Writing, you ask? Read any good books lately? I reply.

I am penitent, I am ashamed, I confess: my lack of writing has been atrocious lately. Shortly after I created this blog, in the hopes that it would encourage me in my writing discipline, I simply short circuited. I can point to a lot of external factors. We decided to sell our house, moved into temporary lodging with a friend, bought and moved into our new home, and then found out I was pregnant. Whew. When I encapsulate it all in one sentence it sounds even more overwhelming than it was. The problem, of course, is that I still had plenty of time to read books and watch television. It's just so easy to become distracted from any attempts at writing more regularly, and as soon as I flounder off track, I contentedly trundle along my new way without a worry for writing in my complacent mind.

Books are wonderful distractions and time fillers, and when I can't seem to find a minute to work on writing, I can find ten or twenty or more to read a good story. Since this blog is about both of my hobbies in the literary world (the one I pursue intermittently yet doggedly, and the other that I can't stop myself from falling into every day will I or nil I), the next few posts will be about some of the books I've read recently. I'll be writing about my reading which has kept me from my writing, which sounds very Borges and I'm sure he could make a fabulous story about it.

Why don't we wander in the complex interlacing worlds of writing and reading a bit longer? I'll describe a book I just read that is about writing, written by an agent who was once an editor and also a writer of poetry. The Forest for the Trees: An Editor's Advice for Writers by Betsy Lerner. (Thanks for sending that book my way, Anne!)

The book is divided in two sections, one about writers, and one about the publishing process. Her insight on writers is humorous and incisive. She is a writer herself, so she has that inside perspective, yet she has worked with so many other writers as an editor and an agent that she can also step outside and show what the world sees. The six chapters detail different types of writers, from the self destructive addict to the neurotic megalomaniac. Her point was that all writers tend to share some of these traits, to greater or lesser extent. And, in truth, I found many truths that applied to my own writing life, even though I am a far cry from a professional, nor have I devoted my faith and love to writing to the same extent as others, even Lerner herself. The second portion was also fascinating, as she details the many trials and tribulations that face a book after being accepted but before the physical copies hit a bookstore shelf. To be honest, the thought of all a writer and her work has to face before the book is an accomplished fact is daunting, but if I ever even reach that stage I'd be grateful. I enjoyed this read, and I think it helped spur me in my own writing ambitions. Highly recommended for all readers and writers out there.

Now I should go attend to my other writing, but a monsoon storm is finally brewing outside my house, and "Murder She Wrote" is calling my name. Choices, choices.