Quote

"Writing, like life itself, is a journey of discovery."

Book Lists

For the past two years, I have been keeping a list of all the books that I read. At first it was just to keep an organized record of what books I read and when I read them. I also wanted to see how much I read in the space of a year. Already for 2012 I am ahead of last year.

In 2011, I read approximately 21 books which averages out to a book every 2 1/2 weeks. Not so impressive. So far this year, I am at 25 books or a book every 2 weeks. Slightly better but I am hoping to get in at least 10 more books before the year's end. I would attempt to go to 50, which would average a book a week but right now I don't think that is possible considering my schedule. When I first started this, I didn't have a specific goal in mind and setting one now seems unfair. However, seeing the numbers it seems...disappointing.

So for 2013 I think I will have a target goal of 100 books for the year which averages a book every 3 1/2 days. That seem like a goal that can be accomplished. Three days gives me some wiggle room to get the book done even when I am busy. Also, most books I can read in a day. Then that leaves more wiggle room for the books that are more difficult and take more time to read or it allows me to read even more books which allows me to go beyond my target goal.

As school officials like to say, "I want to set a goal that is not too low but also not impossible."


Looking back at my lists, its pretty interesting to see how diverse my reading habits are, for the list goes in the same order that I read the book.  There may be books by the same author so you can probably guess who is my favorite author(s) but for the most part, the books are either what was recommended by a friend or just books that I happened to pick up while browsing the shelves at the bookstore. I wrote in the book as I finished them.

For your viewing pleasure, here is the list from 2011:

1. A Walk to Remember- Nicholas Sparks
2. The Notebook- Nicholas Sparks
3. The Wedding-Nicholas Sparks
4. True Believer- Nicholas Sparks
5. At First Sight- Nicholas Sparks
6. Nights of Rodanthe- Nicholas Sparks
7. The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott- Louisa May Alcott
8. The Poisonwood Bible- Barbara Kingsolver
9. The Bean Trees- Barbara Kingsolver
10. A long Way Gone- Ishmael Beah
11. Merle's Door- Ted Kerasote
12. The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath
13. Heaven is for Real- Todd Burpo
14. The Pillars of the Earth- Ken Follet
15. The Counte of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas
16. Corelli's Mandolin- Louis De Bernieres
17. The Best of Me- Nicholas Sparks
18. The Thorn Birds- Colleen McCullough
19. World Without End- Ken Follett
20. Animal Dreams- Barbara Kingsolver
21. The Help-Kathryn Stockett

How many have you read?

The list from 2012 will appear in a post at year's end.

Proofreading

I was reading through my past blog posts and was horrified at the amount of mistakes that I have. It just goes to show how much proofreading/editing I do before I post. It is one of my downfalls. Perhaps it's just idle laziness but I never go back to read what I write before I post. Even at work, I hardly ever read my articles before I hand them into my editor. I mean that is her job, to read and correct my mistakes. At least that was what I told myself before. 

However, recently it has started to rub me the wrong way. As I read the articles over my editor's shoulders and find the mistakes before she does, I cringe and realize that I have to read my writing more. Some of the mistakes I make are just plain stupid. True, if my writing was perfect she wouldn't have a job but it's one thing for her to change a lede (yes, this is spelled the right way) but it's quite another for her to be correcting mistakes that I should have caught to begin with.

Those scarce days when my editor does read a story with no errors I am very proud to own that piece. It is also a sense of accomplishment to know that my writing is somewhat decent and I would be remiss not to admit that I like that feeling. That is why, starting now, I plan to challenge myself to proofread my work before I submit it...Starting now.

Find a mistake...I dare you! :)

Creative Space= productivity

For years I have read about authors who would pick a select spot to do their writing, a space that they would light their creative energy and produce literary works of genius. Some would go to a diner every day, in the same booth, order a coffee and get to work. Others would rent a hotel room for a week where they would lock themselves away from the outside world until that work was finished.

Countless books about writing say that you have to find that place where you can go to everyday, a place where you can go and know that it is time to write. Until now, I couldn't find that space. Even when I bought a desk for my bedroom, it didn't help.

