Writing Down the Bones - reading

Finished "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg. A book about writing where each "chapter" is, coincidentally, about two pages long. "Coincidentally" because I recently finished "The Girl with All the Gifts," which also had a handful of chapters that were 1-2 pages each. 

The author seems to prefer writing poetry, but she had some useful advice for people writing novels as well. She related experiences from her life, from her Zen meditation, and memorable stories from the writers she came into contact with while she wrote this. I thought it enjoyable and educational. Also, it's a relatively quick read you can take anywhere with you. Finish a chapter while you're standing in line! In that way it was reminiscent of the Army's "smart book."

The Girl with All the Gifts - reading

Finished "The Girl with All the Gifts" by M.R. Carey. This book is subtitled, "Not every gift is a blessing." The first thing I will say about this: Mr. Carey writes like I do. Well, more likely I write like he does, but whatever. The style of the writing was really familiar - a well polished version of something really familiar, if I'm honest.

This book reminded me thematically of The Taking, by Dean Koontz, which was the book I read that inspired me to write my first NaNoWriMo novel back in 2008, "Imbued." I liked it. The Taking was a spookier book to me as I recall, thinking back 12 years ago, but this was a good story with some military thrown in, like Imbued. The circle is complete. 😁

Feeling Better: CBT Workbook for Teens - reading

Finished "Feeling Better: CBT Workbook for Teens - essential skills and activities to help you manage moods, boost self-esteem, and conquer anxiety" by Rachel L. Hutt, PhD. That's quite the title! My wife and I worked through this book together (we each had our own copy). Though it's targeted at teens, with just a little tweaking, it's appropriate really for any age. Some of the exercises were really good. Some were so-so, but easy to skip over things that weren't applicable. One thing my wife and I did was at the end of a section, wrote down what resonated for us the most. 

I think the section I found most valuable was around common thinking errors, and ways of dealing with them. I notice myself doing these now more than ever, and finding ways to make it better.

Making A Literary Life - reading

Finished "Making a Literary Life - Advice for Writers and Other Dreamers" by Carolyn See. This book came recommended by way of one of the writing lists I'm on, and fittingly so since it deals with writing and creativity. The author shares stories from her life and how she created a literary life for herself. She encourages writing 1,000 words a day, writing charming notes, and several other tips. The author is funny, though sometimes that humor seems a bit stretched. It might have been me as I read it. But overall, she does a great job of getting her point across. Ultimately I'm not about to book a trip to New York City to see what writing gigs I can score, but there was still a lot in this book that I can apply to my own writing life.