LOST MEMORIES, DESIGNY THINGS AND PAPER OVER PIXELS

LIFE OF A BOOKMAN

Bookman: 1. a person who has a love of books and especially of reading. 2. a person who is involved in the writing, publishing, or selling of books. Oh, hi that's me!!



Small and Utterly Lovely: Small books are having a moment on my bedside table right now! I'm reading The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi, which is this compact but delightful, Japanese tale about the people that make us and the moments that change us. In this story, when a person dies they get to select their most treasured memories from a stack of photos, one from every day in their life. They'll eventually place these in a spinning lantern that will flash and transport them to the after world. But before they do, they have the opportunity to return to one faded memory and photograph it anew. I'm absorbed. It's a feel good read, while still having so much depth. 

As I've been reading it, I keep thinking about this poem by Lain Thomas that I read last year and have been meaning to get printed:

THE LIGHT THAT SHINES WHEN THINGS END

I hope that in the future they invent a small golden light that follows you everywhere and when something is about to end, it shines brightly so you know it's about to end.

And if you're never going to see someone again, it'll shine brightly and both of you can be polite and say, “It was nice to have you in my life while I did, good luck with everything that happens after now.”

And maybe if you're never going to eat at the same restaurant again, it'll shine and you can order everything off the menu you've never tried. Maybe, if someone's about to buy your car, the light will shine and you can take it for one last spin.

Maybe, if you're with a group of friends who'll never be together again, all your lights will shine at the same time and you'll know, and then you can hold each other and whisper,

“This was so good. Oh my God, this was so good.”

What I'm writing: omg I wrote this epic step-by-step map of how to create a non-fiction book proposal that gets you a book deal. It probably took me 60+ hours to write and edit, and has been something I've wanted to document for a while...It is all the top-line wisdom that I've learned from a decade of ghostwriting and publishing, complete with prompts to get to a sellable idea (hard!!) and an outline of every section that is needed for a book proposal and what makes each of those sections work. It's a science AND an art! If you're considering a book idea, or know someone who is, this will be very, very helpful (or read if you're just curious how non-fiction book proposals work!!)




WOMEN'S STUDIES

What gets passed down becomes our history. 
 
Can't take it with you. Philosopher Helen de Cruz was in hospice and writing about the end of life. This quote absolutely stopped me in my tracks and provided a much needed redirect: 



“Marie Curie, Vincent Van Gogh, our wise grandmother … we love these people because of what they left us. Not because of what they had.”



A little birdie told me. If you love design, beautiful things, or just clicking on every link because interesting things are interesting to you, this is a newsletter you'll love by Pamela Berger – a lovely human I've gotten to know since living in Savannah. I subscribe to a few emails that curate links from the internet, and this is by far the one I end up clicking on the most. 

Face it: you're a crazy person. I get asked what should I do with my life about as much as I ask myself that...which is a lot. Writing a book called You're Not Lost will draw in this type of question. Well, this is the essay I wish I had written. When you're dreaming of the future, it's VERY easy to say “I want to have a flower shop one day” - or - “I want to write for the movies” - or - “I want to start a tech company” without actually thinking through the motions, the mechanics of what that future state means. Oprah tells a story that's similar, about the itch she had to move to NYC...which sounded great, sounded buzzy, sounded like a vibe...but when she took that idea all the way down to the studs...the idea of waking up and walking her dogs around concrete buildings filled with cars and people and hot trash, moving to NYC was a “no” for her. This essay calls that process unpacking and it's a great thing to read if there's a future target goal/dream/idea that you have your eye on. 

PASS IT ON

Stories are heirlooms. Here's one of mine:


I've had a “no phone in my bed” rule for about the last decade. It's the single greatest gift I give to myself every night. That and reading before bed. I became curious over the weekend if my “good vibes” from reading paper books showed up in data –  ie how much it de-stresses me – and how much it helps with sleep – especially compared to the rare, one-off nights I end up scrolling on my phone.



Well, it does. Of course it does. Take a look at what reading books does:


* Instant stress relief: Reading for just 6 minutes reduces stress levels by 68% – more than music or walking
* Live longer: Yale's 12-year study found book readers live 23 months longer than non-readers, regardless of income or education
* Better sleep: 42% of people who read before bed see improved sleep within one week
* Sharper mind: Reading boosts both memory and cognitive processing speed



Paper over pixels, bb!!! woman on xx