Desert Island Books

I was thinking recently about the old "Desert Island Discs" concept but applied to books instead. What I discovered kind of surprised me. Here I was thinking that I was an infinitely practical person. But my choices revealed something altogether different. I discovered that I am really an idealist. My choices, slim volumes mostly, really affected my life for better or for worse. The practical person, who revealed herself in the person of one of my friends, would choose, say: The Holy Bible, the Encyclopedia Britanica, The Oxford English Dictionary.

Those are great practical choices but they didn't come immediately to mind. If I truly found myself stranded on a desert island with the few hundred pages below, I'd probably be suicidal.

In no particular order:

A Room of One's Own. I still feel very strongly about this book and cling to my writing freedom, and my right to it, like it's my own personal manifesto. I know that I have been slightly selfish about my personal time and activities and sometimes this takes a toll on my personal relationships. I can only apologize; I can't change. Well, I don't think I want to.


The Awakening. This book, in its exploration of marriage, identity and motherhood put its indelible stamp on me in high school and (many, many) years later, I still wrestle with these same issues and don't know that much has changed for women. I still feel bound by expectations, both societal and biological, that I'll become a mother. What am I waiting for? Read this book and you'll see... well, maybe don't read it so you can go blissfully ignorant into various life stages.


Breakfast at Tiffany's. I recently saw the movie again. Not as lovely as the book but it was a treat to find it on in the afternoon. Holly Golightly is the quintessential floater. There is something that tugs at my soul about her approach to life, not having really felt a sense of belonging to anyone or any place.

Anna Karenina. I'll simply say that I went through a dark, Russian period. I mean: Crime and Punishment, Notes from Underground, etc. I think I spent pretty much an entire week in college reading this book. I skipped classes, barely showered, camped out in my BF's room and read while he wrote German essays in a little, perfect bound, college rule, old school, black and white classic notebook. While I don't recommend bailing on life for a week, it was Boston in the dead of winter...

Oh ~ and I would definitely sneak some romance novels into my life raft because I'm a lifelong romance reader. I'd take some Rosemary Rogers. Surrender to Love was the first romance I ever read. I found it in a box of books that were going out for donation. I was 12 years old and it totally rocked my world!

On the Chopping Block

I cut 8 pages today. That's a pretty scary number for someone who has struggled for every word, paragraph and page. But I just wanted my scene to go in a different direction and felt that I could really set the stage for some action later on in the story if I cut those pages.

I have a good outline for what I think needs to happen now with my characters.

It still didn't feel particularly good. I'm going back to it now. I'm determined to make up the pages that I cut so I have to hustle so I don't feel like I've made negative progress.

I'm ALIVE

Not that it was ever in question. But I kinda had a resolution that I wasn't going to blog anymore until I was at least done with my current WIP. But ~ that didn't go as planned. Yes, I"m still writing. Still struggling. It's just so damn hard.

And here's the rub... I've put myself on the line to finish this thing. Ego. I've told so many people that I'm oh so close that I now really have to finish. And I kinda like what I have so far.. and I kiinda don't as well. But I'm in the deep end and I've got to get to the other side.

Eating and writing

I've been a bad writer. Yes, I guess in that way too. But really remiss in keeping up with my goals. My sister in law said something that perked me up. It had nothing to do with my writing but rather it was about eating habits. She said that when I had a bad day of hogging down cupcakes and chips, washing it all day with full-cal soda, I seemed able to just turn the page on it and go back to my healthy ways the very next day.

I want to apply that to my writing self.

I need to get back to my healthy writing. Deep breaths. Letting go of the guilt now...

Little Victories

I guess I should start by saying that I write for a living - sorta. My occupation is in marketing & communications. I used to really like what I did from nine to five. It was creative enough and paid the bills. But it's not ambitious enough for me anymore. Only about a quarter of my brain is ever really engaged at one time. And, frankly, if more of me were engaged in what was happening around me, I'd probably want to slit my throat with a dull instrument and, while I was bleeding out, I'd start on my wrists.

I always wanted to work for Corporate America... and now I do.

But today I experienced a minor victory, one that I am trying to keep to myself lest some Corporate Jockey ride by and take a squat on it. I submitted copy that was accepted with very minor revision. Usually, I experience someone or groups of someone rewriting my copy or asking me to rewrite the copy because a) they didn't provide all the project details up front, b) they want to change the direction of the copy because they've changed their minds or remembered something that wasn't communicated to me c) they hate their job and secretly want to be a writer (this is one of my faves) or d) they're just schizo!

So ~ minor vicotry on Project #1. Rewriting Pojects 2,3 and 4.

I also managed to write on my WIP while I as on business travel. I didn't log a ton of words but I was happy with the writing and pleased that I used my scant free time wisely. Oh, and I wisely used some not-so-free time as well. One of my sessions was super dull so I wrote 1,200 words long-hand and transcribed them later in my shared hotel room.

Traveling Sales(wo)man

I have to go out of town on a business trip for my DJ today. I hate leaving my family and my home. And I hate that it's taking me away from my familiar writing setup. I am, however, taking my personal laptop (in addition to the PC clunker that is standard-sissued by the Company).

This trip is different in that I have to share a room with a co-worker. Gross. I mean me, in all likelihood. But, as a writer, I need a certain amount of "me" time that sharing a room just doesn't allow. So I'm dreading this trip.

But I will get some writing done even if only to spare myself from the forced conversation of sharing a room.

Funny Thing I Did... After I Made My Word Count for the Day!

First, I made my word count goal fr the day! Yay. Another success with getting up and hitting the writing straight away. I feel good about myself when I do this and, funny enough, it makes me feel like I can tackle anything else that might come up because I've already accomplished this major goal.

So, yeah, writing improves my Day Job considerably. Or at least my attitude about the DJ.

Well, this is the funny thing that I found when blog-reading this morning over at Alice Audrey's blog. This is so spot-on for my personality. I thought I'd share.



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