First of all - you met TTW? Amazing. Second: I’m guessing (hoping) you’ve read some Anne Lamott books- especially Bird by Bird.
I read nearly everything now on my paperwhite kindle because I live in Nairobi and it’s hard to get books, especially some more “fringe” stuff I want. Whenever people are stateside, I ask them to mule books back for me.
I can’t figure out how to share an image in these comments, but the quote I would have underlined a gazillion times had I not been reading on my kindle (instead I “highlighted” and then took a picture of my kindle with my phone - WTAF?) is this:
“Being enough was going to have to be an inside job.”
And: “Don’t be afraid of your material or your past. Be afraid of wasting anymore time obsessing about how you look and how people see you. Be afraid of not getting your writing done.”
You got your writing done. 💃🏻
I understand how asking for preorders felt excruciating — and I wish for your sake (and mine when I actually finish a book) that you know people want to know how they can support other people. You. As soon as I figure out the right pre-order address to have the book muled back, I’m ordering from the Edwards store. I love the bookmarks.
Bird by Bird is absolutely one of the most underlined craft books on my shelf. But what page is this quote from? If you can see it on your paperwhite, let me know? I would like to read those pages again. It's been more than a few years and I would like to tape that one onto my wall. :) And I'm definitely putting extra bookmarks into your book mail Becca!
😬 I didn’t get page numbers and I don’t have the book on kindle anymore (Libby). I’ll need to mule that book to Kenya stat and I’ll report back sometime when I re-read it.
Your themes intrigue me, what a trio of Sirens you invoke! I'm going to be looking for this book. Your voice, by the way, has such an endearing reluctance to shill, but your writing really shines when you talk about the subject matter itself. That's the convincing reason to buy this book--um yes pre-order Christina Rivera's book!
Congratulations, Christina! I enjoyed reading all of your advice on the process - I'm hoping to have to use some of it one of these days! I preordered from your Bookworm, because who wouldn't want that selkie bookmark?! I feel like I have thoughts on each of your enumerated items here, but will start with 13 because I definitely don't do it that way, but I think it's very cool that you figured out how to get your voice to emerge. One place mine seems to emerge when I'm typing is in the comments bar, hilariously. If I can tell I have something emerging but it's shy and doesn't feel sure it can emerge directly on the typed page, I sometimes type unwieldy long passages in a comment. It's amazing how many times I've harvested these gems from the sidebar, having assumed they would be throwaways as I was writing them. I look forward to reading your book, and all books "women and whales," which is a genre I think, I hope, that can never have too many titles, or subtitles (loved that piece of advice, too). Thank you again for your transparency and for your work. I've admired your essays for the past few years, and will be excited to hold them together in my hands very soon.
Thanks for reading and even reflecting on the voice idea. :) I definitely got jumpy when I started thinking about your insight into "voice" finding space to express itself in the comments. I always laugh at my own running conversations "with self" that also happen in my google comments. Like, it can really get active in those conversations between me, myself, and I. But the other sneaky place where voice trojan-horses into my work is within parentheses! It's like this snarky little moderator (or those muppet guys in the balcony) offering a little bit of commentary, or asides of stark truth, conveniently hidden within those curved brackets. I've seen the same pattern reading other writers as well. Maybe we just to test the waters in brackets, or margins, before jumping two feet into the white space? Anyway, I've enjoying the rumination. Thanks for inspiring it, and for inspiring some mental wandering with your last post on syzygy too! We definitely share obsessions/themes and I'm super into your definitions and can't wait to read more! I'm also landlocked in Colorado, and really appreciate your ability to take my spirit to the coast and tidepools with you. :)
Yes! The parentheses are definitely another zone for voice to sneak in! Bahaha the muppet critics, living rent free in writers' heads. And thanks for mentioning the tides posts - So glad to provide a little ocean infusion... I know how much I'd miss not living beside it.
