Books for Creatives

You may know that I spend an inordinate amount of time with books. Reading books, reading ABOUT books, helping people shape their books, writing my own books, and going to the library every week to pick up more books.

I was delighted to be invited to a book club that had read my novel, Chasing Sylvia Beach. I drove into the mountains on a sunny afternoon for tea and book chat.

The big treat was that this group is an art book group. All the members are artists. So of course the food was artistic, the conversation was about art, and the home filled with art.

It was an honor to be invited and I’m always thrilled that people are reading my novel. I brought my fat binder of notes from my research at the Princeton Library.

But the best part of the day was when the host, Teri, mentioned that she has a huge collection of books on creativity. Can I see your books? I asked. You know how it is – you go into someone’s home and if they have a bookcase around, you can’t help but want to scan the titles. It’s like being able to Google someone’s brain.

She led me upstairs. Immediately I felt like I was in Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. It was a wonderworld of books. Teri has two studios connected by a hallway lined with books. One of the bookcases was actually a hidden door! She reached behind some of the books to open the door into one of her studios. Of course, I was all aflutter with booklust. So many books! So many questions!

Do you read all these? Yes.

When do you read? In the morning for an hour or two.

Do you make notes? Yes, in the margins.

Teri reads so much that she had to start a second art book group. She sent me the lists of the books both groups had read. Scanning the list, I felt the need to stop everything, set up the hammock, and get to reading.

I was so inspired that I adjusted my reading habits. I am often awake at 3 or 4 am, much to my frustration. Now, I take that as my reading time. I haven’t made the leap to write in the margins, but perhaps one day I will.

Are you this bookish? I love that I am still able to feel the excitement I felt as a girl at the library or bookstore. I love that books are such a great social object, connecting us to the author, to the author’s ideas, and to other readers across time and space.

Great book podcast

I was perusing podcasts the other day and discovered The Book Case. What a treat! This is a father/daughter team who interviews authors. They also speak with independent booksellers around the US to hear about their bookstores and what books they are loving. What a great idea – and so well done. I am listening to every episode and particularly loved hearing from Anna Quindlen and Jennifer Egan.

Check it out, book lovers!

What I’m reading

I am loving Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting by Mary Gauthier. Teri recommended it after I confessed that I long to write a song. This is the songwriting book I have been craving – one that addresses the personal and emotional chops required to write a good song.

I have another songwriting book on the shelf but I will wait until I’ve dived into it to recommend that.

That’s it, book lovers! Share your current book loves in a comment below.

Who would you be if you didn’t write?

I have been writing steadily since 1994. I’ve written poetry, plays, dramatic monologues, a novel, non-fiction books, short stories, video and podcast scripts, and articles about the creative process.

Can you even imagine who I would be if I did not have this inky channel to get my thoughts and feelings out onto the page?

I imagine a dark, crowded, cluttered garage full of unprocessed ‘stuff’ and unacknowledged ideas. I imagine I would be a very cranky, mentally and emotionally constipated person.

So of course I loved Nancy Slonim Aronie’s book Memoir as Medicine. I work with a lot of people who are writing pieces of their life story.

Most people want to get their experiences onto the page to help others. But in the process of writing their stories, they are transformed. Nancie’s book offers a great range of short, poignant exercises to help us come to the page with new eyes and fresh angles.

If you have been wanting to write your stories down to get them out and unclutter your inner landscape, Nancie’s book is a great resource.

You don’t have to want to write a whole memoir or book to use this helpful book full of prompts.

If you want to write, please do it. Make it easy on yourself to pick up a pen and ink your ideas.

I spend a lot of time with my notebooks and am a fan of dot grid journals. I consider my many sketchbooks, personal and professional journals to be my allies. My intimate thoughts, dreams, and drafts fill their pages. I have hundreds of notebooks I’ve filled since I dedicated myself to writing in 1994. You are welcome to call me a notebook geek – I do!

Over the decades, I’ve used many kinds of notebooks. My preferences include:

• dot or grid pages
• can fit easily in my bag
• has a spine that lays flat and can be folded over
• a cover that feels good to the touch
• paper that doesn’t bleed through
• a ‘thong’ or page holder (this one has two!)
• back pocket
• elastic band to keep the whole thing together.

My new favorite journals

Recently, an Atelier member gifted me with a journal from Zen Art Supplies. I loved the dot grid notebook the minute I touched the faux leather cover. Soft, supple, and smooth, this was a new ally I could see myself cuddling up with. I don’t call what I do bullet journaling, but if you do that kind of journaling, this is a great notebook for it.

There’s something about dot grid journals that gives both structure and space. Somehow, dot grid journals allow me to organize thoughts with just a hint of a line. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like a totally blank page but can feel restricted by lines. Enter the dot grid to save the day!

Special touches make a difference for me. I love the patterns on the edges of the pages – a different Japanese icon for each color notebook. Some of the bonus elements of this notebook include:

• numbered pages
• front-of-book index
• acid-free paper
• gorgeous cover colors
• recyclable and biodegradable.

