I went to the library yesterday, now while this isn't some "OMG you went to a library" moment I did something I haven't done going on a good 15 years, hell maybe 20, I signed up for a library card and actually checked out a few books. I had been a bookstore whore for a while running in to buy the latest Harry Potter, Jason Bourne, Percy Jackson, Star Wars, et al release but then times got hard and my personal life got crazy. Yes I will still buy a book here or there but not like I used too, it used to be an almost every pay period addiction, I don't even buy comic books like I used to my momentary escapes from reality so I can set my mind free. I forgot my old friend the library those well worn and tattered tomes for those of us with active imaginations and bigger literary appetites that we had money in our pockets or space for on our shelves. Now my trip to the library wasn't perfect, the main book I was looking for wasn't there, "29 writing mistakes", it was something I found on a trip to the library a few weeks ago.
Unlike the other books I listed the title just happened to catch my eye, I mean glutton for punishment I guess, as a developing(I hope) writer of course I wanted to see how many of these mistakes I myself make. The book really wasn't what I expected. I mean it was more a friendly conversation than a chalk stained finger telling me why I have so many red marks on my paper. And as I have friends who are also writers (or dream of being writers), I figured hey it's something we could laugh about going forward. Since, as previously mentioned, it wasn't there I found a book it had mention a few times "The Elements of Style" so I decided to pick that one up, I then thought of looking up a few on web design/site development because, I don't care who you are, we could all use a refresher or a little bit of help now and then. I didn't find any though, odd then again the Raleigh branch is a smaller library but since I now have a library guard I can go pillage other Memphis libraries and return them at Raleigh and thus POSSIBLY improve the local treasure trove to which I have access. Some may see that as devious, which I admit could be absolutely true I mean I am attempting to raid a larger library just to improve the store of books within walking distance to me. I'm so used to having to borrow and return a book to whatever library I got it from that this new found freedom of these connected libraries has brought out my inner Jack Sparrow. I forget why I stopped going to libraries, I mean when we lived on the East Side of Memphis there was a pretty decent library there, if I so chose I could have walked to it, it wasn't right next door but thinking honestly I believe it was only slightly further away then the one I am about to make use of here in Raleigh. Possibly one or two lights away hmm, but I digress, the other two books I picked up were "How to Make Money with Your Blog"(by the way the Amazon link is only because B&N didn't have a listing for common writing mistakes, as of yet I am not an amazon affiliate) and No Experience required Sketching and Drawing
to help with my drawing.Now yes you see ads on my site. I won't deny that, like everyone else out here, I am trying to pick up a few extra pennies here and there. I know of people dedicated to full time web content production(some of us may be or consider ourselves friends others hey a twitter message here and there is associative but I won't act like I'm there best bud, unless they say it) and they create four or five posts a day of reach and thought provoking content, I'm no where near that dedicated There is no "yet" in there because who knows if I ever will be, I mean it's possible the fact that I have a few months with more posts then there are days in the month say I can do it, but lets see if I could ever sign up for a 30 day challenge and then I'll tell you I can be a dedicated content creator. I'm always harsh but fair with myself, I call a spade a spade and a few bursts of digital diarrhea just that, I will acknowledge when I do or attempt something and it appears to go right but I also tell myself when I just am going in circles. I'm sort of in the middle right now there are a lot of cloudy skies ahead as I try to sort out my life going forward. As I have yet to open the one on blogging I can't speak on it yet, the Elements of Style though is one that while I might see somethings I can use I already know me and it aren't going to get along.
The Elements of Styles main focus is brevity, I will repeat that the main focus is BREVITY and as you know me and being brief aren't even on speaking terms. Something about me popping his tires, stealing his girlfriend, and taking the last microwave burrito or something, I can't remember why he's such a wuss, anyway so you know most of the time I write books on even the most truncated subjects so why am I reading a book on being brief A) I didn't know it was about being brief, even though it's a short book and B) hey if it helps me to write more, more often and in a more visually appealing way to those who come by I am all for it. Maybe one of these days I will come to a post and have like 3 or 4 comments one can dream. I love the brashness and the sort of "to hell with talking just to show off my vocabulary, get to the point" style of "Elements" so that's another reason why I am still reading it. It shouldn't really take me long and I am trying not to cross pollute my appreciation of its message by rushing to read between it and another book, I have 21 days more than enough time to enjoy all 3(actually 20 now since yesterday was the first day).
Enough(for now) about my library trip, this was supposed to be sort of a quick post before I tackled other submissions so let me go do that, have a great day everyone
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