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The Story of Writing
@sownow.bsky.social
1.3K followers 1.7K following 3.1K posts
A daily podcast about writing and writers that changed things, like minds, the world, etc.
https://storyofwriting.com
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On this day in 1947, the Hollywood Ten were blacklisted by movie studios. The ten men who refused to testify before the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities, were told they would not be hired, employed, or paid by the movie studios.
#Blacklist #Censorship #History #OTD #HUAC
This was part of the Red Scare, when some Republican members of Congress accused some script and screenplay writers of thought crimes. To be clear, the accused had not committed any actual crimes. The ten blacklisted individuals simply refused - on principle - to testify before Congress. They believed the Republicans’ actions on this issue violated the U.S. Constitution. The Hollywood Ten were right. A couple of legal cases in the 1960s and 70s found that Red Scare laws banning communist sympathies were, in fact, NOT legal. A b/w photo, taken in 1950, of members of the Hollywood Ten and their families protesting the impending incarceration of the screenwriters who refused to speak to the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. This is a screenshot from the documentary film Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist (1987)
November 25, 2025 at 1:10 PM
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On this day in 1915, Albert Einstein presented his equations on general relativity to the Prussian Academy of Sciences. This theory starts to explain the relationship between spacetime and the physical things that are distributed across it.
#Science #SciSky #Physics #History #OTD
Within the field of physics, Einstein’s theory of general relativity is summed up as “matter tells spacetime how to curve, and curved spacetime tells matter how to move.” Outside the field of physics, it’s described as a bass player on stage with a rock band, playing the music that shakes all those hips in the audience, but the bass player is listening less to the band while playing rhythm in time with all those hips shaking on the dance floor. Another part of Einstein’s theory of general relativity revolves around not so much time as timing. By 1915, when he presented his calculations, Europe was already convulsed by WW1. The nationalistic fervor of the Prussian government and many of its people strained relationships with scientists elsewhere. This meant that, when Einstein submitted his equations on general relativity, not much happened within the scientific community. There were no known attempts to prove or disprove the theory. But after the war ended, an international group of physicists came together for the eclipse expedition of 1919. Part of the group went to Principe Island, just north of the equator, off the central coast of Africa, while another part went to Sobral, just south of the equator in Brazil. Both groups used specialized cameras to take photos of the eclipse. These pictures allowed the scientists to document how starlight itself was deflected or bent during the eclipse. It proved Einstein’s theory and it also helped reunite the international community of physicists. A b/w photo of Albert Einstein taken in 1912. Credit: ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv / Fotograf: Langhans, J. F. Image source: Science Museum (UK)
November 25, 2025 at 12:52 PM
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Happy Frances Hodgson Burnett's birthday to all who celebrate.

Tend the rose, my friends.
“One of the new things people began to find out in the last century was that thoughts—just mere thoughts—are as powerful as electric batteries—as good for one as sunlight, or as bad for one as poison. To let a sad thought or a bad one get into your mind is as dangerous as letting a scarlet fever germ get into your body. If you let it stay there, after it has got in, you may never get over it, as long as you live. Surprising things can happen to anyone who, when a disagreeable or discouraged thought comes to mind, has the sense to push it out by putting in an agreeable and courageous one. Two things cannot be in one place. Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow.” –Frances Hodgson Burnett, "The Secret Garden," 1911
November 24, 2025 at 5:39 PM
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"...the air was full of Thoughts and Things to Say. But at times like these, only the Small Things are ever said. Big Things lurk unsaid inside.”
-Indian writer and activist Arundhati Roy, born on this day in 1961.
#WriterSky #BookSky #BOTD
She may be best known for her debut novel "The God of Small Things," published in 1997. It earned her that year’s Booker Prize. She donated the prize money and royalties from the book to human rights causes. Color photo of author Arundhati Roy Reuters
November 24, 2025 at 5:29 PM
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English-American writer Frances Hodgson Burnett was born on this day in 1849. She is best known for her three children's novels, "Little Lord Fauntleroy," "A Little Princess," and "The Secret Garden." Burnett wrote more than 50 books and 13 plays.
