Mary Alice Dillman is a repeat client with Modern Memoirs. Her first book, entitled Gratitude: A Legacy of a Life, was an Assisted Memoir published in 2012. Her second book, entitled Thoughts in Motion: A Collection of Essays, came out just this year and is available for sale through the author (see details below). We asked Dillman to reflect on the publication process of her second book and what it has meant to share it with others.
1. Your newest book reflects on a wide range of subjects you have read about over time, in a variety of literary forms. How did you discover the books that grew your reading list?
Mary Alice Dillman: Visiting bookstores is a hobby of sorts that has let me find many wonderful books over the years, though they sometimes seem to find me. I have a keen interest in researching the ideas of notable figures such as Thomas Jefferson, Sojourner Truth, and John Steinbeck. My own library searches and book purchases helped me learn about their intriguing lives and perspectives. In addition, I scan book reviews, eagerly accept suggested titles from friends, participate in a book club, and receive books about interesting topics as gifts.
2. In the introduction to Thoughts in Motion, you write, “Through the years, the capacity and desire to read has been the beginning of my writing.” How do the processes of reading and writing feed one another in your life?
Mary Alice Dillman: Reading gives one the ability to get inside someone else’s world; it enhances other ways of thinking; and it engages learning that may shift one’s perspective. For this author, the process of reading other authors and researching their subjects inspires a desire to write. Organizing the material, and then writing a response in the form of an essay helps me to clarify what I think and what I believe. Furthermore, while writing my thoughts, I may have an idea that I would never have had if I weren’t recording my thoughts more permanently. Therein, as an author, I make connections with other authors to create original ideas of my own. To quote historian David McCullough, reading and writing stimulate “the calisthenics for the brain.”
3. An essay is by definition an analytic, interpretative, or critical literary composition, and you share in your introduction that you find essay writing to be a creative outlet, as well. How is that so for you?
Mary Alice Dillman: Essay writing is a creative outlet that best expresses my intellectual self. My talent lies more in analytical, speculative, philosophical, and interpretive thinking rather than in writing fiction. Novels require a broad imagination that commands visionary, inventive language with a multicolor syntax. Writing essays best fits my writing strengths. The form of an essay invites my creative talent into invigorating, compelling, and stimulating thinking.
4. What inspired you to collect your essays into a book to be shared with others?
Mary Alice Dillman: When I collected all the essays I had written, I realized I could either leave them in limbo or share them with others for consideration. I wanted to share them. Since the essays reflect my thoughts, ideas, and values, perhaps an audience would emerge to debate, discuss, or enter a conversation about these ideas. Thus, I collected the essays in a published book. The usefulness, worth, and importance of this collection will dwell with the reader. If they are inspired by these essays and enjoy them, the purpose of sharing them with others will have been achieved.
5. How do the title of your book and the image on the cover capture the essence of your project?
Mary Alice Dillman: The image on the cover of Thoughts in Motion portrays a rushing stream cascading down a rocky slope of a mountain. The flow of water is not static but dynamic in its intensity as it rumbles across rigid stones. Likewise, the thoughts of a writer flow in words like a stream in motion. For the writer, the pace of thinking increases or decreases in its flow, inspired by constant gleanings, or hindered by blocks of silence. Thereupon, a link between the title of the book and the image on the cover appropriately connects the theme of resilience moving through these essays.
Interested in reading more? Readers can purchase Dillman’s book Thoughts in Motion: A Collection of Essays by emailing her at maryalicedillman@gmail.com.