A lot of people knock self-help books——and in many cases, they're not wrong. So many self-help books suck. Personally, though, I've found several that have helped me a lot. Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, Kenneth Christian's Your Own Worst Enemy, and Stephen Pressfield's The War of Art are just a few of the self-help books I go back to again and again when I need a tweak of inspiration.
What about you? Do you read self-help books? If so, which ones have helped you? How have they helped you? For me, the biggest benefit I've gotten from self-help books is that they have helped me to train myself to think differently. They've helped me to think more positively, which in turn helps me to actually do positive things instead of sitting around complaining about my life. (I'm not totally cured of this, but I've come a long way.)
Aside from The Secret,—which is BS, IMHO—what helps you?
Friday, June 17, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Instant Creative Solutions!
Out of ideas? Check out this site for instant creative solutions. (Cribbed from Janet Reid's blog.)
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Your Artist Statement
Applying for a grant? Getting that writing website up? Need an artistic statement that will impress? Try this arty bollocks generator. For when you need to BS. Fast.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Should You Work For Free?
This handy flowchart should help you decide. There's a non-f-bomb version available, so look for the link if a few curse words offend you. Hilarious and enlightening.
Monday, June 6, 2011
The Dark Stuff
I finally read the WSJ article that criticizes the YA publishing market. The article makes me a little angry, but mostly it makes me sad. Once again an industry is getting beaten up by clueless parents.
In case you missed it, the article opens with a woman, Amy Freedman, searching for a YA book in the bookstore as a "welcome home" gift for her 13-year-old daughter. Revolted by all the "vampires and suicide and self-mutilation, this dark, dark stuff," she left the store empty-handed. The article went on to criticize the state of the YA market and questioned the validity of an industry that exposes just too much of the dark stuff to teenagers.
But really, I think what the article reveals is that some people are just not involved parents. How is it that this woman missed her daughter's reading habits for 13 years? If you're a parent involved in your kids' reading habits, trends in the YA market shouldn't come as a surprise. Also. I suppose Freeman has never heard of Amazon, where you can search for books to your taste. Big market out there, you know. And then there are the classics, such as Little Women (one of the most innocent books ever written) and the Laura Ingalls Wilder series, and Jane Austen, and . . . well, you get the point. Plenty of stuff out there from which to choose. If one stop off at a Barnes & Noble was enough for her to start railing about the publishing industry, I'd hate to know what she gets out of the evening news. Or maybe she doesn't watch that, because it's just too much real world.
That's to say nothing of the article's author, Megan Cox Gurdon, who was equally clueless.
YA books about abuse, vampires, and self-mutilation may get published because that's what sells. But those books probably sell because—at least in the cases of abuse and self-mutilation—that's what is. (I'm not so sure about the vampires.) There are kids out there with very real, gut-wrenching problems, problems too big for them to deal with but they're dealing with them, anyway—and guess what? YA literature, just like all literature, can help them make sense of the senseless things that happen to them. That's what story does. I think what Gurdon would like is to pretend that the dark stuff doesn't exist, or even if it does, it should be swept into the sewage system as easily as what we flush down the toilet. And maybe for her life, she's right.
But for many kids and teenagers, that's not the way it goes. Even kids raised in a safe environment have problems. Kids raised in the foster care system or by unstable parents get knocked around by life far too soon. Should we ignore them? Teenagers get ignored enough. By the time a kid gets to middle school, all that creative research that goes into childhood education drops off a cliff, leaving many kids to wander in an educational no man's land until they graduate. Fiction—yes, even YA fiction—can help them make sense of the senseless things that happen to them. That's what story does. Even the dark stuff. I know because I have a teenaged niece who told me so.
Kyle Cassidy weighs in here.
In case you missed it, the article opens with a woman, Amy Freedman, searching for a YA book in the bookstore as a "welcome home" gift for her 13-year-old daughter. Revolted by all the "vampires and suicide and self-mutilation, this dark, dark stuff," she left the store empty-handed. The article went on to criticize the state of the YA market and questioned the validity of an industry that exposes just too much of the dark stuff to teenagers.
