Inspiration strikes at the most inconvenient times, or How to be creative with scrap-paper

Such as when you're hip-deep in mail that needs to be sorted to zipcode. That's when I went 'Hey, the conversation I was part of during the break could be used in my NaNo. But I can't write it, or the research it prompted, down right now, since my notebook is in my bag. Which is in a locker. Drat.' And so I went on, doing my damned job, hoping I'd be able to remember this the next day, when I realised 'Hey, I am not out of paper! I can write it on one of these labels.' They get thrown away anyway, and the back is nice and blank. A bit small, but I don't need much space anyway. I d tend to carry a pen with me at work, because you never know when you need to relabel a box.

As it was said, it was done. And all was well with the world.

Devouring in one long meal

Ten years or more ago, I was probably trying to survive the period of uncertainty between having done my high school-exams and waiting for the results, I read my dad's collection of Kay Scarpetta-novels. Dad's always been a big thriller-fan.

I haven't touched a book by Cornwell since. I get an instinctive reaction to ward myself when I get the thought of reading one. Doing the massive read-through way back when has immunized me against ever picking one up again. After all this time, I can't remember why I got burned out on them. Most likely: I just heavily dislike Kay. I can't recall much about Cornwell's writing-style.

It's no problem for me to read Discworld straight through, other than finding the time to do so. The Martin Beck-stories, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, have the same thing going for them (though Martin Beck tends to make me depressed. It's not so much thrillers as an accusation of the crappy Swedish social state at that time).

What are your bookseries you can read in one go, and with which ones do you need a long recovery-time in between each book?

Writing and faith

Something I have been wondering since I saw the Christian writers-thread in the Writing Group-forum on NaNo: does being a Christian mean that you have to write about your faith? One of the adages of writing is 'Write what you know', or 'Write what you care about.' For me, my faith falls squarely in both categories. But does that mean that I have to write about it? Will it make other people doubt my level of commitment to God if I don't mention Him in my work? Would it be considered preachy to even just mention a church standing in the background. let alone write about matters of doctrine and faith?

Or do I worry too much and should I just write and see what comes out?