In the past you traveled to experience new things, to have a bit of an adventure. These days you know all about your destination beforehand – the element of surprise is almost gone. Where can you travel to exprience adventure anymore?
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Ok, ok… I know I should get Nephilim Quest into print already. I am going to do so soon…
Although more and more people own e-books, it seems safe to say that real books aren’t going anywhere yet. Eighty-eight percent of the Americans alone who read e-books continue to read printed ones as well. And while we’re all for the convenience of digital downloads and a lighter load, we can’t bring ourselves to part with the joy of a good, old-fashioned read. There’s […]
via 8 Science-Backed Reasons to Read a ‘Paper’ Book instead of an eBook. — A NOT SO JADED LIFE
Originally posted on Cafe Book Bean: Cafe Book Bean View original post
Hmm… I was complaining the other day (oh well, most of the days) that I don’t have time enough to read stories. At the same time I was formatting my story ready for publication. Going through those 180.000 words I thought about my writing process.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnd really – I had made plans on how the story would develop. I’m very good at making plans. Just ask my hubby dearest who is shaking his head at all my calendars – both paper- and digital ones. Well you gotta have a calendar where you plan your writing schedule – your work calendar. And then a smaller calendar for the handbag you can dig out to check your everyday events (the handbag in question is actually big enough to accommodate the bigger work calendar as well, but that’s beside the point…)
I learned to plan every day beforehand when I had to write all those essays during my Egyptology studies. When I planned everything in my calendar the first day of the new semester, I always knew what I needed to do each week and day. Lessened stress considerably.
So plans, careful plans, were made to write Nephilim Quest 1: Shadowhunter. Only the story had other plans. It took over. New characters appeared and much to my surprise seemed to have a will of their own. When I really got into the flow of writing, my fingers typed and I just stared at the computer screen, wondering what was being written. It was like I was reading a book while it was being written. And oddly enough when I read the story through, I noticed my subconscious had tied the story nicely together. (Ok, well, nicely… The editing part took over a year)
So who am I to complain I don’t have time enough for novels? I was reading a story while my fingers typed in on the screen. Quite a wonderful experience, really, to see how a story pours out and onto the “paper”.
And now I need to take that work calendar and start planning the next story in the series… I do try to keep up with my plans, but most likely I’ll end up reading a story that writes itself through me. Still – for a short while I can pretend I have it all planned beforehand, before I start the actual writing again…
The first chapters of Nephiilm Quest Book One: Shadowhunter can be read here.
If you have already read the previous chapters, you can continue with Chapter 2. Kitty Is Gone
Couldn’t resist posting this… We were at our summer cottage (definitely not a luxurious villa, but a place to rest your mind nevertheless, in the middle of the never-ending process of fixing this and that and the other thing…), and as usual, it was time to heat the sauna. I gathered twigs and used these together with some newspaper to get the fire going, then added some firewood. It is so relaxing to watch the flames… And of course – read. At this point the door to the sauna is open, so it is not hot inside yet (only when the water gets warm enough on the stove, it is time to close the door, and after that the sauna is soon ready for bathing.).
So, there I sat in front of the fire, and hubby took a photo of me and my iPad. I was searching for the ebook I am currently reading. The adventures of Master Shardlake (Sovereign, by C.J. Sansom) to be exact. Normally I have a paperback in my hands at summer cottage – safer to walk in the pier, sea shore and forest with a physical book, but this time I had downloaded the book to my iPad.
I practiced using a photo editing app I had downloaded, using this photo, and after a while I realized it looked so… well, funny… that I decided to post it here. To prove that a real bookworm can and will read in the sauna as well 😀 There’s no stopping the serious reader! Come rain or shine, frost or sauna, we just keep on 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…
Embed from Getty ImagesI 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.
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…
Embed from Getty ImagesDo you read more than one book at a time?
Embed from Getty ImagesI do. I’m notorious in that respect… I have one book on a chair under the dinner table. One to three on our living room table. Several by my bed. Two in our bathroom. A pile on my desk. And several as e-books on my iPad I take turns to read. (And that is only counting the novels, not the non-fiction books, mostly Egyptology, lying around)
I have no problems hopping from one plot to another. I actually like doing so, because it helps me see the differences in style by each author. Which is enjoyable in itself. It’s like comparing the brushwork of painters.
I have no trouble in saying no to new clothes, or shoes, or decorations. But just you let me loose in a bookstore…
Last year we went on a skiing trip with our friends (oh well, not a skiing trip for me, as I didn’t ski, but the snow was fun, nevertheless). Their older daughter Livia was two at the time, and the younger one, our goddaughter, only four months old.
In the evenings we spent time together, ate dinner, and discussed. I usually sat on the couch, and as the evening progressed, I turned into a living bookshelf. Literally. Little Livia traveled with all her favorite toys – and that included at least ten books. She carried them to my lap, sat next to me every once in a while (with all that energy, much running around was involved), and wanted me to read books with her. The Moomin characters were her favorites.
Did I like it? You bet! How could I not – a two-year-old who wanted to read books! You can guess what I’ll be buying her as presents, when she actually learns to read…
Leena Maria 