First of all - you met TTW? Amazing. Second: I’m guessing (hoping) you’ve read some Anne Lamott books- especially Bird by Bird.
I read nearly everything now on my paperwhite kindle because I live in Nairobi and it’s hard to get books, especially some more “fringe” stuff I want. Whenever people are stateside, I ask them to mule books back for me.
I can’t figure out how to share an image in these comments, but the quote I would have underlined a gazillion times had I not been reading on my kindle (instead I “highlighted” and then took a picture of my kindle with my phone - WTAF?) is this:
“Being enough was going to have to be an inside job.”
And: “Don’t be afraid of your material or your past. Be afraid of wasting anymore time obsessing about how you look and how people see you. Be afraid of not getting your writing done.”
You got your writing done. 💃🏻
I understand how asking for preorders felt excruciating — and I wish for your sake (and mine when I actually finish a book) that you know people want to know how they can support other people. You. As soon as I figure out the right pre-order address to have the book muled back, I’m ordering from the Edwards store. I love the bookmarks.
Bird by Bird is absolutely one of the most underlined craft books on my shelf. But what page is this quote from? If you can see it on your paperwhite, let me know? I would like to read those pages again. It's been more than a few years and I would like to tape that one onto my wall. :) And I'm definitely putting extra bookmarks into your book mail Becca!
😬 I didn’t get page numbers and I don’t have the book on kindle anymore (Libby). I’ll need to mule that book to Kenya stat and I’ll report back sometime when I re-read it.
Your themes intrigue me, what a trio of Sirens you invoke! I'm going to be looking for this book. Your voice, by the way, has such an endearing reluctance to shill, but your writing really shines when you talk about the subject matter itself. That's the convincing reason to buy this book--um yes pre-order Christina Rivera's book!
Ah, thank you Rho! Your words and observations mean a lot to me.
Congratulations, Christina! I enjoyed reading all of your advice on the process - I'm hoping to have to use some of it one of these days! I preordered from your Bookworm, because who wouldn't want that selkie bookmark?! I feel like I have thoughts on each of your enumerated items here, but will start with 13 because I definitely don't do it that way, but I think it's very cool that you figured out how to get your voice to emerge. One place mine seems to emerge when I'm typing is in the comments bar, hilariously. If I can tell I have something emerging but it's shy and doesn't feel sure it can emerge directly on the typed page, I sometimes type unwieldy long passages in a comment. It's amazing how many times I've harvested these gems from the sidebar, having assumed they would be throwaways as I was writing them. I look forward to reading your book, and all books "women and whales," which is a genre I think, I hope, that can never have too many titles, or subtitles (loved that piece of advice, too). Thank you again for your transparency and for your work. I've admired your essays for the past few years, and will be excited to hold them together in my hands very soon.
Hi Mary Beth!
Thanks for reading and even reflecting on the voice idea. :) I definitely got jumpy when I started thinking about your insight into "voice" finding space to express itself in the comments. I always laugh at my own running conversations "with self" that also happen in my google comments. Like, it can really get active in those conversations between me, myself, and I. But the other sneaky place where voice trojan-horses into my work is within parentheses! It's like this snarky little moderator (or those muppet guys in the balcony) offering a little bit of commentary, or asides of stark truth, conveniently hidden within those curved brackets. I've seen the same pattern reading other writers as well. Maybe we just to test the waters in brackets, or margins, before jumping two feet into the white space? Anyway, I've enjoying the rumination. Thanks for inspiring it, and for inspiring some mental wandering with your last post on syzygy too! We definitely share obsessions/themes and I'm super into your definitions and can't wait to read more! I'm also landlocked in Colorado, and really appreciate your ability to take my spirit to the coast and tidepools with you. :)
Yes! The parentheses are definitely another zone for voice to sneak in! Bahaha the muppet critics, living rent free in writers' heads. And thanks for mentioning the tides posts - So glad to provide a little ocean infusion... I know how much I'd miss not living beside it.