Writing Practice

 Working thru a book called “Anybody Can Write” by Roberta Jean Ryan, & thought I’d share this one exercise about #writing misconceptions. Interestingly, these can also apply to Tweeting, or even sharing the Gospel:

• Writing is only for when you have the time.

• Writing is for people who have something “interesting” to say.

• Writing is only for people w/beliefs & values that are “nice” & coincide w/the majority of people.

• You have to be very well educated (in very special schools) to be a writer.

• You should only be a writer if you have something EVERYONE wants to read. The NYT bestseller list should be your only goal.

#writing

Not a Fan of BookTok

 At least not currently. I use TikTok as a before-going-to-sleep thing, so I mainly just look at stuff that’s relevant to me as an internet consumer: Adam Driver stuff, Christian stuff, planners, drawing, creative writing stuff, and such. So I do a lot of ForYou page scrolling.

I don’t delve too deep into BookTok, because they read stuff I don’t really wanna read, too much contemporary fiction, which I mostly don’t like. I mostly like nonfiction, history, biographies of writers and other artists, actors, politicians and other famous people. Philosophy, feminism,  how to stuff.

I did manage to find one BookTok-er I like, Margo Harrison, who is an author and  vlogs about the old school YA from the 70s that I enjoyed as a kid–it seems like no one else is talking about that stuff, they’re all pimping stuff that just came out. Talk about making $$ for the publishing corporations, I’m sure they LOVE BookTok.

And there is apparently a deep dislike on BookTok for the classics, of course the old woke objections to Old Dead White Guys, but they overlook the fact that a lot of women and people of color were writing back in the day, a lot of gay people, and in so clinging to these objections they miss out on a lot of great stuff.

But there is a HUGE backlash against the classics on BookTok, to the point where anyone that suggests they read them is roundly attacked. What they’re getting wrong, in my opinion, is that clinging to current reads only can only serve the publishing industry,  which is a much bigger enemy to the rank and file reader than any other random BookTok-er will ever be.

I’ve been a fairly voracious reader since I learned how to read. When I was a child, I taught another child how to read, which was a great highlight of my childhood. I don’t have any college English credentials, but I was a professional bookseller for a few years.

Trip on BART

 I always enjoy taking BART. I live down in the BA Peninsula, which is no slouch when it comes to things to do and places to go and scenic surroundings while you're there, but sometimes there are events that take you a little further from home.

Always a bus trip to get there, me being a long time public transit person, I am pretty good at knowing how to catch a bus from anywhere to anywhere.

Get to the BART station, and you must start being aware of your surroundings. I once was almost pushed out of the turnstile by a fare-jumper. Unfortunately crime can occur any time, and it does seem to be getting worse. Choose where to stand and wait, choose your seat carefully, and once you're seated you pretty much don't need to worry about being bothered.

One thing I always try to remember is to carry cotton balls in an Altoids tin for my ears, because it can get loud on the train. Almost right away, you're going through a tunnel, and the trip is under way. The car darkens a bit, and you can see your reflection in the window. Now is the time to check your hair.

A good long train ride always gives you time to get a lot of reading/writing done, and I always make sure to bring something to read and a journal. This is so pleasant I often think how nice it would be to just spend all day going back and forth on the train. If I was rich that would be one thing I'd do.

Crazy Idea

 Here's a crazy idea: just stop with the Oscars already.

Stop with the pomp and pageantry, stop with the ridiculous outfits (looking at you, Timothy Chalamet) stop with the cheesy music numbers and just cancel the Oscars from ever happening again.

Instead just have a little stretch of red carpet, put Adam Driver in a tux and just have him walk up and down. For the guys you could get Jessica Chastain.

Have somebody that knows what they're doing greet them and ask them a few questions about their latest movies.

Then put them up on stage and have them each read the phone book for five minutes.

That's really all I can't take any more, please.