But really, I think what the article reveals is that some people are just not involved parents. How is it that this woman missed her daughter's reading habits for 13 years? If you're a parent involved in your kids' reading habits, trends in the YA market shouldn't come as a surprise. Also. I suppose Freeman has never heard of Amazon, where you can search for books to your taste. Big market out there, you know. And then there are the classics, such as Little Women (one of the most innocent books ever written) and the Laura Ingalls Wilder series, and Jane Austen, and . . . well, you get the point. Plenty of stuff out there from which to choose. If one stop off at a Barnes & Noble was enough for her to start railing about the publishing industry, I'd hate to know what she gets out of the evening news. Or maybe she doesn't watch that, because it's just too much real world.
That's to say nothing of the article's author, Megan Cox Gurdon, who was equally clueless.
YA books about abuse, vampires, and self-mutilation may get published because that's what sells. But those books probably sell because—at least in the cases of abuse and self-mutilation—that's what is. (I'm not so sure about the vampires.) There are kids out there with very real, gut-wrenching problems, problems too big for them to deal with but they're dealing with them, anyway—and guess what? YA literature, just like all literature, can help them make sense of the senseless things that happen to them. That's what story does. I think what Gurdon would like is to pretend that the dark stuff doesn't exist, or even if it does, it should be swept into the sewage system as easily as what we flush down the toilet. And maybe for her life, she's right.
But for many kids and teenagers, that's not the way it goes. Even kids raised in a safe environment have problems. Kids raised in the foster care system or by unstable parents get knocked around by life far too soon. Should we ignore them? Teenagers get ignored enough. By the time a kid gets to middle school, all that creative research that goes into childhood education drops off a cliff, leaving many kids to wander in an educational no man's land until they graduate. Fiction—yes, even YA fiction—can help them make sense of the senseless things that happen to them. That's what story does. Even the dark stuff. I know because I have a teenaged niece who told me so.
Kyle Cassidy weighs in here.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Changes
Lots of changes this month. Orson has diabetes. He's been losing weight and has been drinking a ton of water, yet he's still dehydrated. We finally got him to the vet and she diagnosed Orson with diabetes. He's on insulin now, though only D has injected it. According to D, Orson "took his first shot like a champ," and injecting the insulin is a cinch. When I get back to Chicago, I'll have him show me how to do it.
I'm out of town because I'm in the Fort (aka Fort Wayne). My mom had congestive heart failure the Monday before Memorial Day and had a pacemaker put in. She's still in the hospital, but we expect her to be released today. I've been here helping my dad get through the week. I'm pretty sure I'll be moving back here by July. It's not 100% certain, but I'm looking at apartments here and eventually a house.
As much as I love Chicago, I just can't see myself staying there now that it's pretty clear my parents won't get back to a level of independence they used to enjoy. Mom's still pretty weak and her recovery is going to be long, and she's going to need someone to help her with grocery shopping and laundry. Right now she can't lift more than two pounds (doctor's orders).
Besides, I've been pining for a life in the country, and that is something I could never afford in Illinois. I can afford it in Indiana, I think, at least eventually. I have to admit I have no idea whether I'd like living in the country. The only time I've ever been in the country was at my grandparents' on their farm, where we would climb trees and hang out in the treehouse my grandfather built for us and race motorbikes and gokarts around his "track," but that hardly counts as living there. I could very well be romanticizing the idea of living in the country. But I want a house. I want a garden. I want a library and a fireplace. I could have all that in a house in the suburbs, but then I would have to have neighbors. I was raised in a suburb, a creepy suburb, and I don't think I could go back to that. Neighbors scare me. I don't want them unless I'm in an apartment where most people keep to themselves. I mean, I like people. Honest. I just don't want them as neighbors. And I'm willing to put up with almost anything not to have neighbors.
So I'll start in an apartment and work from there. I'm slightly worried about the job thing. Fort Wayne is rather economically depressed, and the only jobs available are restaurant jobs and medical jobs. But this could be an opportunity for me to finally start the copywriting business I've been talking about doing. Lots of work in that area, it seems, if I can break in, and it's something I can do from home and still have time to work on my fiction. Copywriting is something I sense I could be really good at and enjoy at least enough to keep doing it until I publish will undoubtedly be my hit novel. ; ) At any rate, I'm 97% sure I couldn't go back to being employed by someone else—especially with the kinds of jobs that are available in the Fort. Being self-employed in grad school and beyond, I got used to making my own decisions and I don't think I could go back to being bossed around. If I need to meet with clients in Indy or Chicago, I can still do that. I've got a pretty big list of businesses to start cold calling and cold writing.
