Books on the Horizon: do you read?

“The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.”~Walt Disney, American Cartoonist

If you’re a writer, do you read books?

You should. That’s what everyone says. However, if you’re a writer, how do you find–or make–the time?

If you’re a reader, how much do you read? Do you think it’s “enough?”

I’m both a writer and a reader, but I am guilty of all that. I don’t make the time to read because I’d rather write, but when I write, I want the relaxing downtime of reading. I don’t know about you, but if I am not doing both writing and reading, then the world says I’m not a good person.

This never used to be a problem. I swallowed books in elementary school. Mom had to limit my Scholastic Book order in middle school. In high school, I wrote extra credit stories based on books I read outside the classroom.

What changed? I guess Life happened. That and the Internet.

Haiku Horizons Week 79: “Brush” reminds me of my choices

Social media in all its forms has distracted us. When was the last time you used your phone to call someone? I did the other day because my uncle doesn’t have a computer. It was cool to hear his voice. The familiar Pittsburgh accent made me miss him and my childhood home even more.

It’s so easy to get sucked in by everything else. That’s when you realize you said “just 10 minutes” over an hour ago. And books are hard to carry. It’s a physical item we don’t need when Life is on our phone which fits in our pocket.

But we do need them. Books are a throwback to a time when we made real connections, not just Likes. Five years ago, as my Timehop app reminds me, I preferred and actually read real books.

Now I’m a published author with currently three books available electronically. I’m procrastinating with the physical printing of them through a service such as Smashwords because I see no immediate rush. Everybody reads eBooks, right?

I thought my Deadwood Writers Voicesblogpost would inspire me to read, but that book I once liked held no interest now. I was reminded of a YA vampire book series I adored, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer, and I bought but never got around to the final book. I also found a tattered paperback my mom read and adored, The Face in the Abyss by A. Merritt. I remember the big scary snake on the front cover, but I still read it because of her. I loved it because of her, and I’m sure it has inspired me in my writing today. That’s the thing about physical books, the touchy-feely inspiration.

I won’t remember how or if it did inspire me until I read it. And yet it sits on the table, unopened but with a bookmark in it. I can see it as I sit here typing….

The post-wedding #WeekendCoffeeShare Sunday

“Work hard for what you want because it won’t come without a fight.”~Leah LaBelle, Canadian musician

If we were having coffee, it’s a quiet day and we may have stepped out for a bit. My rarely-gets-sick husband is not feeling well. It’s nothing contagious, but still…I’m concerned.

He was out of town on business last week and may just be worn down. I understand that. After last Sunday’s wedding, the heat and the long drive, I was pretty much a lump for a day. But it was worth it. I haven’t seen my friend since THON and it was fun dancing with her again. This time, however, I got to sit down throughout the night.

I made a little adventure out of it. I scoped out a local coffeeshop and decided to write before the drive home. I passed a covered bridge along the way and drove through it a few times just because I could. It seemed the thing to do whenever you pass a covered bridge. I knew I back on the East Coast–yes, I consider mid-Pennsylvania East Coast–when I saw this, and when I passed a diner with Diner in the name. Here in Michigan, everything is called a “Coney” restaurant. As you would imagine, chili dogs are the signature dish everywhere, and those are supplemented by normal diner food. But they’re not diners; that’s a distinction for another post because I’ve gotten way off topic.

Back to that coffeeshop, HeBrews. Local-baked pastries. Pour-over coffee in for-here mugs. High-top tables with two separate cozy rooms. I sat down with my journal, but after 25 minutes or so, I put then pen down. I couldn’t write. I just had to Be. Okay, I shared a few pictures to my Instagram feed and I texted a short 360-degree video to my husband. After that, I sat there, a stone with the perfect seat, staring out the window and over my shoulder at the coffee bar. It was too peaceful to write. I watched cars drive by on the main street outside, the people walking by on their lunch break, and the regulars in the coffee shop getting “the usual.” Two women joined me in my spacious room, a mother-daughter afternoon outing sitting in the corner. I couldn’t hear what they said, but I commented on the girl’s pants on her way out: light and flowy, what I thought was a skirt, made better as unexpected pants.

It’s been so long since I’ve done that–just sit–and I wish you could have been there. We would be together without saying a word.

