What's On Your List?

I am a constant list-maker. I have a To Do list, Grocery List, and a Reminder list going at all times. The notion struck me this week that I also have a few other important ongoing lists. I am constantly adding to my To Read list as well as my Currently Reading list. Each of these lists then feeds directly into my Read list and Favorite Books list. I love keeping up with the books I have read or am currently reading or that I plan to read. I use Goodreads and this site helps to keep my lists organized and allows me to connect and discuss with other readers and even authors. I want to share a few of the books on my personal Favorite Books list and also share the books that I have on my Currently Reading list.

Ten of my favorite books (series books count as one work on my list):


Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man
A Lesson Before Dying
Joe

Plainsong
On Writing
The Midnight Club

The Giving Tree

Love You Forever

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Hunger Games Series

Harry Potter Series

Here is what I am currently reading (for school and for fun):

The Help
The Return of the King
Women and Writing
Psalms of Me
Criticism Major Statements
The Bridge of Deaths



I have had a lot of fun sharing these lists. What is on your Favorite Books list? Currently Reading list?

Happy reading leading to happier writing!

Cover Art for each book obtained via Goodreads.

Read Like a Writer

I have heard the advice in the past “read to write.” I had absolutely no idea what this meant until I found myself reading like a writer, and I didn’t even know it. I try to read many articles on what makes a writer’s work good and what a writer can do to improve this or that. Recently, I have begun to notice a great pattern. Almost every writer’s advice article that I have read in the past month has mentioned this in some way. Read like a writer. Read in order to be a better writer. Read in order to learn. Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Diaz was interviewed in this month’s Writer’s Digest. One of the bits of advice asked of each author featured in the article Eye on the Prize was “No. 1 Craft Tip.” Diaz stated very simply: Read. A fellow blogger posted an author interview with Sarah Allen at The Writer's Block where she asked the question “If you could give any advice to other writers, what would it be?” The first answer again: Read.

This got me thinking. If I could write like any author who would it be? I am not saying everyone should imitate another author. That would be missing the point entirely. So much can be gained by reading a great and successful work. Read someone’s work that pulled you in so fully you couldn’t wait to read what would happen next. Suzanne Collins, for instance, with her Hunger Games Trilogy had me turning pages as fast as I could until I could finally reach the end of the story. I feel that Ms. Collins has a masterful way of creating characters that we, as readers, become emotionally attached to. I want to write characters this way!

All of these things have made me realize that every book I am reading is more than just good entertainment. Every book can be a learning tool. When I am stumped over certain issues, I have begun asking myself “How does (insert author’s name here) do this?” How does Suzanne Collins introduce each character? How does J.K. Rowling make me care for Harry Potter? How does Stephen King create his plot? What can I learn from best-selling authors about telling stories? What can I learn from them about…well, everything?

I am going to keep asking myself these questions. I am also going to keep reading and rereading and learning. Reading like a writer is no chore. You just pick up a book and go for it. All of these authors simply can’t be wrong about this.

Keep reading like a writer, and keep writing your heart out!


Photo by: Emily D. Wood
Copyright (c) Emily D. Wood

Poem: The Library

The following is a poem I wrote for a creative writing class. We were told to describe a place using a poem. This was one of my earliest works that I ever attempted for a creative writing class. I chose to describe one of my favorite places: the library.

The Library

By Emily D. Wood

The red brick building stands as a king presiding over his court;

The glass double doors open to reveal a pure white tile foyer.

Footfalls echo with each step toward the true destination.

The shelves stretch from wall to wall and ceiling to ceiling.

Books resting upon their shelf-home create a menagerie of color.

Wooden sable-colored tables stand in rows between the widest aisles

accompanied by chairs covered with azure cushions

cross-grained with orange and red threading.

The scent of aged book pages lingers in the air

as the tightly-woven gray carpet mutes all footsteps.

The noiseless attitude radiates from wall to wall,

the only sound the crisp turning of pages.

Faint whispers are heard from time to time,

but the voices are practically inaudible.

The stories within books beckon in passing

as they beg for their secrets to be revealed.

Hardbacks and paperbacks nest between bookends

waiting for their adventures to be discovered.

Copyright © Emily D. Wood

Cover Reveal: Taste by Kate Evangelista

 

Overview:
At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.

When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

Taste is to be published by Crescent Moon Press and its release is slated for Fall 2012.

For more information, you can visit Kate's website here.

Add this book to your Goodreads shelf here.

I love this cover and the story sounds intriguing. Congratulations, Kate, on this accomplishment! I can't wait to get a chance to read it!

The Perfect Gift for a Book Nerd

What is the best gift for a book nerd like me? Well, the picture above says it all. I cannot possibly think of what better present I would like to have than a couple of books and an iTunes card so I can download an awesome reading time playlist. I will often put my headphones in and play some music so that I can drift off into whatever world the book's characters live in. My boyfriend knows me well. I have already read Stephen King's On Writing, but this is the perfect gift because I will read this book over and over again (and he knew this from the many times I said, "I wish I had that book."). The way Stephen King writes about his craft is captivating. I am in the process of reading Cathching Fire by Suzanne Collins, which is the other book he gave me for this special occasion. I believe I could read these books over and over again as well. I wish more people thought of books for gifts. I know I have tons of books on my wishlist. What books are on your wishlist? What songs are on your reading time playlist?



Photo: Copyright (c) Emily D. Wood

Writing Decisions

I have finally made the decision to push myself forward and become a more dedicated writer. I find that nearing the end of my "career" as an undergraduate student has ignited some type of flame within me. I know that every person who feels that they were born to write has the similar dream of becoming a famous author. I would love to see my name etched across a book cover along with a title of a best-selling novel that I wrote. I know that if I ever want to even get near even publication consideration that I must never give up. Life can be incredibly distracting and difficult. I have a full-time 40-hour-a-week job, 5 undergraduate classes, and basically zero free time for myself right now. The time I can devote to just me, I have decided to give to my writing. I feel that if I can write just one page per day or just a few lines of poetry, I have succeeded in some small way. I know that if I push myself forward I can gain so much more than simply becoming a famous author can give me. Writing seems to teach me things about myself that I am not even aware of until they come out on the page. It is as though I am introducing each side of me to another side of me. I find that being able to paint colorful pictures on a page with words alone is more freeing than anything else I have ever done.

With that said, I leave this page with a couple of awesome quotes:

"The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say."   ~Anaïs Nin

"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you." ~Ray Bradbury

Write your heart out!


Copyright (c) Emily D. Wood

Photo by: Photl
Quotes compliments of Quotegarden

Positive Words

As a writer, sometimes finding words with positive connotations can be a bit difficult. I am not a negative person, but there are times when I feel as though all of the words I am getting down on paper practically bleed impending doom. I have been attempting to encorporate a few positive words in conjunction with my fire-and-brimstone ones in order to add a bit of balance to my poetry while still maintaining my personal style. I found a link to a site that provides an entire list of positive words.

I also find that just reading some of these positive words do create positive thoughts. Sometimes writing can be difficult and discouraging. I feel that we all need a bit of positive thinking in our lives from time to time. I find that it helps me pull myself back up and realize that the struggle is worth it.

Happy writing, everyone!



Perhaps this list can be of some use in the future.



Photo: Photl