Comments on: 64 books in 52 weeks, and looking ahead

By: Megs - Scattered Bits

Megs - Scattered Bits — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:51:54 +0000

It’s all the writing about it that makes me shake my head at myself. But I seem to be willing to do anything for writing, and to teach myself short stories, I’m trying to analyze.

Speaking of, I started reading The Wednesday Letters and brain started analyzing! I have to keep telling inner editor to shut up. But HTRYN has awakened the sleeping monster! LOL :shakes head at self:

Believe it or not, I’m actually having fun.

By: Megs - Scattered Bits

Megs - Scattered Bits — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:24:32 +0000

Always, always. Reading is fun. Not that it doesn’t suck up valuable time, but never can I stop doing it.

By: Rabia

Rabia — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:35:08 +0000

Just keep it fun! Reading intentionally is a good exercise, but it shouldn’t become drudgery.

By: Megs - Scattered Bits

Megs - Scattered Bits — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:08:33 +0000

I just spent MONEY. On BOOKS. And on MAGAZINES too!

My poor little budget is wondering what in the world went wrong with me, but anyway. I bought The Wednesday Letters (fiction) and Angels in the ER (nonfiction). I have set a new goal to get out there, read, and start updating “Bookends” more regularly. My status report looks way too slender: http://writing.smeganpayne.com/5/post/2010/01/bookends-in-review.html. :shakes finger at self, ordering to get back to work:

Well, once again, you have inspired me. Now, I only have to read, review, write short stories, write a novel, and revise one.

I’m nuts. Totally, utterly nuts. :collapses after that ridiculously huge list:

By: Rabia

Rabia — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:20:15 +0000

That was easy.

By: Megs - Scattered Bits

Megs - Scattered Bits — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:17:34 +0000

Come to think of it, I can add Madeleine L’Engle’s A Ring of Endless Light.

Okay. One down, four to go.

By: Rabia

Rabia — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:00:39 +0000

David, Sometimes it seems that going through our bookshelves is akin to an archaeological excavation. If you find any A Brief History of Time, just shove it on my nightstand shelf. I’ll find it eventually.

Lisa, Holly’s right about non-fiction. That’s where some of the coolest world-building ideas can be found. Myths, legends and fairy tales are another neat source to mine.

I’ll have to mosey on over to your reading blog.

By: Rabia

Rabia — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:53:26 +0000

Megs, I haven’t read *any* of those books on your Forever-Love list. I will have to look them up.

I’m still getting up the nerve to dissect a novel, as Holly recommends in her HtTS course. I just can’t get over the mental block that it is wrong *wrong* WRONG to write in books!

I have to say that most of my love-forever books are ones I discovered in my childhood/teen years. I don’t know why–as an adult I seem to have more of a protective shell, I’m more wary of a story’s power to twist at my heart strings. These years, it’s TV shows and music that have the power to deliver an emotional punch to my gut.

By: LisaM

LisaM — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:19:09 +0000

Reading goals for this year?

I read some non-fiction, but I don’t usually add the books to my What I’m Reading blog. However, I might think about reading more non-fiction works and adding the books to the blog…

What was it Holly wrote in one of her emails? Non-fiction is the playground for writers, or something like that.

By: David

David — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:26:25 +0000

As far as science books go, I’ve heard really good things about Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time”, though I have to confess that I haven’t read it yet. I think we have a copy on the bookshelf.