Happy Sunday! How is it we’re halfway through September, people? My fall has started with a bang, and I’m out of the gates, running... running... jogging... okay, I’ve slowed to a nice, leisurely stroll. Look, are those roses?

Yes. You read that right. I’ve stopped to smell the roses. That doesn’t mean I’m not working—it just means I’m working smarter. I had some excellent downtime one rainy afternoon in Edinburgh, which I spent with my bullet journal and my thoughts. I won’t bore you with the details, but I did come to some solid conclusions about how I wanted my work life to look going forward. I deleted some old social media accounts, cleaned up the ones I do use, and decided to just makes things easier on myself. 

We writers are in an interesting position in the creative world. We’re all readers, so we want to talk to other readers, and other writers, and booksellers and librarians. And then there’s the news—so much to consume, so much to stay on top of, so much to invest in, and who knows what sort of ideas it might engender. Notice something missing from all that? Yes. The writing. Without which, we’re just readers. 

I obviously get my writing done, but there are certainly moments in time when all the rest of the business gets in the way of that. This is why I encourage all writers to invest in some help. A virtual assistant can get a heck of a lot off your plate. If you do a cost benefit analysis on your time, what’s more important—that $25 hour that frees you to write 1000 words, or making sure all the filters are correct on your instagram photos for the week?

Words win. Hand down. Every time. Do you know why? Words equal money. If you want to be a writer, a successful writer, words are the only thing that genuinely matter. The rest is for fun.

I mean, if you want to abandon the social media entirely in favor of writing, DO IT! Trust me when I say my finger has hovered over the delete button too many times to count. No one, NO ONE, will blame you, forget you, or otherwise have an issue if you don’t want to have fifteen social media streams running at once. I promise. What they will remember is that book the you spent so much time on that you leveled up in your writing. The book that breaks you out.

In this vein, I wanted to share this video my DH sent me a couple of weeks ago. It had a huge impact on my thought process on these things. It helped me take a nice, deep breath, set down the laptop, and take a nap. Something I NEVER do. And oddly enough, when I woke, I worked better. Who knew?

With that, I’m off to take a nap. I’ll leave you to the links.

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Literary Paper Dolls: Rebecca. "To me, it is one of the most sickening passages in all of literature. Because, for me, the jury is still out. Which Mrs. de Winter am I?"

Goodreads is giving away 100 copies of NO ONE KNOWS. (US only.) This giveaway ends tomorrow, so hurry ye to the link!

Column: How the Little Free Library led to the Little Free Pantry, a fast-growing approach to helping those in need. This is such a wonderful idea! Literacy frees people.

10 Fantastically Fierce Books Like CIRCE By Madeline Miller. CIRCE was one of my favorite books last year so this list is up my alley.

This article about how our skulls are shrinking might be the key to helping kids with behavioral problems. Fascinating!

'The Bloggess' Jenny Lawson to Open Combination Bookstore and Bar in San Antonio. This sounds like a cool development! Jenny’s a brilliant writer, so what a lovely match: writer to bookstore.

Snap Out Of A Reading Slump With These 20 New Books. Great ideas for those who need help getting out of that slump. I was in one all summer!

The chaotic evil 'Don't have a bookmark?' meme is out of control. *shudders* Someone used a taco. A TACO!

140,000 Pieces of Paper Form a Colorful 'Universe of Words' Installation by Emmanuelle Moureaux. Incredible!

The Editor of Modern Love on the Books That Taught Him About Love. A thoughtful list.

The Wine of the Week at The Wine Vixen is a delightful French gem.

What I’m Reading:

THE STRANGER INSIDE by Lisa Unger

I'm a fan of Lisa's work, and especially of how she builds her characters. From the most innocent to the most evil, every one of them has depth that makes them come alive on the page. THE STRANGER INSIDE is no different -- a brilliant character study of victims who've survived a terrible event in their childhood and how they've found ways to cope with the aftermath. As always, this is more than a page turner, it is a complex psychological study and thrilling to boot. Her best yet.

What are you reading?

That’s it from me. Start making room in your closet for the sweaters, cut something that’s not vital from your day, take a walk in a field, and I’ll see you next week.

peace and hugs,
J.T.