The mystery of all things

I'm currently reading a wonderful book by Elizabeth Gilbert called The Signature of All Things.  It's brilliant on so many levels, and I am totally absorbed by the heroine, Alma Whitaker. Set in the nineteenth century, it is a 500 page exploration of science, faith, discovery, desire and fulfilment - and so much more.

I found it at the right time in my life, having recently studied the history of science during the period covered by the story, so it has an added resonance. I have reached the point in the story where the heroine goes in search of an answer to a deeply personal question that is currently a mystery, and this got me thinking about the compelling fascination of mystery fiction. (I've also been watching a lot of the TV series Murder, She Wrote!)

I think we love to solve puzzles and mysteries, and unlock the secrets that fiction writers present us with, because we are unable to do this in our own lives, the ending of which is always a mystery, that cannot be neatly discovered and resolved. Being able to solve a fictional mystery provides a satisfying reassurance that the fragility and unpredictability of our every day existence cannot.

Related posts: http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/writing-for-success-writing-for-failure.html

Writing for success: writing for failure

I love the TED* talks, and just saw this short and inspiring talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love.  

Some folk say that it's not failure we are afraid of, but success, and this thought-provoking talk regards success and failure as two sides of the same coin.  Great stuff!

http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_success_failure_and_the_drive_to_keep_creating?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button__2014-04-25

*TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages.


Related posts: http://www.ted.com/about/our-organization

http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/falling-off-and-getting-back-on-again.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/self-promotion-ego-and-creative.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/the-business-of-writing-part-1.html