Reading Becomes Writing

“Reading usually precedes writing and the impulse to write is almost always fired by reading. Reading, the love of reading, is what makes you dream of becoming a writer.”

— Susan Sontag

It is probably no surprise that I have been thinking about the experience of writing lately.  In May, I set a goal of writing for 30 days in June.  I wasn't sure that I would be able to do it but was convinced that I should try.  I am very pleased that I was able to meet my goal, but even more, I am happy that I rediscovered a love of writing and with it my joy of reading.

I have always loved reading and words.  I will read almost anything.  Since I retired a year ago, I have read about 100 books.  I have always had a great appreciation for writers and their ability to create the written word that draws me into their story, and I always wondered how they could be disciplined enough to write every day.  I now understand: just make a commitment to write every day and start writing.  At first, it was difficult to do this.  However, each day was easier than the day before.  I discovered that it was actually fun!

After finishing 30 Days of Joy, I decided that I would write once a week.  While it has been a relief that I didn't have to write every day, I have really missed writing.  However, I have enjoyed having time to do some reading, and they are truly related for me.

I am currently reading 2 different books on my Kindle.  I am reading The Magician by Michael Scott which is the second book from The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series.  The books in this series are such that I can pick them up when I am in the mood to read them.  While they aren't the type of  books that I can't put down, they are interesting to read.  I like that they take place in different cities in the world, include forms of magic, and have characters that are relatable.  So, this series is my go-to whenever I am waiting for something new to read.

The other book I am reading was recommended by some friends.  It is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.  This is the first book in the series.  It combines romance and historical fiction, with a slice of fantasy because it involves time travel.  This is the book that I keep coming back to whenever I have spare time.  I am really enjoying the blend of history with the development of the characters.  I can't wait to read what happens next!

Reading and writing have such a symbiotic relationship which is probably why I love good writing.  You may want to try reading the books I mentioned, or there are some recent blogs that were wonderfully written that you might enjoy.

1. Teaching an Old Story New Tricks: Media Influences on Birthright - A guest blogger writes about the major media influences in his new cross-genre novel, Birthright.  It is fascinating to get into his head as he reveals these influences.
2. Book Review: Voices from Chernobyl - A beautifully written review of a book which tells the human side of what happened during this tragic event.

I also found writing to be an interactive process, and I have missed the contact with those of you who were reading my posts.  I know that several of you didn't leave comments before because you had to have an account.  This is no longer true!  I mentioned it to my son who told me that I could change the settings; so I made the necessary changes.  You should be able to comment directly on the blog.  I would really like to hear from you so please comment below.

Whether it's writing or reading that bring you joy or another activity, I hope that you can find a moment for yourself.

Have you found your joy today?

30 Days of Joy: Day 29-Create

A month ago I decided to try writing every day for a month.  This was an exercise to see if I could write every single day.  It also was a way to talk about joy.  If you read my post from May 31, you understand that I believe that it is important to share joy with others-to create a ripple effect.  Thank you for joining me on this journey.  It has meant a lot to me.


As I come to the end of my adventure in writing, I am finding that it is time to reflect on the experience.  When I was thinking about making this commitment to write every day, I sat down and wrote down 30 words that epitomized what brought me joy.  I have used 28 of those words and will use another one tomorrow as an ending.  (Technology wasn't on the original list!)  Each day as I sat down to write my post, I looked at the list and one of the words popped out as something that I was experiencing in my life.  I think that's pretty amazing!  I don't know what possessed me to put "help" on the list.  However, it was there when I experienced the need to ask for help after I fell down the stairs.  It makes me wonder-did I somehow know?  A foreshadowing perhaps?

It has been fun to share my life with all of you.  Sometimes I don't know if anyone is reading my posts.  I want to thank all of you who sent me messages and left comments.  It helped to know that my words weren't just getting lost in cyberspace.  I know that commenting on the blog page is difficult if you don't have a Google account.  However, many of you found other ways to comment, and I thank you for that.

Most days the words just flowed.  A few days I found it was harder to write.  You probably noticed that I also did some research which was a lot of fun!  I often looked for and found some fabulous quotes.  I was frequently surprised and amazed at what some famous people had said about the subjects I was researching.  I also spent a lot of time looking for images that enhanced the posts.  A few times I added personal pictures that I thought were pertinent.

Writing as a creative process is something that I obviously enjoy.  I have always loved the creative process whether it was knitting or crocheting blankets for my grandchildren or scrap-booking.  Art was one of my favorite things to teach in my classroom when I was a teacher.  I still want to paint; the time just hasn't been right for it yet.  For now, I am happy focusing on my writing as a creative project.

Creating is important for all of us.  I think that everyone should have fun creating and hope that you have found ways to create in your life.  It doesn't matter what you create; it doesn't even have to be in an area of talent.  The process in and of itself is fun.  I also think that it is important to share your creations with others.  I always put my children's artwork on the doors of our home and read their stories.  I am proud to say that both of my sons and my daughter-in-law have blogs.  They are all excellent writers.  My daughter-in-law writes about her experiences as a mom at Expert Mommy.  My older son writes about gaming at A Green Mushroom.  They both write very insightful posts that are interesting to read.  However, my younger son is the most talented writer of all of them.  He creates fantastic stories and has started sharing them at The Written Tale.  It is due to these wonderful young people that I started my blog.  I thank them for their support in this creative project.

As you can tell, writing this blog and sharing my musings brings me great joy!  I am hoping to continue writing weekly as we move into July.  If you want to keep reading, click on "Join this site" in the upper right so that you can follow my posts.  If not, thank you for going along with me on this journey.  You have brought me great joy!

Have you found your joy today?