Book Shopping

So I bought a bunch of writing-related books and I thought I’d post the list in case any of you are interested. I’m hoping that they motivate me to do more writing in terms of quality and quantity, find my writing niche, get unstuck when I am caught in a bit of writer’s block, make the most of my blogging opportunities, familiarize myself with CMOS, and learn to write more tight copy. Whew! Not too much to ask for! What are you reading?

Write Is a Verb: Sit Down, Start Writing, No Excuses by Bill O’Hanlon

Ready, Aim, Specialize!: Create Your Own Writing Specialty and Make More Money! by Kelly James-Enger

Secrets of a Freelance Writer, Third Edition: How to Make $100,000 a Year or More by Robert W. Bly

Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer: How to Win Top Writing Assignments by Jenna Glatzer

Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued: A Woman’s Guide to Unblocking Creativity by Susan O’Doherty

Start Your Own Blogging Business by Entrepreneur Press and J.S. McDougall

The Chicago Manual of Style

Write Tight by William Brohaugh

Problogger by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett

Writer Mama by Christina Katz

Just a Reminder…

…if you happen to buy any books relating to freelance writing (including reference manuals) KEEP THE RECEIPTS. You can use them for tax deduction purposes next year.

So why am I reminding you of this little nugget of wisdom? Because I went on a shopping spree and bought a ton (literally, they are heavy!) of writing related books. I’ll unveil the full list in an upcoming post.

What Non-Writing Activity Inspires You?

I’ve been under a lot of self-imposed pressure with the book project and life in general and sometimes I find it difficult (in spite of the looming deadlines) to get myself inspired to write. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t whittle away my days on the couch watching TV (more like on the couch surfing the web, or on the couch reading a book that has absolutely nothing to do with either the book project or either book I have to read and write a review for).

My latest inspirational activity has been viewing stranger’s pictures on flickr. I have no idea how I staggered into doing that, but some of the pics are amazing!

And of course there is my love for reading. Somehow I started reading a 769 page book (!!!!) by accident and I can’t put it down. I say “by accident” because I really wasn’t expecting to be able to get into it. I know if I try to read a book, it either clicks with me immediately or it doesn’t. Well I’m nearing the 200 page mark, which pretty much says it all. If you like thriller/horror/fiction-based-on-historical events, you should read The Terror by Dan Simmons and don’t let the size intimidate you.

P.S. Maybe I should have called this post “What Do You Do When You Are Too Lazy To Write?”

Looking for a Quick Read?

Newsweek has a great article about 5 books for the time-deprived that are must-reads. Of the 5, I am ashamed to admit that I only read 2 (both for college lit classes). The first being the short story Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street by Herman Melville. This one was good, though a little slow in my opinion. It’s still a recommended read for anyone consumed by their corporate job.

The second one has to be one of my FAVORITE stories EVER! (Pardon the excitement, but I get carried away when a story I really, truly, deeply LOVE is mentioned). This would be The Dead by James Joyce, the final short story in “The Dubliners”. Here’s what Newsweek has to say:

“The Dead by James Joyce. The last work in “Dubliners,” “The Dead” explores a priggish man’s attitude toward the world around him as he parties with his friends and family. In college I knew an English professor who told me he thought the most beautiful sentence in the English language was the conclusion: “His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.” It turns out that many people are obsessed with the ending. Critics love to scour the final two paragraphs, wondering if Joyce means that the main character—and all of humanity, really—is about to turn over a new leaf or continue shlepping through life as a conceited, semisomnolent shlub. Lest this seem like a spoiler, don’t worry. In Joyce every word contains a universe. You could study this story 18 times with a different experience. Or you could easily glide over the deeper meanings and read for plot, or for the music of the language. This time I read it at a cafe on a Saturday morning, lingering long enough to drink two large mugs of coffee sweetened with condensed milk. As usual when I read the end, I felt it came too soon. Who it’s for: people who like hunting for metaphors, patient readers, people who want to sample Joyce before signing up for the longer works, anyone who wonders what it means to be alive, sentient, relevant.”

Do you have any favorite short reads?

Great Place for Super-Cheap Books

I know that writers tend to read a lot, it’s just a natural extension of our writing passion. If you are like me, you tend to buy a lot of books and spend way too much money in the process. A great place to buy your books next time your doing a bit of book shopping is the website Book Closeouts. You can get your book-obsessed hands on a great selection of books at incredible prices.

Let me know what good finds you come across! I just dropped $50 on a great assortment of titles including The Ruins which is coming out in the movies this weekend (I think).

Happy Reading & Shopping!

Are You A Book Snob?

I’m going to pose a question to you, and be honest with the answer….Ready?
When you walk into someone’s home for the first time, do you immediately run over to their bookshelf and give it a good once-over? (YES)

Do you judge people by the books they read? Do you happen to stare a little too long at the book on your co-worker’s desk, or strain to read the cover of a fellow train-passenger’s book? (YES and YES!)

