Sipping a Matcha Latte at Barnes and Nobles...

Trying to get things done at Barnes and Noble is just about impossible as dragging a child through Toys R Us just to "window shop". Well, I guess it would be that challenging. Now, for some reason, I buy WAY too many books than I can actually read them all in their entirety. So here I am, like a kid in Toys R Us. The candy store. Whatever you want to call this.

I decided to be fancy and order a (skinny) matcha green tea latte (too much sugar makes me bounce off walls-- known fact) and look up "how to buy a home" books. I probably spent 10 minutes of my two hours there actually doing that. The rest of the time I was perusing through fiction and self-help sections. Finally, I ended up buying 6 books. No lie. Six. One of them, I was debating on buying all afternoon: "The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing: Everything You Need to Know to Create and Sell Your Work". Of course, from Writer's Digest (LOVE YOU).

But why buy this? I've already written and published a short story with a group of writers: From the Stories of Old, and I'm in the final stages of my own personal novel. Other than an addiction to buying books, I know that one can never learn enough about writing. Writing short stories, poems, and novels etc. is a personal journey where one experiences growth each and every time he/she puts pen to paper. Or fingers to keyboard...So far in my writing career, I have been flying at the seat of my pants (it's the pharmacist in me), but today I decided to take a breath and do some actual reading myself. Reading about this profession that I want to become more involved in.

So what is next for me? What do I hope to learn from this book? Well:

(1) I hope this book will provide insight on publishing as I prepare for submitting queries for my novel: The Aeonians.

(2) Inspire me to carefully plot out my next project (TBD)

(3) Coach me into a more effective writer in my next short story in the upcoming Just-Us-League anthology. The topic? Superheroes. (YAY).

When I finished my latte, I realized two things. My tongue had been burnt and now I can't taste anything, and that my career as a writer has just begun- and I'm psyched about it.

In summary, I hope you guys take a trip to your local bookstore and get inspired. Maybe not spend your whole paycheck there....But anyway, let that inspiration get you motivated. Excited. Let's go write!

Tune in next time: I will be posting more about my soon-to-be novel: The Aeonians.

Peace!

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