In some ways, I'm really looking forward to the (possible-probable) move. Fort Wayne does have an excellent library (especially the main branch downtown) that is really freaking fun to visit. It also has some great bookshops (though some have closed down, sadly) and a couple of good coffeeshops.
It only has one artsy movie theatre, so I'm going to miss the freedom I had in Chicago to see whatever artsy independent film I wanted. And the thai food. I'm going to miss the great thai food. And Bikram yoga. Oh my God will I miss Bikram yoga and the cutie who taught there.
But this appears to be my new lot in life.
So that's the plan. Wish me luck.
I'm out of town because I'm in the Fort (aka Fort Wayne). My mom had congestive heart failure the Monday before Memorial Day and had a pacemaker put in. She's still in the hospital, but we expect her to be released today. I've been here helping my dad get through the week. I'm pretty sure I'll be moving back here by July. It's not 100% certain, but I'm looking at apartments here and eventually a house.
As much as I love Chicago, I just can't see myself staying there now that it's pretty clear my parents won't get back to a level of independence they used to enjoy. Mom's still pretty weak and her recovery is going to be long, and she's going to need someone to help her with grocery shopping and laundry. Right now she can't lift more than two pounds (doctor's orders).
Besides, I've been pining for a life in the country, and that is something I could never afford in Illinois. I can afford it in Indiana, I think, at least eventually. I have to admit I have no idea whether I'd like living in the country. The only time I've ever been in the country was at my grandparents' on their farm, where we would climb trees and hang out in the treehouse my grandfather built for us and race motorbikes and gokarts around his "track," but that hardly counts as living there. I could very well be romanticizing the idea of living in the country. But I want a house. I want a garden. I want a library and a fireplace. I could have all that in a house in the suburbs, but then I would have to have neighbors. I was raised in a suburb, a creepy suburb, and I don't think I could go back to that. Neighbors scare me. I don't want them unless I'm in an apartment where most people keep to themselves. I mean, I like people. Honest. I just don't want them as neighbors. And I'm willing to put up with almost anything not to have neighbors.
So I'll start in an apartment and work from there. I'm slightly worried about the job thing. Fort Wayne is rather economically depressed, and the only jobs available are restaurant jobs and medical jobs. But this could be an opportunity for me to finally start the copywriting business I've been talking about doing. Lots of work in that area, it seems, if I can break in, and it's something I can do from home and still have time to work on my fiction. Copywriting is something I sense I could be really good at and enjoy at least enough to keep doing it until I publish will undoubtedly be my hit novel. ; ) At any rate, I'm 97% sure I couldn't go back to being employed by someone else—especially with the kinds of jobs that are available in the Fort. Being self-employed in grad school and beyond, I got used to making my own decisions and I don't think I could go back to being bossed around. If I need to meet with clients in Indy or Chicago, I can still do that. I've got a pretty big list of businesses to start cold calling and cold writing.
In some ways, I'm really looking forward to the (possible-probable) move. Fort Wayne does have an excellent library (especially the main branch downtown) that is really freaking fun to visit. It also has some great bookshops (though some have closed down, sadly) and a couple of good coffeeshops.
It only has one artsy movie theatre, so I'm going to miss the freedom I had in Chicago to see whatever artsy independent film I wanted. And the thai food. I'm going to miss the great thai food. And Bikram yoga. Oh my God will I miss Bikram yoga and the cutie who taught there.
But this appears to be my new lot in life.
So that's the plan. Wish me luck.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
This May Help
Ever forget the title to a book you're trying to find? This hilarious site may help you. Renames the titles of many classics so you don't have to.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
The Royal Wedding
Okay, I was never one to plan my wedding as a little girl or a teenager, (one former boyfriend was disappointed to learn I've never had an "ideal wedding" in mind) but I still think the royal wedding is pretty neat.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
1000 Awesome Things
Because we all need to remember the little awesome things in our lives, here's the blog 1000 Awesome Things. It was started by Neil Pasricha at a time when his best friend had taken his own life and his marriage was falling apart. It was a great idea and now the blog is not one book, but two.