#WriterSky #BookSky #History #BOTD
In "The New York Times," author, critic, and filmmaker Dinitia Smith, wrote that – despite living in an era that idealized domesticity, Hodgson Burnett “loathed marriage and yet married twice and had lovers. She wrote about a feisty woman working at a pit mine, and – based on her own marriage – about a Washington society woman married to a man she doesn't love. These were ahead of their time in their treatment of adultery, spousal abuse, illegitimacy and female independence.” A 1901 photo portrait of Frances Hodgson Burnett Photo: Scribner's Sons
November 24, 2025 at 5:01 PM
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On this day in 1877, Anna Sewell published her novel "Black Beauty." It’s the only publication she wrote and it has become one of the best-selling books for children. But Sewell wrote the book for adults, especially those who worked with horses.
#WriterSky #BookSky #History #OTD
According to the writer Gina Dorré, Sewell said, “a special aim [of "Black Beauty"] was to induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses.” The book is believed to have reduced animal cruelty. The use of painful bearing reins declined sharply in the years after the book’s publication. One other thing about "Black Beauty" – it is believed to be one of the first English novels to be written from the perspective of a main character that was not human. An image of the green cover of the novel Black Beauty, first edition 1877, published by London: Jarrold and Sons
November 24, 2025 at 12:57 PM
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“It was language I loved, not meaning. I liked poetry better when I wasn't sure what it meant.”
-Canadian writer Patricia Kathleen -or P. K.- Page, born on this day in 1916.
#WriterSky #PoetSky #ArtSky #BookSky #History #BOTD
She wrote poetry, fiction, travel diaries, essays, children's books, and an autobiography. She was also a visual artist, who exhibited her work as P.K. Irwin. In 2001, by special resolution of the United Nations, Page's poem "Planet Earth" was read simultaneously in New York, the Antarctic, and the South Pacific to celebrate the International Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations. A b/w photo of P. K. Page Credit: Unknown Source: Queens University Archives
November 23, 2025 at 5:21 PM
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“Every man knows that slavery is a curse. Whoever denies this, his lips libel his heart.”
-American author Theodore Dwight Weld, born on this day in 1803. He was a strident abolitionist.
#WriterSky #BookSky #Abolition #AntiSlavery #History #OTD
In 1839, he co-authored the book American Slavery as It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses. The author Harriet Beecher Stowe partly based her landmark novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin on Weld's text. Her father, Lyman Beecher, described Weld as “eloquent as an angel, and powerful as thunder.” Beecher also said that Weld’s words were “logic on fire.” A b/w illustration of American abolitionist Theodore Dwight Weld Credit: unknown Image source: U.S. Library of Congress
November 23, 2025 at 4:47 PM
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On this day in 1963, the BBC broadcast the first episode of "Doctor Who." The show is now more than 60 years old, making it the longest running sci-fi drama on television.
#Whovian #DrWho #TV #History #OTD
A b/w still of "An Unearthly Child," the first episode of the television show "Dr. Who." The BBC first aired the show on November 23, 1963. Source: Aunt Beeb
November 23, 2025 at 4:40 PM
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On this day in 1924, The New York Times published astronomer Edwin Hubble’s discovery that Andromeda was not a nebula, as had been thought, but another galaxy – similar to the Milky Way.
#ScienceSky #Galaxy #History #OTD
A 1931 b/w photo portrait of Edwin Powell Hubble. Photographer: Johan Hagemeyer, Camera Portraits Carmel. Source: The Huntington Municipal Library
November 23, 2025 at 4:15 PM
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On this day in 1921, nearly two years after the U.S. prohibited the sale or consumption of alcohol, President Warren G. Harding signed a law barring physicians from prescribing beer for medicinal purposes.
#History #Prohibition #OTD
Spirits and wine could still be prescribed, but only half a pint. And doctors could only write 100 prescriptions for alcohol every three months.
November 23, 2025 at 4:06 PM
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On this day in 1644, the English poet John Milton published his pamphlet "Areopagitica." It was a denunciation of censorship, now seen as the cornerstone of freedom of the press.
