Writing on Thursday

Whatcha Readin'

I got tired of serious fiction.

I'd been reading too much of the literary fiction, and yes, women's fiction, and I needed a break. So I read a cute little (very thick) political romantic comedy from Kristin Gore. (Al Gore's daughter is seriously smart and seriously witty.) I liked it quite a bit, even if I couldn't get too enthralled in the White House details.

Now I'm reading the Stephanie Plum series from Janet Evanovich. It's about time, really. And I'm loving the books.

Evanovich is so cool. She's smart and hilarious, her stories are fast-paced, and she really knows how to draw you in. Her characters rock. They're relatable and LOL entertaining, even if the predicaments we find them in are pretty unlikely heaped on top of more unlikely. Tension is great, the suspense, all of it.

Have you read any of the Plum series? Who are your favorite characters?

If you're a writer, have you read Evanovich's book on the craft, HOW I WRITE? I read it last year, and it's a good companion to all the standards, ON WRITING and BIRD BY BIRD, etc., (just with a different flavor). Check it out if you haven't.

Tell me, what are you reading these days?

Something To Think On

I still have more prompts, if you guys are willing to read 'em, but I'm going to space them out. I'll do the rest here and there, so as not to burn you (or me) out. Deal? Another will appear in a day or so...

For today, I'm keeping it simple.

I read Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird a few months ago. Most of it, anyway. I actually read the last couple chapters the other night - non-fiction is like that for me; I read it in spurts. Though silly me didn't pull out a highlighter until the last chapter, she said a lot that resounded with me. One of the best things was this, and I'll let it speak for itself...

Don't underestimate this gift of finding a place in the writing world: if you really work at describing creatively on paper the truth as you understand it, as you have experienced it, with the people or material who are in you, who are asking that you help them get written, you will come to a secret feeling of honor...