Readers write: Train memories, writing troubles
Letters to the editor for the May 8, 2017 weekly magazine.
A train carrying containers from London arrives at the freight railway station in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, China, on April 29, 2017.
Thomas Peter/Reuters
Train memories
I have been reading The Christian Science Monitor for more than 60 years. The Home Forum has always been my favorite. I have always been a fan of Robert Klose’s essays.
His March 27 essay, “A freight train sings me an iron lullaby,” reminds me of an event that happened to a close friend of mine a number of years ago. She and her husband had a home in Milford, Mich., with a train track running through the backyard at the base of a hill. Her husband loved to go down the hill and wave to the engineer as he went by. They became friends. One day the engineer offered to let my friend’s husband accompany him to Toledo, Ohio, and sit with him in the engine. My friend’s husband was thrilled with this adventure. I love the sound of a train whistle, and this essay reminded me of this event. Keep writing, Mr. Klose. I love your articles.
Jean Hawkins
Brighton, Mich.
Writing troubles
As an aspiring screenwriter, I feel the need to comment on the April 13 online article “No more ‘peak TV’? Why TV’s golden age isn’t one for its writers” (CSMonitor.com). It’s frightening to know that if I make the decision to do what I love, I may not be always getting what I need.
I want the secure paycheck and the freedom to write what I want to write. But like most of my writing, that takes place in a fictional world. It’s promising to know that, with all the advancements and changes in mass media, people still want to watch traditional TV shows and movies.
There will always be production companies looking for creative writers, but there must be a way to provide some stability for them. How does more work and more watchers translate to less pay? The pending strike by the Writers Guild of America could mean bad things for the people writing the checks. But for the people writing the stories, it could mean the difference between following dreams or following the path to financial security.
When a good writer is lost, everyone loses.
Kathleen P. Chaves
Trumbull, Conn.