Good Writing

There’s NO doubt about it, good writing will make you think. After reading New York Times bestseller The Lobster Chronicles by Linda Greenlaw, my thoughts here, I got to thinking about how good writing also stirs a little good envy wanting to write like this. I cuddled up all week with this perfect mood setter, pawing over a topic so far left of anything I'm even remotely passionate about that it conjured up another thought.

Fishing, or rather lobstering is the latest new topic I've read in the memoir genre... now added onto activism, adoption, aviation, bullying, child abuse, dating & relationships, education, motherhood, fatherhood, culture (international and national), family, health, mental illness, medicine, film & movie making, journalism, politics, leadership, lesbianism, business/finance, weight loss, terrorism, extreme sports, regular sports, travel, anti-Semitism & racism, religion, war & military, entertainers: comedians, musicians, and singers, along with a cadre of “based on true events” literature.

From that breathless (though not exclusive) linked list, I must admit to feeling quite satisfied with this eclectic range of reading. There seemed to be few topics I hadn’t taken on, and not that I'm keeping count. I only thought to revisit the topics trying to check for one topic I hadn’t read that I might want to try. That’s when it dawned on me, there is ONE topic I haven’t yet read.

Writing! I haven’t read one memoir or biography about the life of a writer. And yes, I’ve read hundreds of books written by authors, as so noted in the above not exhaustive list. What I’m talking about here is reading a personal narrative specifically about the pitfalls and zeniths of a writer’s career and life.

For a minute I had Stephen King’s memoir on my to-read list, but lost sight of it when I started catching comments suggesting the book was perfect for learning how-to write. True, I possibly could use some brushing up, except I was hoping for something a lot more self-indulgent. I prefer figuring stuff out and reading between lines, which the good news is, after peeking back to recheck what first drew me to the book, I’m now positive ‘On Writing’  is going to treat me well. I'm looking forward to some extra good writing in this one.