After the wedding–adventures in pictures

“Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.”~H. Jackson Brown, Jr., American writer

This weekend’s wedding adventure.

me

#WeekendCoffeeShare: driving to PA wedding

“I would rather die of passion than of boredom.”~Vincent Van Gogh, Dutch artist

If we were having coffee, it’s a quick stop for a cup of to-go Joe. I’ve got a long drive ahead of me after an early morning work shift. I signed up for that months ago, so I’m committed, but I could use the sleep. My friend is getting married on Sunday, and I am driving 7 hours from Michigan to Pennsylvania to be there.

This woman was my personal Moraler when I danced in Penn State’s THON 2010. Because I danced as a undergrad, I was eligible to dance in THON as an alumni. My dance partner and I met online, and together we raised over $7000, qualifying us as dancers who raised the most money. This bride-to-be was the student who was there to support her dancer with whatever I needed. When you stay awake and stand on your feet for 46 hours–yes, two days–you need a lot of support. She decorated my hotel room thanks to my husband’s sneaky assistance, she brought me tennis balls to rub my feet with and her boyfriend-now-husband-to-be brought me mac-n-cheese from the Diner when I desperately wanted some at whatever weird hour it was.

She supported me; I’m supporting her. We are both tickled-excited I can make it.

I spent the latter part of this week doing those last-minute errands: pickup new glasses; schedule last-minute manicure; hair style; and write. Yes, writing is important enough to me, but this week is was squeezed in. My husband helped choose gifts from the registry. He helped me choose a new dress at the mall last week. I went to my monthly art group and created the first step of an altered book. My life has been all over the place this week, and no matter how much I plan to “pack ahead of time,” I’m up the night before stuffing my suitcase.

But I wrote. I wrote in coffeeshops. I tried new coffee, and a delightful new loose-leaf tea while out. I hugged my husband everyday. I did the important things.

Have fun this weekend. I’ll have lots of pic to share next week.

Grab hold of your horizon

“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.”~Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister

Send fun mail, make people happy

My Instagram feed is full of people who mail fun stuff in fun envelopes. I’ve forgotten about that, although I do seek out cool stamps like Batman, Harry Potter and birds. Here’s a reminder of an easy way to brighten someone’s day.

Zentangle in the Mail http://ow.ly/QLvm3

August 7th in 7 photos

“Limitations live only in our minds.”~Jamie Paolinetti, American cyclist

This #WeekendCoffeeShare is worth writing about

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”~Maya Angelou, American poet

If we were having coffee, I’d share a bunch of my writing news today.

I gave my first radio interview Wednesday. The Michigan Literary Network approached me to discuss my writing career on the air. Even with a brief review of potential questions…well, I described my initial thoughts a few days ago in this post. Listen to my interview here and tell me how it is; I’ve been too self-conscious to listen to it yet.

July 2015: parties, awards, writing…and–of course–coffee

My DadMemoir is going slower than I hoped. However, I’ve scheduled actual writing time on my calendar to help me focus on that. My calendar now shows designated writing time, for whatever I choose at that moment. The memoir is still a struggle. Are you struggling with your work/draft-in-progress? Just when I think the memoir is in fine shape, I stumble on a chapter that needs rearranging much less revising.

I’m working to place a sample of my writing on my site. People say that’s a good idea, and I agree. That, however, takes some time to set up, possibly resigning my tabs and/or content first, so that’s something floating in the background as I focus on other writing projects.

Don’t ask me about my #ROW80 goals. Completing those is a pathetic mess, so let’s move on to something more positive.

I officially registered for NFPW Conference. You recall that I was blasted excited to receive a first-timer grant to pay for the conference fee. I’m going to Alaska! Still, additional expenses–airfare and hotel, for example–are daunting, which is why I started a crowdfunding campaign. Shameless self-promotion: please visit my GoFundMe site and help me defer costs as I go there to accept my two National awards.

You’ll see several photos on my daily calendar of my husband and his laptop. That’s time spent writing together, which is a relatively new super-cool development.

Looking at the summary from my Photo 365 app, you’ll see there’s Scrapbooking time with my Michigan Scrapbooked Magazine editor. Look at my Deadwood Writers’ Group, a fabulous critique group meeting every first and third Wednesdays. Our next meeting is this week, and I may submit a piece, but the queue is getting full. Flashback to The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers event, supporting a fellow writer and amazed by the overall experience. Think a combination mixing spoken word with a public reading. Leaves you breathless. Thanks to my Timehop app, there’s a sad Foursquare checkin: the defunct bookstore chain, Borders.

And selfies. So many selfies. What can I say? I’m just too darn stinking’ cute.

So tell me, what’s been going on in your life this week?