Buy new books!

It's shopping time. And we all know the news about the economy isn't exactly good. I was reading an agent's blog the other day (and I don't know why I go to those sites, because they usually stress me out, and this time was no exception) and it was all about how bad the publishing industry was doing, and how that meant the publishing climate was tougher for writers than ever before, blah, blah, blah. And the agent ended by encouraging everyone to buy new books to help the industry.

It got me thinking. The holidays are coming up. I have lots of gifts to buy. Why not buy new books? I love books. It's fun to think of which books would be appealing to the various people on my list. It makes shopping easier because the potential gift possibilities are limited. I can't really see a downside.

So that's my plan. I probably won't only buy books as gifts, but it's going to be mostly what I give. And if I can do my small part to help out the publishing industry, why not? It's not exactly an original idea. I just checked Laurie R. King's blog and she's encouraging people to do something similar.

So join the movement! Buy new books!

What comes next?

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I don't know, and as I result I'm both stuck and procrastinating. This is for the story I'm currently working on, which is something my kids can read, since nothing I've written so far is appropriate for them.

But all of a sudden, I'm itching to get back to my big story--part 2 to the novel I've already written. I want to get the kid one done first, though.

So butt down in chair, hands on keyboard, push through the pain of not knowing what comes next.

I always find it eventually.

How'd I miss this?

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J.K. Rowling delivered the commencement address at Harvard this past June.

Here's a link.

The whole thing is fabulous, but I was especially struck by the following quote:

Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared.

Wow!