Flannery O'Connor, she of Wise Blood fame, A Good Man is Hard to Find, and tons of other great short stories and other works, left behind fascinating letters that Sally Fitzgerald compiled in the Habit of Being published in 1979.
Within its pages you'll find an intimate window into the entertaining personality of the writer, as well as fascinating comments on writing, creativity, and other aspects of craft that scribes everywhere of all ages will benefit from.
The excerpt below is one on writing that speaks to the consistent, nose-to-the-grindstone nature of a good writing practice. Constant and steady dear reader is the way we get it done and eventually come up with something worthwhile. I like the way she cites "genius" and "talent" as being for those lucky ones but that ultimately, no matter which type of being you are, that dedicated work on a daily basis is the way to good writing.
I feel a certain kinship with her, with both of us being born in Savannah, and both of us spending time in Milledgeville, GA, she as a resident with her mother on a farm outside of town with all manner of birds called Andalusia, and me with visits to my grandparents' one block from Georgia Military College multiple times annually, especially during the summers. As a Southern writer it is my hope that perhaps somewhere along the way I can capture at least a bit of her magic, and tell a story or two that resonates with folks.
