My daughter didn't give me a cell phone and must have thought i had too much free time on my hands. Instead, she gave me a subscription to Storyworth and sends me a question every week that i have to write a story about as it relates to my life. After 52 weeks of this, they compile it into a book for her. This is definitely a challenge in creative writing.
A book a week is truly a commendable and impressive goal. I hope there is time left over to pet the cat. I find that mine demands personal attention regardless of what I am trying to get done. I have to stop and take care of that responsibility before i can make progress on anything else. I suppose, however there are intangible benefits to my mental health. The other strategy to gain gobs of time and reduce stress is not to have a cell phone. Radical as this might sound, I find having an old, reliable, doesn't need charging, land line serves perfectly well. A lot of my acquaintances in my age bracket, have received cell phones from their children for 'emergency purposes'. The problem with that strategy is that they either leave them home, can't find them, don't answer them or forget to charge them up. The result is that I can almost never get hold of someone without playing days of 'phone tag'. Here's to the 'good old days'. I don't know how Magellan ever made it without GPS, satellite communication or a diesel engine for back-up to wind power.
Now THIS resonated--My goal is to read a book for each year I've been alive. (In your 60s, that becomes a bit of a challenge)--but everything you point out rings true. Stream less, Read More--is something I put into action a few years ago--and I really love your list of things that happen when you commit to reading-"your attention span will be too long"--"your expectations for stories will become impossibly high." We overlapped on a number of books--but you have expanded my list--thank you.
Thanks for the list. I easily read a book a week (generally very low brow) and have been looking for something different to read. Going to start with "remarkably bright creatures"
Good for you on your avid reading! I really enjoyed "Remarkably bright creatures." Another top vote goes to "The Rachel Incident." So funny and smart. You'd enjoy it.
Love this! Great snark! And excellent timing re: next Tuesday.
Favorite: always having something to talk about
"This can be hard because your brain will be filled with new ideas and you’ve got nowhere to share them. You’ll probably end up talking to yourself. See how far that gets you." .😁
I look forward to talking books with you!
Excellent memoirs on tough topics: Glass Castle and The Kiss
Thanks for the list. Just read about "More" (of course!) sounds interesting.
Thanks for the rec's, Heather. I thought "More" was well done. It's challenging to write well about an interior emotional life, in a way that people will relate to, on a topic most don't understand. She did brilliantly with this. Highly recommend, if only to study her craft!
You should definitely read "The Kiss". The author originally wrote it as a novel but her wise editor guessed it was her experience and they rewrote it as a memoir.
If you’re reading really beefy historical novels and /or memoirs (think Ken Follett and Umberto Eco) to match where you’re travelling, do you get extra credit or a two-for-one deal! Thanks for the list.
I am tapping the ancient archives in my brain. There are lots of stories.
My daughter didn't give me a cell phone and must have thought i had too much free time on my hands. Instead, she gave me a subscription to Storyworth and sends me a question every week that i have to write a story about as it relates to my life. After 52 weeks of this, they compile it into a book for her. This is definitely a challenge in creative writing.
Wow, what a fun project. I'll bet you're really good at writing answers to those questions. What a gift to your daughter.
A book a week is truly a commendable and impressive goal. I hope there is time left over to pet the cat. I find that mine demands personal attention regardless of what I am trying to get done. I have to stop and take care of that responsibility before i can make progress on anything else. I suppose, however there are intangible benefits to my mental health. The other strategy to gain gobs of time and reduce stress is not to have a cell phone. Radical as this might sound, I find having an old, reliable, doesn't need charging, land line serves perfectly well. A lot of my acquaintances in my age bracket, have received cell phones from their children for 'emergency purposes'. The problem with that strategy is that they either leave them home, can't find them, don't answer them or forget to charge them up. The result is that I can almost never get hold of someone without playing days of 'phone tag'. Here's to the 'good old days'. I don't know how Magellan ever made it without GPS, satellite communication or a diesel engine for back-up to wind power.
You're absolutely right about the time-suck of our cell phones. We can definitely survive without them.
Now THIS resonated--My goal is to read a book for each year I've been alive. (In your 60s, that becomes a bit of a challenge)--but everything you point out rings true. Stream less, Read More--is something I put into action a few years ago--and I really love your list of things that happen when you commit to reading-"your attention span will be too long"--"your expectations for stories will become impossibly high." We overlapped on a number of books--but you have expanded my list--thank you.
Reading more than a book a week is a serious commitment! It requires so much persistence and dedication. How terrible. : )
Thanks for the list. I easily read a book a week (generally very low brow) and have been looking for something different to read. Going to start with "remarkably bright creatures"
Good for you on your avid reading! I really enjoyed "Remarkably bright creatures." Another top vote goes to "The Rachel Incident." So funny and smart. You'd enjoy it.
Love this! Great snark! And excellent timing re: next Tuesday.
Favorite: always having something to talk about
"This can be hard because your brain will be filled with new ideas and you’ve got nowhere to share them. You’ll probably end up talking to yourself. See how far that gets you." .😁
I look forward to talking books with you!
Excellent memoirs on tough topics: Glass Castle and The Kiss
Thanks for the list. Just read about "More" (of course!) sounds interesting.
Thanks for the rec's, Heather. I thought "More" was well done. It's challenging to write well about an interior emotional life, in a way that people will relate to, on a topic most don't understand. She did brilliantly with this. Highly recommend, if only to study her craft!
You should definitely read "The Kiss". The author originally wrote it as a novel but her wise editor guessed it was her experience and they rewrote it as a memoir.
If you’re reading really beefy historical novels and /or memoirs (think Ken Follett and Umberto Eco) to match where you’re travelling, do you get extra credit or a two-for-one deal! Thanks for the list.
I'll take any extra credit on offer. I didn't note this in my story but some books are enormous (500+ pages) and I think those should count as 2.
lol, if I made this list it would be 90% technical manuals and howto articles right now.. And some Steinbeck (when in Monterey).
Sounds appropriate! Keep it up!