Have you ever felt the power and lift of literature? Has one book - or perhaps one author - inspired you to change your view of yourself or your world? If so, the Center for the Book encourages you to enter this year's Letters About Literature writing competition! All you have to do is write a personal letter to an author, explaining how his or her work affected you. Consider one or more of these questions when writing your letter:
- Did the characters, conflict or setting mirror your life in some way?
- What strengths or flaws do you share with a character or characters in the book?
- What did the book show you about your world that you never noticed before?
- What surprised you about yourself while you were reading this book?
- Why was this work meaningful to you?
- As you were reading, what did you remember about yourself or something you experienced in the past?
- How did the book's characters or theme help you to understand that past experience?
