6 books to read during the corona virus lock down, that will motivate you to write!
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, people stuck indoors are looking for new ways to entertain themselves. Reading as an activity can be therapeutic and incredibly comforting. To help bookworms in these stressful times, here are a few of my favorite books, which have encouraged my own writing.
This book is a revelation for any writer in any genre at any given time in their lives. From the humble beginner, who thinks they cannot achieve anything from putting pen to paper, to those who are wondering why their twenty novels are not selling. Ralph encompasses the entire spectrum of literary success; real and aspired and addresses the real rawness of where fear comes from, how to deal with it, and why it is not the real obstacle to overcome. Read this book and you will surely find yourself in the right frame of mind to create your masterpiece!
“The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes. “Fear is felt by writers at every level. Anxiety accompanies the first word they put on paper and the last.” “Willa Cather said that she write best when she stopped trying to write and began simply to remember.”
There has truly never been a better time to be an author. Authors now have direct access to the public via the Internet-and can create a community eagerly awaiting their book. But where do new authors start? How do they sort through the dizzying range of online options? Where should they spend their time online and what should they be doing? Enter Fauzia Burke, a digital book marketing pioneer and friend of overwhelmed writers everywhere. She takes authors step-by-step through the process of identifying their unique personal brand, defining their audience, clarifying their aspirations and goals, and setting priorities. She offers advice on designing a successful website, building a mailing list of superfans, blogging, creating an engagement strategy for social media, and more. Originally published in the US, Fauzia has adapted and updated Online Marketing for Busy Authors for the Australia and New Zealand markets. She has talked to successful authors about how online marketing has worked for them and shares their tips and mistakes to help new authors eager to emulate their success.
In this collection of writings, Watts displays the intelligence, playfulness of thought, and simplicity of language that has made him so perennially popular as an interpreter of Eastern thought for Westerners. He draws on a variety of religious traditions and covers topics such as the challenge of seeing one's life "just as it is," the Taoist approach to harmonious living, the limits of language in the face of ineffable spiritual truth, and the psychological symbolism of Christian thought.
The anxiety of rejection is an inevitable part of any writer's development. In this book, Ralph Keyes turns his attention from the difficulty of putting pen to paper-the subject of his acclaimed The Courage to Write -to the frustration of getting the product to the public. Inspiration isn't nearly as important to the successful writer, he argues, as tenacity, and he offers concrete ways to manage the struggle to publish. Drawing on his long experience as a writer and teacher of writing, Keyes provides new insight into the mind-set of publishers, the value of an agent, and the importance of encouragement and hope to the act of authorial creation.
“In 1889, the editor of the San Francisco Examiner, having accepted an article from Rudyard Kipling, informed the author that he should not bother to submit any more. "This isn't a kindergarten for amateur writers," the editor wrote. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just don't know how to use the English language." A century later, John Grisham was turned down by sixteen agents before he found representation-and it was only after Hollywood showed an interest in The Firm that publishers began to take him seriously.”
John Ralston Saul explains how our different qualities give us the intelligence, self-confidence and practical ability to think and act as responsible individuals. He argues, however, that when certain human qualities are worshipped in isolation they become weaknesses, even forces of destruction or self-destruction. In short, they become ideologies. How can we use our qualities as positive forces in our own lives – and the life of our society? How can we use them so that each builds upon the other to reinforce us as humans? Saul's answer is Balance. On Equilibrium is an intelligent, persuasive and controversial exploration of the essential qualities of humanity and how they can be used to achieve equilibrium for the self and to foster an ethical society. It is at once an attack on our weakness for ideologies and a manual for humanist action. It is the logical, compelling and humane successor to Saul's bestselling trilogy Voltaire's Bastards, The Doubter's Companion and The Unconscious Civilization.
This is the type of book you leave beside your bed, next to a softly lit candle and a photo of your favorite person. It is a beacon of hope at the end of a long day. Radiating peace and magically written by one of the most insightful authors of our time. Angela captures the real essence of hope and of light.
Once Around the Halo will take you on a poetic journey through the most profound experiences endured by the author. It begins by diving into the deep end, where a close encounter with rock bottom causes faith and hope to be lost before being guided back toward the light. Once the full circle journey is completed, faith is restored, self-worth is regained, and unconditional love is solidified. Along this voyage, you will enjoy artwork by Tomasz Alen Kopera, which weaves in the author's love of surrealism in a very magical way.
Thank you Lynette! Much love to you!