#WriterSky #BookSky #History #OTD #Censorship
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Milton was responding to an English law – passed the previous year – that required authors to have a license, approved by the government, before their work could be published. The former Cornell philosophy professor George Sabine described Areopagitica as an urgent appeal to the public. Sabine wrote, “Its basic principle was the right and also the duty of every intelligent man as a rational being, to know the grounds and take responsibility for his beliefs and actions. Its corollary was a society and a state in which decisions are reached by open discussion, in which the sources of information are not contaminated by authority in the interest of party, and in which political unity is secured not by force but by a consensus that respects variety of opinion.” Photo of the title page of John Milton's "Areopagitica." Source: Southern Methodist University, Texas | Bridwell Library
November 23, 2025 at 4:03 PM
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It's not from a book, but an essay:
We walked in so pure and bright a light, gilding the withered grass and leaves, so softly and serenely bright, I thought I had never bathed in such a golden flood, without a ripple or a murmur to it. The west side of every wood and rising ground gleamed like the boundary of Elysium, and the sun on our backs seemed like a gentle herdsman driving us home at evening. –Henry David Thoreau, "Walking," 1862
November 23, 2025 at 2:32 AM
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“Reality and fantasy, we need both of those to survive. If we don’t have fantasy, dreams and all of those things, what’s the point of carrying on? And you need to watch out for reality because buses come.”
-American actor, director, and Monty Python member Terry Gilliam, born on this day in 1940.
An undated b/w photo of the six members of Monty Python. Terry Gilliam is at bottom-right, wearing a white shirt. Source: NZ Herald
November 22, 2025 at 4:23 PM
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“I tell ya, I don’t get no respect. No respect at all.”
-American comedian, actor, and screenwriter Jacob Cohen, born on this day in 1921. He is, of course, better known by his stage name: Rodney Dangerfield.
#WriterSky #FunnyGuy #History #Comedian #StandUpComic #BOTDA
As he worked on his stand-up comedy routine, he found that – after saying what became his trademark line – audiences laughed more and generally reacted more favorably to him. An undated color photo of Rodney Dangerfield Source: Rodney.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:16 PM
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“You don’t write melodies, you find them. They lie on the keys, waiting for you to find them. They’ve always been there."
-American singer-songwriter, pianist, actor, author, and American original Hoagy Carmichael was born on this day in 1899.
#MusicSky #WriterSky #History #BOTD
He composed hundreds of songs and his dozens of hits make up one of the biggest sections in the songbook of American standards. Carmichael’s best-known pieces: "Stardust," "Georgia on My Mind," "The Nearness of You," and "Heart and Soul" are some of the most-recorded songs in the U.S. An undated b/w photo portrait of Hoagy Carmichael Source: IMDB
November 22, 2025 at 4:07 PM
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“It seems that we can never give up longing and wishing while we are still alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger for them.”
-George Eliot, the pen name of the English writer Mary Ann Evans, born on this day in 1819.
#WriterSky #BookSky #History #BOTD
Eliot wrote the landmark novels Middlemarch, Silas Marner, Mill on the Floss and others. Writing for the BBC, author and critic Hephzibah Anderson says Eliot’s novels are “enduringly essential. Certain aspects of Eliot’s life – its challenges, its scandals, its joys – convey equally timeless wisdom. In her fiction, she gave us unforgettable female characters whose travails continue to inform readers about ambition, love, and the importance of resisting convention; through her life, she teaches us about daring to grasp happiness even when it comes at a cost, about staying true to yourself and believing that it’s never too late – and about the importance of an open mind.” A b/w image of English novelist George Eliot Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images Image source: The Poetry Foundation
November 22, 2025 at 3:57 PM
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This sentence is quite the roller coaster ride:

Link to story about yet another lie told by republicans — this one about an “anti-trimp” attack.
An aide to a Republican congressman from New Jersey faked being the victim of what she claimed was a politically motivated slashing in July, a narrative that quickly unraveled when investigators found spare zip ties in her Maserati, federal prosecutors said.
November 22, 2025 at 1:41 AM
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Sorry.

