If I could just let you sit in silence in this sunny room with me on an early autumnal morning I might. But that is not how blogs work, unless, of course, you simply describe a character in any person (1st, 2nd, 3rd) sitting in such a room.

I happened to pick up a Jane Austen quote book by Cider Mill Press last weekend and was much comforted by her companionship and tidbits on her story as an author. I learned it’s okay to go for ten years without writing in the middle of your life, and I learned that it’s okay (as well as amazing) that your title could change last-minute. I cannot find it at the moment, but one of her books would have been called, “The Elliots.”

Jane Austen was also an excellent mentor to her niece Anna Austen, who was an aspiring writer. How did she get such a high position when it comes to creative writing, or novel writing? Let’s get it out of the way that she practiced. Her main development seemed to come from reading a ton, devouring books on end. Cultivating a habit of reading may be one of our best mentors as writers. As one of my teachers would say, “Read good writin’, so you can write good readin’.”