Yea I know. I talked about almost the exact opposite a few posts ago. That reading as a habit is pretty much dead nowadays. But c'mon, you didn't really think I'd resigned myself to that notion, did you? No self-promoting, self-respecting writer would ever want that, or say that. Other than in a moment of … Continue reading I Need To Rebuild My Reading Habit Once More!
One of the things I marvel about my eldest sister (she's 72 years old) is her ability to rattle off hard numbers from memory effortlessly. These include prices of things she purchased, from travel packages to health supplements. She can accurately recall phone numbers, as well as the year various events took place. Or how … Continue reading Are We Truly Seeing The End Of Reading And Attention?
I've -- yet -- another confession to make here in writing. (Been making a few of late) I've not been reading much for a while now. Sure, I still read headlines and selective long-form news articles. But that's pretty much it. I tried reading some novels but my mind's just so unfocused. Words on the … Continue reading I Think I Found My Writing “Cheerleader”!
Three nights ago, I did something for the second time in two years. I performed a reading aloud online with not one, not two, but four poems I wrote to an audience of fellow writers. 'Performing' is nothing new for me. I've been a lecturer and tutor for over 20 years. But that night's spoken … Continue reading My past prepared me for my online spoken reading
A couple of weeks ago I started this mini-series to share what I call "attention collectibles" for reading and writing. These are any and everything we tuck away in a safe place to reference when writing. Like a "creative well" that never runs out. A lifeline for dry spells or the dreaded writer's block. And … Continue reading Writers need “attention collectibles” to write well #2/4 – Reading Resources
In a previous post, I talked about the joys of learning through listening to audio books and podcasts. And how it's a match made in heaven when you combine them with conventional reading. Of course, the joy is ultimately in the learning, no matter the medium of input. For it's in the learning that one's … Continue reading Podcasts that inspire me to write #1/4
When I think about a recent line I read, I can't help but pump a fist in the air and say a definitive YES! In the novel “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” (which was made into a film I recently reviewed), co-authors Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows had one of their … Continue reading How “flit-reading” among books inspired me to write
Hey can I tell you how I've been reading my books these past few years? Here's how: I read them in three ways. They are print, audio and (to a far lesser extent) electronic. In that order. Okay, that's it. You can stop reading now. I'm done. Except, I'm not. Actually. No, I'm not trying … Continue reading (Print + audio) books = best reading experience ever!
So last week I started this mini-series to talk about how to retire well. You do that you know, when you're like me; a man past 50, increasingly living on borrowed time! In that post, I talked about the first of three important truths I've come to embrace: If we don't want to suffer retirement … Continue reading How to retire well #2 of 4: Know who you are and what you love
Gosh, it feels like ages since I last read a novel! The last time was a couple of young adult fiction books I read in January by David Levithan, called "Every Day" and "Someday". Imaginative, brilliant, and hard-to-put-down. Definitely worth the time if you've not read them yet. Proof that even now at 51, I'm … Continue reading Fiction Book Review #1 – Me Before You
