I dread trying to sum up this year in a paragraph. It sucked, you all know it sucked! My reading was weird, because everything was weird (“weird” of course is inadequate). It was harder to focus, and I worked less efficiently, but I had fewer plans — so it sort of evened out. Anyway, this list has become a tradition, so I kept it going, though I have nagging doubts now about sharing it publicly, in a way I never have before. I have doubts about everything, the year has crushed my ego, I don’t know who I am! …
“It’s literally the only list I read. I hate all other lists.” — J. Robert Lennon
A few years ago I started keeping track of every book I read in a document, annotating the list with mini-reviews, and then publishing it. (At the real end of the year! No cheating!) I love this practice: it provides a little extra incentive both to finish books and to read them attentively; it gives me a sense of accomplishment; it comes in handy when I need to buy gifts or when people ask for book recommendations. …
“It’s literally the only list I read. I hate all other lists.” — J. Robert Lennon
A few years ago I started keeping track of every book I read in a document, annotating the list with mini-reviews, and then publishing it. (At the real end of the year! No cheating!) I love this practice; it provides a little extra incentive both to finish books and to read them attentively, gives me a sense of accomplishment, and comes in handy when I need to buy gifts or when people ask for book recommendations. …
A couple of years ago I started keeping track of every book I read in a document, annotating the list with little mini-reviews. I love this practice; it provides a little extra incentive to finish books, gives me a sense of accomplishment, and comes in handy when I need to buy gifts or when people ask for book recommendations.
Some bookkeeping notes: This list (which is organized into fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, each list in the order that I read them, from January to December) only includes books I read in full, from beginning to end. I read parts of…
Last year I started keeping track of every book I read in a document, annotating the list with little mini-reviews. I’ve come to really enjoy this practice; it provides a little extra incentive to finish books, gives me a sense of accomplishment, and comes in handy when I need to buy gifts or when people ask for book recommendations.
Some bookkeeping notes: This list (which is organized into nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, each list in the order that I read them, from January to December) only includes books I read in full, from beginning to end. I read parts of…
The Blunt Instrument is a monthly advice column for writers. If you need tough advice for a writing problem, send your question to blunt@electricliterature.com.
Dear Blunt Instrument,
My questions for you are about nerve and grit. I write flash fiction, short stories, am working on a novel, and I’ve been sporadically writing blogs for fun for almost six years. I’m also aiming to write for online magazines. I have a fair amount of experience writing copy for companies, and I’m now in the early stages of setting up a freelance business.
I’d like to know how a writer trusts that…
Elisa Gabbert
Poet and essayist. Author of The Unreality of Memory, The Word Pretty, and other books. On Twitter at @egabbert. More info at http://www.elisagabbert.com/
