Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Imagination Revisted, Part 2


There is then creative reading as well as creative writing. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

A trip to the library reminded me of an overlooked key in my last post about kickstarting a writer's imagination. So, without further ado, here is part 2--which, simply put, is:

READ

Yes, read. I say this not only to share a thought, but to imprint the importance of that on my own brain! After all, we have it from Stephen King who said, "If you don't have time to read, you don't have time to write."

And so, I present the titles of the books I brought home (and can't wait to get started on). There's no rhyme or reason to most of the selections. But as I studied the library's shelves, I chose authors I like, and authors I've never read before. I chose Newbery Medal authors and New York Times best sellers. Most are children's books, but some are YA. There's fantasy and historical fiction, recently published books and classics. Here then, in no particular order, is the list of books before me:

Alchemy and Meggy Swann, Karen Cushman
Twisted, Laurie Halse Anderson
The Slave Dancer, Paula Fox
               The Unfinished Angel, Sharon Creech                 
Coraline, Neil Graiman
Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt 
Iron Thunder, Avi
The Witches, Roald Dahl
Raleigh's Page, Alan Armstrong
Poppy, Avi
Poppy's Return, Avi
         
If I were to boil it down, what would I say then are my conclusions to igniting the imagination?

...Observe...Visualize...Dream...Read...Write...Have fun...

The joy of being a writer takes us many places--in books, in real life, in our imaginations.

Now the question is, have I overextended myself? Will I finish all these books in the next 21 days--the library's alloted time without having to renew them--and meet my writing goals? The challenge is on!

What's your latest read?

The greatest part of a writer's time is spent reading in order to write;
a man will turn over half a library in order to make one book. --Samuel Johnson

6 comments:

  1. Wow, read all that in 21 days? You go, girl!

    I'm finishing up a book right now and then I'm undecided about what I will start next. I'm thinking about switching up the genre for a change and maybe picking up mystery or a thriller.

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  2. WOW so many books, I hope you finish them all. Let us know whether you do or not!

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  3. I went to the library yesterday and took out four books. One down, three to go!

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  4. You are so right, as writers, we must read. It is one perk to the writing life that I enjoy very much!
    Have a great weekend,
    Karen

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  5. Wow, that's a lot of books! I'm sure you'll get through them though -- good luck!

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  6. If you don't love to read, how CAN you write? I agree, there's not one without the other. Well--not exactly. You can read and read and read but not write (and then get depressed about it, haha)
    I like your 6 steps to igniting the imagination!

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