Then I was watching the Sex and the City movie and Carrie Bradshaw was buying a desk but she didn't just buy the first desk that she saw or the cheapest. It had to be the desk. I realized that was probably my problem until now.

I just got my hands on a new antique desk with six small draw, four legs. Yesterday as I set it up in my room I looked at it and wondered what I was going to put on or in the desk. I was a writer and I was going to do probably some of my best writing at this desk so it need to inspire.

Well what other way to inspire than surrounding myself with some of those literary geniuses. I have several classics that are binded with the antique binding. PERFECT. It was so simple. I put the books on either side of my laptop and that was it. In the draws, I put all my creative work. One draw was the was for all my newspaper clippings, another was for all my novels that I had started but never completed, another was for the those writing books and writer digest magazines.

As I completed fixing everything, I knew I hit the nail on the hand with this desk. I could feel the creative juices flowing already. I WANTED to sit at this place. I wanted to get to work. It's probably why I am blogging right now when I haven't in awhile. 

I guess you are probably itching to see what this space now looks like. Without further ado...

Writing: Inspiration vs. perspiration

"Writing is half inspiration, half perspiration."

Came upon this quote in "Writer with a Day Job" and it got me thinking. Is writing really 50/50 or does it depend on who the writer is?

Most days it seems that writing is more perspiration. I do it day in and day out to earn a few pennies. I don't really get to creative write anymore (hence the book which is about how to squeeze that time in your busy schedule). But even so, is that necessarily true? Is it really all perspiration?

 To be a journalist, you have to love what you do and although most of the writing is structured I guess there has to be some inspiration within. And the inspiration doesn't have to be in the writing itself. Inspiration has to go into the topics that you decide to cover. Inspiration goes into the idea. You have to choose something that will inspire others, reach people on some personal level.

So I guess Aine Greaney was right: Writing is half inspiration, half perspiration.

Hyphens

Back in grammar class, I remember learning about the hyphen and just as in math class (the one class I absolutely hated) I thought when am I going to ever use this again? I never really used the hyphen except to continue a compound word onto the next line. So I figured that it was unimportant just like algebra is.

It wasn't until recently I realized just how important the hyphen is. In the news industry, the hypen seems to be your best friend. In every story that I write, I find that I used the hypen in one way or the other. Hyphens are actually important. When writing for the newspaper, it is important to be as clear as possible while doing so in the shortest length possible. That is where prenoun modifiers come in, which requires a hyphen. For example the English-speaking world or a four-door minivan. The English is describing the speaking rather than the work and that four modifies door, not minivan.

Confidence Confidence Confidence!

 My editor sat at the computer, editing my article as I looked over her shoulder. (The good thing about my editor is that she involves you in the editing process, so you have a say if something is getting changed and you can understand what mistakes your making.) She turned to me every so often and asked me what something meant or what was being said but she wasn't necessarily editing.

"This is good," she said when she got done. "Your story is solid. Solid. There are no holes in it."

I breathed a sigh of relief and gave a half smile. I knew that I had been over thinking things yet again. 

She laughed. "Don't worry so much. Your writing has come so far in a year. Look I'm making minimal corrections. Have some confidence."

Confidence.

"I guess I am just scared to disappoint," I said..

"Don't worry about me. It's not about me. It's about you," she said. "Don't worry, as you get more comfortable your confidence will grow."

I hope so.

I realized that the confidence thing does hinder my writing. I spent two hours just writing a lead, only to give up and let my editor do it.

 I thought I was getting over this last month when I was writing multiple stories in a day with few or minimal corrections. It was so easy. Somewhere though I have taken a step back.

I think it happened when I started to get recognition for my work. In the past two weeks, I have had countless emails commenting on my coverage or personally requesting me to write about a specific event.
It was than that I realized just how many people are reading my work. It's not like I'm writing a story for myself. I'm writing for an audience. This gets printed in a newspaper and is dispersed to 10 different towns where hundreds of people are waiting.

Could it be fear? Perhaps. Afraid to disappoint. Afraid to get that comment saying that I reported something wrong, which is something I notices that my competition does constantly.

I worry too much. That is my problem. I just have to take that mantra I used back in college. If they like it, they like it; they don't they don't. Shrug it off and move on.