In March, I post to the Two Writing Teacher blog, for their blogging challenge.
I have an app that sends me selected highlights from my Kindle reading. It is called Readwise and I often use the sentences as springboards for writing in my notebook. I use a lot of writing echoes in my work. I am often responding to something in real life or that I have read to find a new way to say something in my own voice.
I also like to be reminded of what struck me as I was reading the book the first time. Sometimes, I gain a new perspective when they are taken out of the context of the page and story.
Every morning, I receive an email with a list of quotes that came from recent reads and some I have forgotten about!
Here is a sampling of sentences that struck me …again…today:
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
You could learn everything about a couple just watching the kitchen choreography as they prepared dinner.
I love the use of choreography here – the reference to dance is appealing to me. I am obsessed with writing about food anyway. This book was a delight to read.
The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest
How do you figure out what you really want? You imagine a life that would be too good to be true, and then you take note of the elements, the themes.
This is a book I refer to every day. I read one page after I record my dreams. The pages are short and usually contain a question or idea to ponder about perspective on life. This is one I read several days ago but I have been on a trip so I haven’t had time to write about it yet fully.
The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell
‘And in Denmark this should normally have at least eight chairs so you can have lots of people round.’
The idea of this many people at dinner is a notion I haven’t thought about for a long time. This is a book I savored as well but read a long time ago.
Adventures in Opting Out by Cait Flanders
When it comes to opting out, the signs that you’re on the wrong path will be determined by whether your current path is leaving you feeling dissatisfied or genuinely unhappy or whether everything is fine and you are still craving something different.
A good topic to write about!
What sentences have resonated with you lately?
Thanks for reading Inspiration and Magic!
Thanks for the reading recs. (I got the Readwise app after your earlier post and it’s a nice infusion of recall. Since three of us share a kindle app, I also get quotes from my family’s highlightings-kind of an extra treat).