Here’s the complete transcript of today’s #wclw chat on books that inspire. To read it, go to the bottom & work your way back up to the top. — Michelle
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
Find more on writing, blogging basics and media industry trends on http://t.co/ABbXKQ6Z9T. Happy writing, and reading! #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
Until then, check out the WordCount Facebook page: http://t.co/VqRYyXzFwf #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
Still finalizing topic for 8/28 chat but I’m hoping to have some bloggers who’ve hit the 1K post mark on as guests. Stay tuned. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
That about does it for this month’s chat. The next WordCount writer chat takes place Wednesday, Aug. 28 @ 10 am PT/1 pm ET. #wclw
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Jen A. Miller @byJenAMiller
RT @MichelleRafter: In case you don’t know @byJenAMiller, she reads a book a week & blogs about it. Follow her! #wclw
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Jen A. Miller @byJenAMiller
A4: Print books though I’ll download shorts on my iPhones Kindle if I have nothing to read and am on a train, in line, etc #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
In case you don’t know @byJenAMiller, she reads a book a week & blogs about it. Follow her! #wclw
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Jen A. Miller @byJenAMiller
A3: Every night before bed, and at the gym if I’m biking. I record them here http://t.co/K2hmyDO4E6 #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
Thanks for the recommendation RT @byJenAMiller A1: Tide, Feather, Snow – round about book about writing http://t.co/kXx4gzZ5vB #wclw
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Elizabeth Kricfalusi @EKricfalusi
Next Bradley book, And the Mountains Echoed, Ellen DeGeneres’ book, Dragonfly in Amber (from Outlander series)… #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
On my nightstand: West of Here, about settling of Olympic Penninsula; Birth of Venus, set in Renaissance Italy. #wclw
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Jen A. Miller @byJenAMiller
A1: Tide, Feather, Snow – round about book about writing (sorry I’m late!) http://t.co/Ecc1MSvItm #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
I’m re-reading Frank Conroy’s Body & Soul. And The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love. Also about to start The Shining Girls. #wclw
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Elizabeth Kricfalusi @EKricfalusi
Yes, loved Sweetness… 11-year-old protagonist with chemistry fascination. Setting is England, earlier decade. Author is Canadian. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
AGREE! Couldn’t get into it RT @stephauteri Writing Down the Bones was too damn woo-woo for me. And EVERYBODY talks about it. #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
@EKricfalusi: Writing Down the Bones was too damn woo-woo for me. And EVERYBODY talks about it. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
But a quick read RT @EKricfalusi I started reading Eats, Shoots and Leaves and it bored the heck out of me. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
RT @stephauteri I left this recommended list of books about the business of writing here: http://t.co/LdH3Wz3DhF #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@EKricfalusi Let the Right One In, Wallander, etc. Good stuff, but dark, brooding. #wclw
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Elizabeth Kricfalusi @EKricfalusi
I started reading Eats, Shoots and Leaves and it bored the heck out of me. #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
I wanted to mention that I left this recommended list of books about the business of writing here: http://t.co/4FNgStTLqM #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@EKricfalusi Haven’t read The Sweetness…. You liked? After visiting Sweden last summer, I went into a big Scandinavian phase. #wclw
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Elizabeth Kricfalusi @EKricfalusi
Any writing books that came highly recommended to you that you would tell others not to bother with? #wclw
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Elizabeth Kricfalusi @EKricfalusi
.@MichelleRafter, have you read the more recent Alan Bradley series. First one was The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie? #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
OK, moving on to the open Q&A portion of the chat. Ask away, about books, inspiration, authors, writing, anything. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@EKricfalusi Typo – that should have read An Unsuitable Job for a Woman. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@EKricfalusi I’m a P.D. James girl myself. Favorite is An Suitable Job for a Woman (and Masterpiece Mystery series they made from it) #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@EKricfalusi Love Agatha Christie; And Then There Were None is a classic, book and movie. #wclw
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Elizabeth Kricfalusi @EKricfalusi
Included a copy of almost every Agatha Christie novel (my high school addiction). #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
Off topic comment about the new @TweetChat interface – I’m getting error messages when I try to copy & paste a tweet to RT it. #wclw
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Elizabeth Kricfalusi @EKricfalusi
When I moved from CA to DC, I donated 500+ books to the library to sell at used book sales. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@EKricfalusi Sounds like an e-reader is a smart choice for you then. #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
@MichelleRafter: My husband bought me a Kindle for my bday a few years ago. I was so pissed, like, “Don’t you know me AT ALL!?” #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
A4: I’ve also resisted getting an e-book reader because as a houseshold we already have way too many mobile electronic devices. #wclw
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Elizabeth Kricfalusi @EKricfalusi
No, I don’t think so. I’m not a heavy-duty reader at all (unfortunately). #wclw
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Elizabeth Kricfalusi @EKricfalusi
The Kindle has some nice features I like, like telling me how many more minutes it should take me to finish my chapter. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@EKricfalusi Do you think you spend more on books buying e-books, or not? #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
A4: I also like to support Powell’s because, well, why wouldn’t you? It’s the best indie book store around. #pdx #wclw
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Elizabeth Kricfalusi @EKricfalusi
When I couldn’t wait to read the 2nd and 3rd installments of Hunger Games and didn’t have the Kindle yet. 🙂 #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
A4: I’ve yet to make the jump to e-books. I like checking books out of library & buying them used at library book sales. #wclw
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Elizabeth Kricfalusi @EKricfalusi
I’ve just started to prefer e-books. I use the Kindle Fire but I’ve also used the Kindle app on my PC.#wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
A4: I prefer print books mostly because I’m concerned with discoverability. I learned to love reading by browsing my parents’ books. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