The index keeps me organized when life is full

I’m taking a lot of classes and making a lot of notes these days. The numbered pages and index are working great for me. I’m glad because I’ve never put this organizing principle to work until now.

Some people might call me picky. But I believe that an everyday, functional object should also be a thing of beauty. My notebook goes with me everywhere. I’m snuggled up with it in my studio every morning, recording my hopes, dreams, and tarot readings. My notebooks constitute a treasure vault, chronicling my life.

I must love every item that’s in my life. I love the ZenART art journal supplies so much, I am giving every member of my Atelier one. ZenART is a partial sponsor of the Atelier Kits. I know members will cherish their notebooks.

Affliate links are included in this article. 

Recently, I was invited to a friend and former client’s house for a book group discussion. The book they want to discuss is my Paris historical novel, Chasing Sylvia Beach.

The invitation came as a welcome surprise. First, going to anyone’s place for a backyard party sounds great right about now! Then, it’s an incredible honor that people want to read and discuss a book I wrote. Nine years ago today I published this book. That seems like a long time ago, but this project continues to live beyond my initial effort.

This is what we hope for when we write a book or produce something for the world – that our works live beyond us. Books especially can have a long life, populating libraries and igniting book clubs to discuss its themes.

The main themes of Chasing Sylvia Beach touch on community, role models, and the power of books to change lives. Books as a way to lead conversations. We put our heart and soul onto the page and hope that others find value in reading and discussing our ideas.

In my writing workshops, I share how this potent link between values, themes, and stories can make writing easier. It’s impossible to write a book you care only superficially about; we must be deeply connected in order to write authentically and go the distance.

A book, course, business, or a body of work can express what’s true about you and your worldview. You may have a book or similar project stirring inside you. You may also wonder whether people will join you in caring about your subject matter. That’s not something we can control. Who knows where our projects will go or where they will lead us? What we can only show up to lead the conversation, first with ourselves and the blank page, and then with the world. Writing a book leaves a legacy – sharing your ideas, values, and passion for people to enjoy for years to come.

I can’t wait to talk about time travel, Paris, Sylvia Beach, and the power of books this weekend with a group of readers. These are subjects that I adore, and because I wrote a book revolving around these topics and themes, I get to participate in a discussion about them.

What conversations do you want to lead? What legacy will you leave? Don’t defer your dream of writing a book and sharing your ideas.

If you are harboring your ideas but don’t know where to start or how to write a book, please don’t wait. The rewards in the process and in the product are worth the challenges of writing a book. And guess what? I am here to help. A great jumpstart to writing a book is my most recent book, The Busy Woman’s Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book.

For customized writing support, consider one:one coaching. My coaching calendar has two open spots for this summer. I’m in my genius zone when helping smart, soulful people pull their ideas into shape. Details about my coaching packages are here. 

What conversations are you leading with your creative work?

Once, on a trip to San Francisco, I set out on day one to explore. Walking around the Mission gave me lots of inspiration. A few steps out my door, I saw a cool vintage liquor store sign. “That’s cool! I’ll sketch that later,” I thought. I kept moving.

But the artist in me took a stand. “No!” she said. “Stop now and capture it. Take five minutes, for goodness sake!”

Luckily I listened to the part of me that knows how to stop to savor, to capture, to slow down, and be present. I LOVE the little sketch I made in five minutes, and I committed to filling the sketchbook with five-minute pauses. That became one of my favorite notebooks.

If you know me, you know that I always have at least one notebook with me at all times. I feel naked without one. I’ve trained myself to capture my ideas, dreams, lists, and doodles.

Sure you can capture all that on a smartphone, but I have never felt the same about my device that I do about my notebooks.

My notebooks are my allies. They hold my heart, my mind, my writing, and my art. In any situation, I can stop, drop and put a thought or image onto the page.

You don’t have to be a sketcher or an artist to have a notebook with you. It definitely doesn’t have to be fancy. It can be whatever you want. If you consider it an ally, it can help you take little pauses that don’t have you immediately putting your face to a screen.

If you decide to keep a notebook or sketchbook, have a sense of why it matters to you. Know what motivates you so you can use that as a compass to steer past any inner critic commentary or excuses.

Adding your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to a notebook doesn’t have to take a lot of time. A pause, a dip, a quick word sketch or a note to yourself. That’s it. See what it’s like for you to have this in your life.

I bet you already have a notebook on site – no need to buy anything!

Do you keep a notebook? How does it help you be your most creative self? Share your experience below.

P.S. I made a video series showing how I use my notebooks as planners, sketchbooks, journals, and more. Check out my notebook videos and leave a comment here. 

P.P.S. If the thought of a notebook gives ANY level of stress, forget it! None of what I share is meant to add a ‘should’ to your list.

P.P.P.S Below is a photo of all my notebooks through February 2020. From left: early journals, personal journals. Middle: Mostly Moleskines, which I use to run and organize my business. Tall skinny stack: Moleskine Japanese albums or accordion notebooks. I’ve filled more than 30 of them with sketches and stories of travels and daily life. Right: Sketchbooks filled with drawings, paintings and inspiration I have captured in the world and at home. See inside my sketchbooks here.