Tag Archive for: Dr. Seuss

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“Nonsense wakes up the brain cells.”

Which author . . .

said, “Nonsense wakes up the brain cells.” 

Sold 222 million books.

 Received 27 rejections for his first children’s book, And to Think it Happened on Mulberry Street.

composed 200 versions of every verse paragraph that found its way into the final version of one of his stories.

Answer:  Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)

A friend of mind and fellow Seuss-o-phile, Chuck Carroll, has something in common with the famous children’s author.  He graduated from Dartmouth.    Carroll sent me some Dartmouth material regarding the famous children’s author. 

Geisel received a doctorate of humane letters in 1955 and served as a writer for Dartmouth’s humor magazine, the Jack-O-Lantern, where he could be found, face down on his typewriter, fast asleep in the magazine’s office. 

To discover more about this anecdote and others,  you might enjoy reading the new biography, Theodor Seuss Geisel (Lives and Legacies)  by Donald E. Pease.   

And one of my favorite quotes from Seuss in Carroll’s Dartmouth’s alumni magazine?

“I’d rather write for kids.  They’re more appreciative; adults are obsolete children, and the hell with them.”

Writing Prompts: 

1.  Nonsense is fun, but not easy!  Try your hand at writing in the Dr. Seuss style.   Or write nonsense in your own style and voice.

2.  Read about this author’s life and read or re-read his books to remember why he is so talented. 

3.  Do you have a favorite Seuss book?  Which one?  Why?

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The Sylvia Beach Hotel’s Dr. Seuss room is a delightful mixture of childlike fun, primary colors, and of course, SEUSS!  We stayed next to it in Agatha Christie (larger room facing the ocean) but if I were coming up to this Oregon B&B by myself I’d book this one for writing inspiration.

Above this furry-footed bed is this sign:

There is a lovely desk for illustrators and writers:

And a chair for reading and playing with the stuffed Seuss animals:

 
 
 
Writing Prompt: 
 
1. Use Dr. Seuss to inspire your writing.  Write rhyme.  Read Dr. Seuss to get you in the mood of course!
 
2.  You have every writer’s fantasy.  You are allowed a month at a retreat.  You can go anywhere you want to go.  You may bring any reading and writing projects with you.  What will you work on?  What are your writing goals?
 
3.  What’s stopping you from starting those writing goals NOW?  Remember Anne Lamott’s advice in Bird by Bird.  Just write a little bit at a time.  Don’t look at the huge book, article, paper, or website.  Just try writing a paragraph per day or whatever YOU can manage. 
 
4.  Give yourself a goal.  Cut back on television, surfing the web, socializing, or all of the above.  Give yourself 20 minutes a day to write ANYTHING. 
 
5.  Check off the days on the calendar when you stick to your plan.  Pretty soon you’ll develop a writing routine.  THEN you can call yourself a writer!
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