Q4: Which do you prefer, print or e-books? If you like e-books, what e-book reader do you use, and why? #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@stephauteri I can get so engrossed in a book I don’t want to do anything else=not good w/a busy work sked. Have to pace myself. #wclw
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Elizabeth Kricfalusi @EKricfalusi
Aargh… HootSuite is not doing what I want it to. Meant to post that from my personal account. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
Liked Cutting for Stone for same reason. RT @TechForLuddites Kite Runner because it was my first look into that fascinating world. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
A3: I try to read @ night but only make it 5-10 min. My New Year’s resolution was to read more throughout year, not just in summer. #wclw
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T4L @TechForLuddites
Probably Kite Runner because it was my first look into that fascinating world. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@TechForLuddites Would love to hear from somebody who’s read And The Mountains Echoed to see what they thought of it. Anybody? #wclw
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T4L @TechForLuddites
I have And The Mountains Echoed by him on Kindle now but haven’t started it yet. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@EKricfalusi Hi Elizabeth, thanks for joining us! I read Kite Runner but none of Hosseini’s others. Which did you prefer? #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
A3: These days, I feel as if I need to steal snippets of time to read. Waiting on line. Before bed. Hiding in the bathroom. 😉 #wclw
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Elizabeth Kricfalusi @EKricfalusi
Elizabeth from DC metro area here (MD side). I loved Khaled Hosseini’s first two books: Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns.#wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
Here’s the next question. Q3: When do you read: bedtime? On the subway? Vacation? Anywhere, any time? #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
Heard Annie Proulx a few years back. She came to fiction writing later in life, inspiration for anybody: http://t.co/yunAy37K1c #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
Great @s for writers RT @stephauteri I subscribed to @poetswritersinc @slicemagazine @thesunmagazine @oxfordamerican @cnfonline #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
@MichelleRafter: I even read — and enjoyed — his book on mountain climbing… a topic that doesn’t typically interest me at all. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@stephauteri I read Krakauer’s Into the Wild last summer for the first time. Appreciate his research-driven, journalistic style. #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
A2: I also recently subscribed to @poetswritersinc, @slicemagazine, @thesunmagazine, @oxfordamerican, and @cnfonline. #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
A2: For narrative journalism, you can’t beat Jon Krakauer. Reading him always makes me wish I could do what he does. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
A2: For inspiration, I’ve gone to Portland @literaryarts lectures to hear famous authors talk about their work & writing process. #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
A2: Going old school, Lorrie Moore’s short stories and Kingsolver’s personal essays. I just love that voice. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
RT @stephauteri AP Stylebook was my very first style guide and the only one I know like the back of my hand. Always have a copy. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
Let’s jump to next question. Q2: What fiction or non-fiction books or authors do you read for inspiration & why? #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
@MichelleRafter: AP Stylebook was my very first style guide, and the only one I know like the back of my hand. Always have a copy. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
A1: True confessions: I’ve been known to skim through AP Stylebook just for fun. Always learn something. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@stephauteri I definitely think it’s beneficial to re-read books on writing occasionally – you pick up on different things each time. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@stephauteri Writing memoir=so hard. Not sure I could do it. Props to you for trying. #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
@MichelleRafter: I re-read On Writing last year, I think. Love getting that peek into his writing life in the first half. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@UrbanMuseWriter Thanks for the RT, hope you can join us, at least for a little. Would love your book picks. #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
@MichelleRafter: sense of humor and the book goes into great depth on the arc of both the essay and the memoir, which is what I need. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@stephauteri Agree with you about King’s On Writing, though it’s been a while since I read it & remember liking first 1/2 better. #wclw
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Susan Johnston @UrbanMuseWriter
RT @MichelleRafter: A1: Last summer finally read Bird by Bird by Annie Lamott — why’d I wait so long? All hail SFDs. #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
@MichelleRafter: It’s about memoir + personal essay writing (which are both things I’m working on right now). Author has a fantastic.. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
A1: Last summer finally read Bird by Bird by Annie Lamott — why’d I wait so long? All hail SFDs. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@stephauteri Never heard of Naked, Drunk & Writing — why do you like it? #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
A1: My hands-down favs are still Zinsser’s On Writing Well and Blundell’s The Art & Craft of Feature Writing, now out of print. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@stephauteri Got in a vacation at beginning of this mo., which was good because work projects are starting to pile up. #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
A1: Adair Lara’s Naked, Drunk, and Writing is phenomenal. Stephen King’s On Writing comes in second. #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
A1: Most of the writing-related books I read are on the *business* of writing, but as for the craft… #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
@MichelleRafter: Slow, as far as writing + editing goes. Been teaching a lot of yoga. 🙂 You? #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
Let’s jump into questions: Q1: What are your favorite books on writing, and why? #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
@stephauteri Hey there, great to see you. How’s your summer going? #wclw
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stephauteri @stephauteri
Steph, Verona, NJ, and… um… been doing sex writing for years, but feeling burnt out. Working on personal essays lately. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
For the chat, we’ll start with a few pre-set questions and then open it up for other questions and discussion. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
If you’re joining me, please share your name, city, and type of writing work you do. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
I’m your host, a Portland, Ore., business reporter and editor, and owner of the WordCount blog for freelancers. #wclw
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MichelleRafter @MichelleRafter
It’s time. Welcome to the WordCount Last Wednesday writer chat. Today we’ll be talking about books on writing & books that inspire. #wclw |