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Reading, reading, reading…

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Now that the summer holiday is but a memory, I started thinking what was the best thing about it. Of course, like everyone else, I had plans to do all sorts of thing: write, paint, clean the cupboards and exercise. Well… I did write and draw, but somehow the cleaning of the cupboards didn’t happen quite as planned (I did arrange four shelves in my wardrobe, though, so there!). I blame the sun – after several weeks of rain and cold it suddenly made an appearance. I could not waste all that light and warmth into cleaning, now could I?

So what did I enjoy most? Reading. Long hours of uninterrupted reading… I marched into a bookstore and bought the thickest historical fiction novels I could find. (I like long stories as I read so fast. I often say a short story is lunch, but a loooong story is dinner).

Next time I have a holiday I forget about the plans and just go to the bookstore immediately. The dust bunnies can also have a holiday (not that I would be good at hunting them with the vacuum cleaner anyway) while I enjoy reading, reading, reading…

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Immersed in writing

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If you also write, you have probably experienced the following:

You look at the time and think that ok, there’s some time you can use for writing before you have to do X (add your own activity which you have planned on doing – cleaning a cupboard, studying, watching something interesting on TV, going for a walk…).

You sit down, open your computer, find your text and begin. Fifteen minutes, that’s all you have. Thirty max, you decide and start typing.

Then the phone rings and you are scared out of your wits. You look at the time and don’t believe it – three hours have passed.
I love those moments – being so immersed into doing something you love that you forget the time. That’s life at its best. 

 (a picture of my writing mascot who followed me home from the British Museum)

Seven Things About My Writing

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Miriam Bibby tagged me on Facebook to discuss 7 things about my writing. I figured I might post my reply here on my blog as well, with some editing done.

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1.  Not many know but I have written stories since I was… Well, when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. Fairy stories as a child, and fantasy when I was older. None of those stories have been officially published. Though I did win some school writing contests. I don’t remember the subject of this one competition any more, but the best price was a trip to Hunnebostrand near Göteborg in Sweden. I still remember those roses climbing in the gardens, and the wonderful sea and islands. Not even Liseberg’s amusement part could compare to the sea… (I’ve always loved nature, and the sea especially)

 

2.  For the past five years I’ve mainly written Egyptology essays – first when I studied for the Certificate in Egyptology and then for the Diploma in Egyptology (University of Manchester). I really enjoyed that – loved all the research involved, and my only problem was that I could never fit in my essays all the information I had gathered. Still – pruning your original draft into half of its size sure teaches you not to fall in love with your own words. A very useful skill to any writer.

 

3.  I learned the hard way to first just write a story through, and not stop to polish my style until the first draft of a story is written. I used to fall to the same trap over and over again, and found myself making the old mistake of beginning to correct my style before the whole story was done. And that way the story never finishes.  The editing only comes afterward. (And trust me – that is much harder than the actual writing) 

 

4.  Oh, sorry. Sure I have published something, kinda sorta. I put up a website http://www.inspirational-short-stories.com a few years back, before starting my studies at the University of Manchester. There I put some of my stories. I am now in the process of pruning those – the site was sorely neglected because of my Egyptology studies. And after five years I look at what I write with completely new eyes… Some of the pages will definitely end up in garbage…  But oddly enough I seem to have quite a following in India… Strange… But I like the people and colorful culture of India, so that is quite nice actually.

 

5. And yes, you could read Mr. Mummific’s opinions about our modern life from an ancient Egyptian perspective as short stories, I suppose. You find him at http://www.ancientegypt101.com  – do have a peek but don’t take him too seriously… He has his dry tongue firmly in cheek. (If you only want Egyptology facts, then skip Mummific and go only to the facts-pages) At the moment we are slowly going through the pharaohs and queens of Egypt in chronological order, and I throw in other pages about other aspects of ancient Egypt as well, when I have the time. (If someone has time to sell, do tell…)

 

6.  I love historical novels and fantasy, and love to write that too. So that would be my genre for sure, if I publish my writings in real novel format. Needs diligent research, though, and there is always the fear you get some detail wrong, but I try to get my facts right. 

 

7. Shall I publish fiction, then? Have I written something “serious”? I leave you in suspense… But to give you a hint: Miriam A. Bibby​ is an excellent editor! (Something a non-native speaker of English definitely needs.) Just don’t your steal her from me, you aspiring writers – she is my “Precious”. (Yes, Lord of the Rings was my definite number 1 read when I was young). If you want to be impressed by her wonderful writing, check http://amzn.to/18xdUBC

Book gift

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Last I wrote about people who never read a book and how I would give a book as a gift to someone who never read books.

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Well, someone beat me to it. I have a coworker who said she hadn’t read a book in years. She only reads gossip magazines, really. But surprisingly she said (while we were having lunch) that she once read a book and forgot everything around her when the plot “drew her in” to the story.  “That was really fun!” she told enthusiastically.

She had her birthday this week. I did not remember it, but the lady sitting next to us at that lunch did. She had bought our coworker a birthday present – a novel! We high-fived when our coworker was so happy about her book.

I should have guessed she would not forget our coworker’s words – we have been discussing the books we’ve read before, and of our love of a good novel. Even though I like more historical and fantasy novels, and she wants to read about the everyday relationships of ordinary people, we both enjoy hearing what the other one has read.

