To read writing books...

Yes, I do read writing books. Some of them I put aside because I don't particularly like the style, and some I rather enjoy. It amuses me though, because a lot of them talk about the importance of social networking. It scares me because me and social networking are not friends. We aren't even acquaintances. Ok, that's an exaggeration. The truth is, I might have a Tumblr, LiveJournal, Dreamwidth, Twitter, and Facebook account, but I don't actually use them. Not the way a lot of people do. I know that my Tumblr stuff goes to Twitter, and for some reason that makes people think they want to follow me, and I know my LJ and DW are crossposting (or are supposed to be crossposting). Facebook just sits off on it's lonesome now that I've got bored with playing games over there.

The latest book I've been reading, and one I really liked is 'How To Be A Writer In The E-Age And Keep Your Sanity', By Catherine Ryan Hide & Anne R Allen. I recommend this book for people who want to be writers because it's rather awesome. This joins one other book as a default recommendation at the moment, and the other book is "Sometimes The Magic Works, Lessons Of A Writing Life" By Terry Brooks, who numbers as one of my three role models in the publishing industry.

What I get out of these books mostly are ideas of how to do what I'm already doing better, and renewed confidence that I can do this, that I can be a great writer if I push myself hard enough. I just have to keep putting one word after the other until I can see the story for what it is.

I think the most important thing about reading books on writing is that at the end of it, you are the only one who can decide if a book works for you or not. You are the one who has to figure out what to take out of the book, and what to leave because it doesn't work for you.

For me, that means, learning to write an actual blog. Usually this will be about writing. This isn't my diary (really, you don't want to read that,) this is just a way for people to see me evolve and celebrate. Maybe I'll even get brave enough to post something on Twitter soon.