregory Peck. We're going to talk about Duvall next time, not in a gossipy way.
Now, as an exercise let your writing muse have its way with these events, Dog Days, Meteor Showers, and anything related to Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Stretch your skill in a paragraph, a memory, or a short story incorporating all three. Write something new and fresh. Fiction or non. Reread the book or rent the movie. You'll be glad you did.
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