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Writers write because they read

Just ask Baldacci, McCullough, Gabaldon, other bestselling authors

One of the many inscriptions displayed inside the Library of Congress is the time-honored phrase “the pen is mightier than the sword.”

Do you know who first coined that sturdy line? It was Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the same author who gave us these undying words: “It was a dark and stormy night” — and who indirectly gave us the very funny Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest for the worst possible opening sentence of a novel.

Whether you have ever heard of this 19th-century author or not, the fact that you can use the ancient communication tools of reading and writing gives you an advantage over those who cannot. You are a member of my clan — you are a reader.

Thousands of us readers showed up for this year’s National Book Festival in the Washington Convention Center, sponsored by the Library of Congress. I was one of them, and it was great fun to be surrounded by readers, readers, so many fellow readers — readers who write, readers who live to read, and bestselling writers who love to read, too.

The book festival felt like a family affair to me. The Librarian of Congress spoke. So did an astronaut, and a bevy of other authors.

I can report there were thousands of people at the book festival because I stood in line with them to enter the 10,000-seat auditorium in the Washington Convention Center to hear former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice talk about her new book, “Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom.”

Yes, that one room — inside a building the size of a city block — can seat 10,000 people, and all of us managed to find a place to sit. It was almost thrilling to be surrounded by so many people, all moving smoothly to a seat where they all listened respectfully. And Rice, who is a brilliant woman, easily spoke in words that all could understand.

Thomas L. Friedman also proved to be an excellent speaker. His new book is “Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations.”

Both spoke about their topics, and their experiences. Both were fascinating.

The writers who talked about writing, though, struck a deep chord in the hearts of everyone who has ever labored with that all-mighty pen — and occasionally considered stabbing themselves with good old Bulwer-Lytton’s sword when the right words wouldn’t come out of the nib.

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough talked about how he came to write his first book, “The Johnstown Flood.” That book sat on the shelf in my family home, and I never once thought of reading it. Now I am intrigued about it, and it is on my list of someday-soon reads that can be found at my local library.

McCullough is a native of Pittsburgh. One day, on the job as a researcher, he was struck by a table full of photographs of the terrible flood, which took place not too far from his home city. He said he started wondering, “What happened here?” He looked but couldn’t find a book that properly explained the causes of the disaster, so he decided to follow his friend Thornton Wilder’s philosophy. To paraphrase, Wilder had once said something like this: If I can’t find the book I want to read, or the play I want to see, I write it.

The rest is literary history.

America is grateful to the unknown researcher who spread out all those photos many years ago, as well as to McCullough’s parents and grandmother who introduced him to reading early in life.

Have you heard of Diana Gabaldon? If not, I’m sure you have heard of her “Outlander” series. In introducing her at the book festival, the Library of Congress perfectly described Gabaldon as the author of “large, big-brained, open-hearted” novels.

She seems to have strong relationships with her characters and allows them to pilot her writing. She placed Claire (that’s Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp Randall Fraser, by the way) in the 18th century, but the character immediately began talking like a modern woman, asking the scruffy, damp, kilt-clad group of men she suddenly found herself among, “Who the hell are you?” She refused to be wrestled into shape, so Gabaldon gave in and let her talk as she wished. Claire wanted to tell the story, and the author let her have her way in that as well, a wise decision, since Gabaldon’s books have sold 28 million copies at last report.

At the microphone, Gabaldon impressed at least one uninitiated listener as witty and intelligent. She said she employs her skills in reading and research — which are prodigious — so she doesn’t have to make up everything she writes.

She also is very gracious to her readers, agreeing to autograph our books well past the stated time for her departure from the signing table.

David Baldacci seems to get great enjoyment from his relationship with his readers, and told funny stories about fans who recognize him — and fans who don’t. He is considerate of us all, appearing at the National Book Festival year after year. As a resident of Virginia, he calls himself “a local.”

A writer of fast-paced D.C. thrillers, he told his listeners he must spend time on a page with a character before he really knows him. This process apparently works very well for him — four years ago, more than 110 million copies of his books were in print. I don’t know how many millions more he has racked up since then.

Is it a coincidence that these three bestselling authors are in long-standing, and apparently very successful, marriages? Baldacci has been married 27 years or thereabouts, Gabaldon 40 years, and McCullough more than 60!

What is it like to be the spouse of a bestselling writer — or a dedicated writer of any sort? I hear it is not exactly a walk in the park, but since many of you will be spared the firsthand experience, we don’t have to go into it here.

However, if you wish to be a serious writer yourself, I think you already know what to do.

“I love to read,” Baldacci told us. “I’m a writer today because I loved to read as a kid.”

Wendy Stiver is community editor at The Express.

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