This kind of ties in with this article about literary deal breakers.
Do you have any? I’d have to say that I don’t think I do. Quite honestly, if someone is as avid a reader as I am, I am thankful that we can have a literary conversation as opposed to having to talk about the latest episode of American Idol. I don’t judge people by the books they read, I just always find it very interesting to see what literary tastes other people have. To me, it’s like sneaking a peek in the medicine cabinet.

Celebrities Writing Poetry: The Good and The Bad

Today’s Huffington Post has an amusing story about the not-so-new trend of celebrities who write poetry. Amazingly being famous does not afford you the inherent ability to construct flowing, cohesive prose (who knew?!).

photo courtesy of Jupiter Images

Books are Not Dead

I’m a huge proponent of reading. As I’ve said before, I believe that in order to be a good writer, one must be an avid reader. But what if you’re not a writer? Well, I personally also believe that reading makes you a well-rounded person. Being able to have access to uncensored ideas and information is a valuable tool, that everyone can benefit from.

So why I am bringing this up? Well, it seems like for quite sometime now, there has been buzz about print books being “on the way out” or even worse “dead”. I find this hard to believe based upon the resurgence of reading among younger demographics thanks to the Harry Potter series, and the every-increasing popularity of Oprah’s recommended books.  But then I go to Amazon and find on their homepage their new “Kindle” which is their version of a “wireless reading device” (MSRP $399 at time of this post). I don’t think I can get behind this concept. I understand that the amount of people who read books (as opposed to spending their leisure time watching TV, surfing the web, or doing other numerous non-reading activities) has rapidly declined and I understand the logic behind promoting books in an electronic medium. I just don’t think it provides the reader with the same experience as picking up a physical book, cracking the spine and flipping the pages. On the same token, I’m not a fan of ebooks either. I prefer having my books adorn my bookcase as opposed to my hard drive.

Only time will tell the future of books and reading in general, but I’m staying optimistic. Until they stop publishing paper books, I’m going to keep reading them and I hope you will do the same.

What do you think of this whole ebook/electronic reading device/lack of the general public reading for enjoyment?

Using Lists to Brainstorm for Ideas

I am a list addict. I don’t know if it has anything to do with the fact that I am enamored with the sight of my own handwriting or that it makes me feel in control amid all the chaos of daily life. Whatever the reason, I am a big “list-ie”. At any given time, I have numerous lists ranging from the common “to-do” and “shopping” variety, to the mildly OCD “food tracking” lists (when I am ambitious enough to be health-minded), to the embarrassing yet precise “health-issues” list. I keep lists with the intention of being more organized but somehow I end up more frazzled with keeping track of them all. I have lists to help keep my finances straight, lists of medications I take (with doseage and potentially hazardous interacting drugs) and lists of books I want to read.

In addition to all these life lists, I also keep lists for writing ideas. Here are some of them:

1. Words List. I keep a running list of words that I encounter that resonate with me. This is kind of like learning a new word a day. I overhear a word and I think it has so much potential so I write it on my word list. This particular list is good for when you are writing something and need to add something “new” to it. Sometimes a well-placed word makes all the difference.

2. Ideas List. I have tons of idea-related lists: topics I’d like to write about, subjects I could feasibly specialize in, article pitches, blog posts. These kinds of lists have proven to be the most valuable for me since I am constantly adding new ideas and I have an endless supply of ideas to work with.

3. To-Do Lists. Most people wouldn’t consider a to-do list a catalyst for writing ideas, but I beg to differ. By taking a fresh look at what you have to do, you may stumble upon things you want to write about. For example, take your food shopping list. Why not brainstorm ideas centered around organic food. Or how about that gift you need to buy for your nephew. That would be a great place to start generating ideas for an article entitled “How to Shop for a Six Year Old”.

Lists are an great way to formulate fresh ideas. You can easily customize your list(s) to suit your lifestyle and preferences, resulting in tons of potential writing material.

The magical link between reading and writing

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve always been a big reader. It was probably my first love. Writing never really appealed to me in a serious way until several years ago. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always had a natural inclination for the written word, but I never chased it down the way I do now. I noticed that I get into ruts where I am feverishly reading non-stop and doing no writing whatsoever, and then the opposite will happen where I am writing at an unstopable rate and reading takes a backseat. I can’t help but realize, however, that no matter which way my pendulum swings, I find myself needing to find a balance between the two in order to do any quality writing. I could probably find some scientific study that supports the premise that regular reading is vital for successful writing, but I’m comfortable making the self-assured generalization that it is true. I also know that teachers often make it a point to assign extra reading to elementary age students to improve their writing skills (one of the few things I recall from an education course I took). I know that whenever I need a dose of inspiration, or my writing is so dull that I need to take a new angle or find a new voice for my piece, the solution is to pick up a book and dive in. It hardly matters what the book is about, as long as it gets my mind “in the zone”.

While reading can help dig me out the ditch known as writer’s block, it also helps to broaden my scope of potential writing topics. I try to read one newspaper a day to keep up with the state of the world, and I am also reading one book at any given time. I find that when you surround yourself with words of all kinds, it makes your own mind more pliable and creative.