WTF is this?
NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (left) and a skid mark on the collective underpants of America in the Oval Office.
November 21, 2025 at 9:44 PM
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Happy Voltaire's birthday to all who celebrate!

And how can you NOT celebrate writing like this:
“Do you believe,” said Candide, “that men have always massacred each other as they do to-day, that they have always been liars, cheats, traitors, ingrates, idiots, thieves, scoundrels, gluttons, drunkards, misers, envious, ambitious, bloody- minded, fanatics, hypocrites, and fools?' “Do you believe,' said Martin, 'that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they have found them?” –Voltaire, "Candide," 1759
November 21, 2025 at 3:54 PM
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It is the birthday of the philosopher who wrote,
“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.”
The French writer Voltaire was born François-Marie Arouet on this day in 1694.
#WriterSky #BookSky #History #BOTD
Rene Pomeau is a recognized expert on Voltaire. The former professor at the University of Paris and former president of the French Literary Society wrote that Voltaire was “one of the greatest of all French writers. Although only a few of his works are still read, he continues to be held in worldwide repute as a courageous crusader against tyranny, bigotry, and cruelty. Through its critical capacity, wit, and satire, Voltaire’s work vigorously propagates an ideal of progress to which people of all nations have remained responsive.” Voltaire also encouraged historians to take a more realistic look at their discipline. Guillaume de Syon, professor of history at Albright College, wrote, “Voltaire recast historiography in both factual and analytical terms. Not only did he reject traditional biographies and accounts that claim the work of supernatural forces, but he went so far as to suggest that earlier historiography was rife with falsified evidence and required new investigations at the source.” Syon notes that Voltaire wasn’t the only writer of his time to hold this opinion, but he says the rationalistic approach of Voltaire and others was “key to rewriting history.” A painted portrait of Voltaire, circa 1720s Artist: Nicolas de Largillière Image source: Musée Carnavalet
November 21, 2025 at 3:49 PM
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On this day in 1967, when asked about the war in Vietnam, U.S. General William Westmoreland told reporters, “I am absolutely certain that, whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing.”
#VietnamWar #Lies #WarPigs
Less than six years later, after more than 50,000 Americans had died serving in Vietnam, the U.S. acknowledged it could not attain its military goals there and negotiated the withdrawal of American service members. The iconic b/w photo of Gen. W. Westmoreland standing in front of a map of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. He repeatedly made public remarks assuring the public that the U.S. had the upper hand in the Vietnam War. In 1982, a CBS News documentary "The Uncounted Enemy: A Vietnam Deception" accused Westmoreland of deliberately underestimating the number of enemy troops to create an illusion of progress in the war. Westmoreland sued CBS for defamation. The high-profile trial ended in an out-of-court settlement, with no damages awarded and no apology from CBS. Each side covered its own legal fees.
November 21, 2025 at 3:31 PM
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On this day in 1918, the British Parliament passed a law allowing women to run for and serve in England’s government. But most women in England, Scotland, and Wales would have to wait another 10 years before getting the right to vote - granted by Parliament in 1928.
#Women'sRights #Suffrage #History
A b/w photo of the Clare elections victory procession, led by pipers. Constance Markievicz, the first woman elected to Parliament, is wearing a white coat. Source: National Library of Ireland
November 21, 2025 at 3:13 PM
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On this day in 1905, Albert Einstein published his paper on the mass-energy equivalence, also known as E = mc(squared).
#Science #Physics #History #OTD
A b/w photo of Albert Einstein deriving special relativity - NOT mass-energy equivalence - for an audience, in 1934. It's a picture of Einstein at a blackboard, looking skeptical about the info he's scrawled on it. Image source: Forbes
November 21, 2025 at 2:38 PM
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On this day in 1877, Thomas Edison went public with the phonograph. His invention could record and play back sound.
#Tech #History #OTD #Inventive
Thomas Edison in his workshop, working on improvements to his gramophone. Illustration for Popular Science edited by Arthur Mee Credit: Amalgamated Press, 1913
November 21, 2025 at 2:06 PM