A Better way to live Ch3

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary purpose of the tour of the room described?

To introduce various book genres

To create a comfortable atmosphere for conversation (correct)

To showcase the author's writing accomplishments

To highlight the history of the furniture

What does the author mention doing with the manuscripts they receive?

Writing testimonials for book jackets (correct)

Reading them during office hours

Publishing them for early readers

Providing feedback to the authors

How does Jim Tunney feel about the author's writing space during his visit?

Overwhelmed by the atmosphere

Indifferent and unimpressed

Inspired and excited about writing his own book (correct)

Confused by the clutter of the space

What type of decor is noted in the author's room?

Earthy tones like tans, browns, and blacks Signup and view all the answers

What significant event does the author recall involving Jim Tunney?

A party where Jim expressed his writing aspirations Signup and view all the answers

What type of typewriter was used to type the author's thirteen books?

An IBM Selectric Signup and view all the answers

How often does the author limit himself to giving speeches?

Twice a month Signup and view all the answers

What does the author keep with him for telephone reference?

Telephone books Signup and view all the answers

What meaningful item does the author use to connect with his basset hound, Slippers?

An old bone Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the letters that the author receives each week?

To express gratitude and share personal stories Signup and view all the answers

What is displayed on the wall referred to as the 'braggin' place'?

Awards, plaques, and a collage of family photographs Signup and view all the answers

What symbolic item was created by the author's son for a second-grade project?

A drawing accompanied by a letter Signup and view all the answers

What type of books are primarily stored on the three-shelf bookcase next to the corner?

Books dealing with the life of Christ Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following honors is mentioned as being received by the author?

Gold Medal for literary achievement Signup and view all the answers

Why did the author choose to keep all the displayed awards and citations on the walls?

He feels a deep emotional attachment to them. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

The Author's Studio

The author's studio is a cluttered space filled with books, keepsakes, photos, mementos, and relics of his life.
The studio is located in the southwest corner of the author's home and measures only 12′ × 19′.
The walls, blinds, drapes, carpet, and upholstery are all in tans, browns, and blacks.
The author has a "braggin' " place on one wall displaying awards, a collage of family photos, and autographed photos of celebrities.
The author has a three-shelf bookcase filled with books dealing with the life of Christ.
The author has a long, low table that holds old newspaper clippings and articles about him, a world globe, two small oil landscapes, an unopened LP album, large color enlargements of his son and himself on the golf course, and a large Bible.
The author has a vintage 1965 IBM typewriter that has typed all thirteen of his books.
The author writes at night, often from ten to dawn, and places his palm lightly on the face of Jesus, whenever he finishes, and whispers, "Good night, Boss," just before he turns the lights out.
The author has a "In" basket on the left corner of his desk that is always stacked high with mail.
The author receives slightly over a hundred letters each week from people who have read one of his books.
The author answers every letter himself, even if it’s only a few brief lines of thanks for the nice things the sender wrote.
The author limits himself to just two speeches a month and tries to deliver a new book to his publisher every two years.
The author has a sepia print of a wedding pose of his beloved mother and father, a foot-high ceramic statue of a little guy in a baseball uniform, a Rolodex, a large calendar, legal pads, a DO IT TODAY! list, file cards, a telephone with a Cobra answering machine, and a photo of his son coaching a soccer team.
The author uses more than four thousand sheets of typing paper before completing a book.
The author has a bookcase filled with reference books such as the University of Chicago’s A Manual of Style, Adler and Van Doren’s Great Treasury of Western Thought, The New Dictionary of Thoughts, Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style, and The Timetables of History.
The author has an old overstuffed chair that was occupied for many years by his loving basset hound, Slippers.
The author has books, five rows high, covering the entire north wall of the room, dealing with every possible subject from religion to motivation, from investing to mental health.
The author has a copy of the first issue of Success Unlimited magazine that he edited in 1965, an unframed oil painting from a prisoner depicting what he conceived that Simon Potter might look like, a tiny pair of sneakers that belonged to his son, a small pair of leather thongs that his son wore when he was four, a photo of him getting a haircut in a Fairhope, Alabama, bookstore, his old passport, a tarnished pair of his bombardier’s wings, a 1984 pass to the original Skins Game at Desert Highlands Country Club, one of his son's first teeth, name badges from countless conventions where he has spoken, a sawed-off handle from a Little League bat, a color photo of a park in Guatemala City, a loving message to him from a young lady fan who eventually died of leukemia, an invitation to W. Clement Stone’s eightieth birthday party, a photo of a beautiful and loving nun, several small Bibles, plastic geraniums, a Michigan number plate that reads SUCCES, Father’s Day cards, a badge commemorating the tenth annual Glenn Miller festival, a proclamation from the mayor of Lima, Ohio, declaring July 27, 1981, as Og Mandino Day, an old stereoscope, the two worn IBM typewriter printing balls that typed the words for his first eleven books, a scrapbook of dried flowers from the Holy Land, and more pictures of his family.
The author has a table with stacks of books, videotapes, and scores of reels of Super-8 movie film that he has shot during the past twenty years and that he is slowly editing for conversion to videotape.
The author has a huge and striking chessboard with inlaid wooden squares that his son artfully constructed when he was a high-school freshman.
The author has a framed copy of the farewell article that he ran in Success Unlimited when he announced his retirement, in 1976.
The author has a framed Polaroid photo of a tiny headstone with a red kite embracing a star.
The author has a hanging cloth poster that Bette presented to him long ago that reads "God grant me patience … and I want it right now!"

The Gift of Acabar

The Gift of Acabar is a book that relates the story of a young crippled lad in Lapland who built a huge red kite and flew it high in the sky to catch a star that he could haul down to earth to illuminate his poor village.
The young lad succeeds in catching the star, named Acabar, and the star talks to him and teaches him much about life before being returned to the heavens when the sun reappears in the spring.
The author sent autographed copies of The Gift of Acabar to the friends of a young boy dying from brain cancer.
The young boy, Dougy, miraculously remained alive for almost two years longer than expected.
The young boy's mother sent the author a Polaroid photo of the young boy's headstone with a red kite embracing a star.

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Description

Explore the unique characteristics of an author's studio filled with personal mementos, awards, and a collection of books on the life of Christ. This quiz highlights the details of the author's workspace, including its decor and the vintage typewriter used for writing. Discover how this environment influences the author's creative process.