Discussing literature is so interesting, isn’t it? And actually it was the two of us discussing a book we had both read that made our coworker confess she never read books. One thing led to another. Maybe she will soon join our literary discussions. You never know…

 

People who don’t read books

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I was discussing (by email) with an author friend in another country about writing and reading. My friend commented that she read all the time, when there is a little extra time. Books everywhere, so it is easy to grab one. Reading, writing and researching all the time. Quite honestly I wondered had I written that email to myself, we were so similar.

I envied her for not having a television. Not that I watch lots of it, but it sure is easy to forget oneself in front of It! I even drew a picture of Mr Mummific (with whom I write the www.ancientegypt101.com) watching TV. I am sure the ancients would have been mesmerised by the moving image.

Suddenly I realised I knew some people who had said that they never read a book. Never read a book! The idea was… well, quite horrifying, really. I think that only with written word your mind works to fill in the story with your own images, developing your imagination. Not that movies aren’t nice, but there is that special something about written stories. You can read the same book many times and see new things in it every time, because when you change, your attitude towards life changes. And so written word is like a mirror in front of you. By concentrating on the thoughts the words bring up you can learn a lot about yourself.

You can read a book as fast or slow as you want – only you decide how quickly you take in what you read, unlike a movie or tv-program. You can underline, you can write side notes… I know, many people think writing on books is horrible, but I find those notes in old books to be very interesting. Makes me wonder who wrote them, and why.

I think the next time I am buying a present to someone who has told me they don’t read books – I’ll buy them one. Perhaps one day they have a peek inside and start reading.

 

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New Year’s Resolutions

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And so it is time again to say goodbye to the old year, and greet the new.

I wonder how many people make New Year’s resolutions, and how many actually manage to keep them. You know how it goes: this year I will make it. Lose weight, learn a new skill, be more productive…

So many have become disillusioned with such promises that they make only one promise: no New Year’s resolutions this year! (Well, it is a resolution also, and probably one of the easiest ones to keep.)

But how about making one resolution that might actually make your life more fun? No jogging on treadmill with gritted teeth, no joyless diets, no spending your every waking moment trying to achieve more material gains.

Instead: how about finding joy?

What if this year you live a little just for yourself? Do things that you love, no matter what others think of them?

We have forgotten the important language of emotions. Teach yourself to listen to your feelings. And in any given situation, whenever possible, think of the options and which one would give you the greatest feeling of joy. And then choose it. Little things – not every choice gives great joy, but you might feel more content, more peaceful, less stressed out. That’s the way to go. Search for the emotion that gives you greatest relief in any given situation.

Don’t talk of this process to anyone who might doubt it. Do it quietly, in your own mind. You might be surprised it is not easy at first – we have been taught to live so much according to other’s expectations that we have forgotten what quiet joy feels like. And no need to analyse your every moment – that would become stressful. It is enough to remember to consider this every now and again, when you remember to do so.

Try this for a month and see what happens – your life may begin to feel a little easier, more flowing.

There’s just one catch – this may turn into a good habit…

I wish you a Joyful New Year!

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(if you wish to have a closer look at the picture, click here)

Books are a delightful society

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A quote that resonated:

Books are a delightful society. If you go into a room and find it full of books – even without taking them from the shelves they seem to speak to you, to bid you welcome.

–          The Right Hon. Willian E. Gladstone, Prime Minister, YK, 1809-1898

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When Characters Become Alive

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Mr Mummific watching the Picture Box

Mr Mummific’s favorite pastime is the Picture Box.

Long before I actually got my Diploma in Egyptology, I doodled on my sketch pad and a little mummy figure appeared. A  cheeky little character for sure. And so Mr Mummific was born.

I had been playing with the idea of making an Egyptology website, but not overly academic. I wanted it to be meant for the normal people (well, not saying academic people are not normal, LOL :D). Easy articles about ancient Egyptian things.

I decided to write a few pages to see if I could manage it. But how to give the site a voice that was uniquely mine?

Well, to make the long story short – Mr Mummific took over. Very quickly I found myself writing down discussions with him, trying to figure out when he was pulling my leg, and when he was telling actual facts. He seems to have his tongue firmly in cheek. Which is why I ended up writing those fact pages too.

We are going through the Early Dynastic Pharaohs at the moment. While I am doing other things Mr Mummific explores our modern world. And has opinions about that as well…  http://www.ancientegypt101.com/

But in case you are interested in reading about the adventures of Mr Mummific (in ancient Egypt, in today’s world and in the Afterlife, which seems to be a much livelier place than I ever expected), check out http://www.ancientegypt101.com/

 

 

The pleasure of leisurely reading…

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After five years of constant studies of Egyptology, it is almost over… Five years of evenings spent with Egyptology books, hieroglyphs,essays and reading academic articles. Can’t believe it went to so fast…

And now, finally, I have to time to read novels. I love novels. The more pages, the better… I have downloaded Diana Gabaldon’s latest to my iPad, and am thoroughly enjoying a well woven plot, the rich language, and the feeling of drifting away from the stress of everyday life.

Ahh… Can there BE a more enjoyable thing than leisurely reading? Well, maybe writing, but when you write a story, your brains are constantly working on the text, whereas when reading you can just go with the flow…

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