A Writerly Predicament

-

So this is my predicament:  I feel I'm supposed to be writing.  Writing lots.  But I hate writing.

My solution:  Procrastination by way of reading.

Reading seems to be the only escape from the arduous task of writing that my conscience will allow me.  Reading is, after all, research for writing, right?  Reading is the other side of the writing coin, and all writers should also be readers.

That's my justification, but I'm looking nervously over my shoulder as I bury my nose in my books.

I feel I'm at a crossroads in my life's journey.  Or maybe taking a short detour, off the beaten path, that's bound to lead, eventually, back to the main highway.  I'm pretty sure the detour is part of the "rest" God has called me to right now, but I suspect it won't be long before I am catapulted back into the writer's world again. 

I have no idea what that catapult will look like, or when it will sneak up behind me, but in the mean time I intend to make the most of my sojourn in the reader's world.

Also in the mean time, to assuage those little pangs of guilt and anxiety I get when I leave the writing behind for very long, I will occasionally post a blog.  This one is about, of course, reading.

My taste in books is eclectic.  If you'd like to take a peek into my reading world, I invite you to check out my Amazon reviews.  Some of the books I enjoy are deeper than others, but all my choices are uplifting.  Whether they deal with spiritual issues directly or not, every book I've reviewed will leave you with a sense of hope.

I plan to add to this list of reviews as I read, as a way to further justify my reading and keep my writing skills exercised.  I'll keep you posted as new reviews come up.  Meanwhile, if any of these reviews prompt you to join me on the reading journey, I will feel affirmed.  I will feel like I am, in Mr. Topham's words, "a very useful engine."*

Here's the link to my current Amazon reviews.  I highly recommend all these books to any of my reading friends.   

And here's a link to the last post on my writing blog, which is, predictably, also about reading and Amazon reviews.

Please comment here, or connect with me in other ways, if you read any of these books and enjoy them.  It's a tad lonesome on this side road, and I'd love to have a comment or a conversation about your own reading journey now and then.
____________________________________

*  If you have kids or grandkids you will understand this reference.  If you aren't you'll have to Google it.

Comments

Karla Akins said…
I am famous for procrastinating by reading, too. Writing is just plain HARD.
January 22, 2014 at 9:11 PM
Something About the Joy said…
I suspect it's true of all serious writers. At least if it's done right.
January 22, 2014 at 9:52 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Ways to Open Your Heart to Renewal

-
The beginning of a new year is a natural time for thinking about renewal. We say good-bye to an old, tired year and look with hope and expectation to a new one. A clean page. A fresh chance. A time to think about how to make our future better--more productive, more significant, more successful, more joy-filled. For Christians, thoughts of renewal usually revolve around God. We belong to Him forever, but we are vacillating human beings, and our relationship with Him can easily stagnate. We need times of refreshing. We need to come again to the fountain of living water. We need to long for Him so deeply that it drives us back into His presence. Thankfully, God prompts that longing. He never forces Himself back into our lives, but the restlessness we feel without Him invariably draws us. So what to do when we feel the restlessness? When we become aware that something's not right in our spirits? God is the One who must rescue us from the doldrums of spiritual lethargy, but there are st...
Read more

My Truth, Spoken in Love

-
Image
As I’m sure all of you know, I have a policy of not sharing opinions about politics on Facebook. I don’t believe Facebook is a great platform for discussing things that we all tend to feel passionate about, unless those passions are strongly loving and able to be expressed positively. But I am challenged by my friend, Gina Bell’s post, to break with my tradition about that policy this once. At least the politics part of it—not the loving and positive one. I hope I can express my beliefs lovingly and positively here. I never want to offend anyone, not because I’m afraid of their reaction, but because I don’t want to hurt anyone, or add more heat than light to whatever issue we’re talking about. I want everything I share here to be not only truthful and loving but uplifting and profitable for making the world a better place. So here goes: my break with tradition—my thoughts on the current political climate in the U.S. Like many of my Facebook friends, I am worried ...
Read more

Five Common Myths About Sharing the Gospel

-
Image
This article was originally posted in the FECB blog on January 22, 2013 We mean well.   We really want our friends to know Jesus.   But too often we approach them with wrong ideas in our heads.   If we really want to be effective witnesses, we should be aware of five common myths about evangelism. Myth #1: There are two kinds of people:   them and us.   It's a mistake to see everyone as being on one side of the fence or the other.   That's not the appropriate metaphor.   There's no fence.   There's a road, and we're all walking on it.   For sure, there's a point in every person's journey when they choose to follow Jesus. But it's only a step along the path.   The road continues.   None of us has arrived until we get to heaven, and we're all learning as we go.   The people we want to share Jesus with are just fellow travelers.   Realizing this opens up a whole new way of seeing others, and it will cha...
Read more