I can think of four things off the top of my head that are awesome:
1. Used bookstores.
2. The first cup of coffee out of the pot.
3. Animals that like your piano playing.
4. Friends that say, "She NEVER does this" when her dog is going spastic with excitement when you visit.
What are YOUR awesome things?
I can think of four things off the top of my head that are awesome:
1. Used bookstores.
2. The first cup of coffee out of the pot.
3. Animals that like your piano playing.
4. Friends that say, "She NEVER does this" when her dog is going spastic with excitement when you visit.
What are YOUR awesome things?
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Party Time
If you're a writer looking to get published, you could do a lot worse than stray across Evil Editor's blog. He provides query critiques, critiques of the first 150 words of your novel or short story (or even a chapter), and most importantly, a lot of laughs. His minions also throw in their two cents, and reserve the right to make fun of you if you get defensive about your writing.
Some minions have put together a party honoring his fifth year anniversary, so if you've been wandering around the Internet, looking for an interesting, fun place to go, you've found it. Don't be shy. We don't bite.
Well, not too hard, anyway.
Some minions have put together a party honoring his fifth year anniversary, so if you've been wandering around the Internet, looking for an interesting, fun place to go, you've found it. Don't be shy. We don't bite.
Well, not too hard, anyway.
Monday, April 18, 2011
It Was . . .
one of Those Days.
I did something to piss of Chicago, because Chicago pretty much ate up my state tax refund today.
I did something to piss of Chicago, because Chicago pretty much ate up my state tax refund today.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Meeting Neil Gaiman
He did a great reading and I could even hear him from where I was. And he's as personable and kind as his reputation. Really glad I got the opportunity to meet him, and I hope I get to again soon.
Also . . .
I have been promised by Management that I will get out of work in time tonight to see Neil Gaiman at the University of Chicago. Which means I should figure out where I'm going. Right.
Too Deep Thoughts for 6:30 In the Morning
Sex Scenes at Starbucks post got me thinking about religion.
For the most part, I don't believe in God. It's not that I'm terribly scientific or that I believe science has disproved the existence of God. (Though I love Neil DeGrasse Tyson's quote (and I'm paraphrasing here), "The great thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.") It's more that I can't reconcile all the suffering that goes on in the world with any all-knowing, all-loving God who would allow it. Yet, supposedly, we are made in His image, and we allow it. (I'm speaking of the Christian God—the only God I was raised to believe in and the only way my puny mind can conceive the existence of God.)
But that doesn't disprove God's existence, either. It's possible God is a lot more hands-off. And I acknowledge that faith can be a good thing. It's what got my mom through three open heart surgeries. It can be a balm for much of the pain in people's lives, much as a creative life is a balm in mine.
But if there is one, my guess is that the Eastern religions have it more correct. God is in everything, in all of us, a concept by which we choose to do right. In other words, God is our conscience. I think maybe I could believe in God as long as I don't have to put a face on the concept.
For the most part, I don't believe in God. It's not that I'm terribly scientific or that I believe science has disproved the existence of God. (Though I love Neil DeGrasse Tyson's quote (and I'm paraphrasing here), "The great thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.") It's more that I can't reconcile all the suffering that goes on in the world with any all-knowing, all-loving God who would allow it. Yet, supposedly, we are made in His image, and we allow it. (I'm speaking of the Christian God—the only God I was raised to believe in and the only way my puny mind can conceive the existence of God.)
But that doesn't disprove God's existence, either. It's possible God is a lot more hands-off. And I acknowledge that faith can be a good thing. It's what got my mom through three open heart surgeries. It can be a balm for much of the pain in people's lives, much as a creative life is a balm in mine.
But if there is one, my guess is that the Eastern religions have it more correct. God is in everything, in all of us, a concept by which we choose to do right. In other words, God is our conscience. I think maybe I could believe in God as long as I don't have to put a face on the concept.
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