WAITING FOR A GODOT by Melodie Johnson Howe Recently, talking to an auditorium filled with beginning writers, I quoted Leon Russell: “It took me twenty years to learn to write without inspiration.” I saw many mouths, mostly women’s, drop open in shock. Or was it fear? Or was it the disappointing reality of the statement; […]

OSCAR IN LOVE by Melodie Johnson Howe I have a love-hate relationship with the Oscars. Having been an actress I can understand wanting the acceptance of your peers and being a part of a magic bubble like community that sees the world the way you do. But as a viewer and writer (a writer can […]

Melodie’s entry today was written without the “benefit” of my essay yesterday. She deals with one aspect of the question much more thoroughly than I did, and comes much closer to answering Gary’s question in a constructive way. —JLW THERE IS NO SQUARE ONE by Melodie Johnson Howe Last Wednesday in a reply to Rob’s […]

NOW WHAT? by Melodie Johnson Howe I’m supposed to write a column today but I don’t have Paul Guyot to give me the subject. Where are you Paul when I need you? Now I can’t think of anything to write about. Maybe I have writer’s block. But I don’t believe in writer’s block. I believe […]

WINNING THE TITLE by Melodie Johnson Howe Paul has come up with a great idea and he has given me a lot to think about. I was in a movie directed by Norman Jewison about the life of the young Ben Hecht. I have always loved this movie, which starred Beau Bridges, Melina Mercouri, Brian […]

DOWNSIZING by Melodie Johnson Howe We are moving from a large property to a smaller one. When asked why we are moving, I hear myself say, “We’re downsizing.” I have grown to detest that word. And I keep singing the theme song from the TV show The Jeffersons. “We’re movin’ on up.” Only I sing, […]

RANDOM THOUGHTS by Melodie Johnson Howe Good News. From the author Ann Patchett writing for The Wall Street Journal: I’ve just come in from a meeting of the Nashville Public Library Foundation Board. And after sitting through the dismal report on the state of our endowment, the conversation turned to more positive news: the use […]